# runners and riders

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/runners-and-riders
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

The candidates in a competition or leadership contest.

## Examples

- Here are the runners and riders for the upcoming club election.
- The political analysts spent the morning discussing the runners and riders for the party leadership contest.
- As the deadline for nominations approached, the media meticulously scrutinized the runners and riders to determine who possessed the strongest chance of securing the nomination.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.