Strava released its 12th annual Year In Sport Trend Report, which found that running remains the top sport on the company’s platform, with the top three running shoes led by Asics Novablast, followed by Nike Pegasus and Hoka Clifton. The company notes that running’s momentum is boosted by younger generations with an interest in running races.

Analyzing billions of activities from Strava’s global community alongside survey insights from over 30,000 consumers (users and non-users of Strava), the trend report showed Gen Z is 75 percent more likely than Gen X to say that their main motivation for exercise is a race or running event. However, the report shows that Gen Z also embraces walking, weight training, and a variety of sports to stay consistent.

Strava said about Gen Z, “In 2025, this generation showed us how they move: running and racing at all distances, finding community and connection at run clubs and lifting weights to look and feel good. They also told us what their priorities are and how they are changing — putting movement first, even while on vacation, and spending money on fitness-related expenses over dating.”

In 2025, users of the site, overall, across generations, used Strava to connect and celebrate progress, with 14 billion kids this year. Strava noted that “subscribers spent one hour being active for every two minutes spent on the app.”

“More than half of Gen Z plans to use Strava more in 2026, while most said they will use Instagram and TikTok the same amount or less,” said Strava CEO Michael Martin. “As the fastest growing demographic on Strava, we know that Gen Z is looking for real experiences, not more time staring at screens. This generation is rewriting the rules, and we’re committed to building the platform that keeps people connected and moving together for generations to come.”

Other findings in the trend report include:

  • Runna data shows that most users rate themselves as beginner (26 percent) or intermediate (34 percent) runners. This year, 86 percent of Runna-connected runners achieved a personal best.
  • New Clubs on the platform nearly quadrupled this year, bringing the total to 1 million. Hiking clubs grew the fastest (5.8x), followed by running clubs (3.5x). Club-organized events rose 1.5x year-over-year.
  • Gen Z is 2x more likely than Gen X to note that weight training is their primary sport, with 61 percent more Gen Z than Gen X lifting weights for aesthetics. Women were 21 percent more likely than men to record weight training on Strava in 2025.
  • More than half of Strava users (54 percent) track multiple activities, including walking, which claimed the second spot as the most-recorded activity on Strava; however, consumers still find that starting a new sport, especially skiing and snowboarding, to be challenging. Twice as many Gen Z as Gen X said picking up a new sport can be intimidating.
  • Despite 65 percent of Gen Z reporting being directly affected by inflation, 30 percent plan to spend more on fitness in 2026, with 63 percent more Gen Z than Gen X citing wearables as their biggest fitness investment in 2025.
  • This year, 72 percent of users recorded workouts directly through the Strava app. Garmin ranked second in usage across all device types, followed by Apple Health in third. Apple Watch was No. 1 in the watch category, with Coros gaining traction. Non-watch wearables like Oura and Whopp are also growing quickly.
  • The top three road bike brands among Strava users were Trek, Specialized and Giant. The top three gravel bike brands were Specialized, Trek and Scott.
  • Boulder, CO, led the U.S. among cities with the most daily steps recorded (6,302), longest average runs (4.4 miles), most weekly moving time (3:09:58), longest median streak (39 days), and highest share of runners earning PRs (57 percent).
  • Globally, Copenhagen earned the fastest metro area (8:52 min/mile running pace), while users in South Africa and Colombia ran in groups most frequently (18.5 percent).

To read the full report, go here.

Image courtesy Hoka