Women's athletic footwear sales are growing fast, according to the NPD Group.

The data collection agency says women's athletic footwear sales were up 5 percent in 2017 compared to 2016.

The retail tracking service says sport leisure is now the largest category in athletic footwear and captured $9.6 billion in sales in 2017 and grew 17 percent.

The fastest-growing segments of the market were running inspired and casual athletic footwear.

Nike/Brand Jordan, Adidas, Skechers, Under Armour, and New Balance were the top-selling brands based on dollar sales in 2017.

Adidas was the fastest-growing player in the market overall, growing its sales by over 50 percent.