Strava Year In Sport Trend Report: Insights on the World of Exercise

Multi-Sport

January 3, 2024

In 2023, the 120 million+ athletes on Strava dug deep, got motivated, and hit the trails, tarmac, gym, lanes and slopes in record numbers. Taken together, their activity data illustrates the trends that shaped the world of exercise and exploration – and teases what we might expect in 2024.

Strava conducted a global survey of 6,990 active people drawn from both Strava’s global community of over 120 million athletes and a random sampling of active people both on and off the Strava platform. The findings, coupled with activity data from Strava in 2023, give new and unique insights into the trends shaping the world of exercise and exploration.

We've picked out some of our favorite facts from the report, but download the full Year In Sport Trend Report here.

Highlights from 2023:

Strava athletes love to run and ride, but we're all getting more adventurous in where we choose to go...

Running was the most-uploaded sport on Strava. But athletes also followed the siren song of off-road adventure, uploading gravel rides, hikes, trail runs and mountain bike rides in growing numbers.
The cycling boom keeps rolling along: The share of cyclists on Strava who’ve ridden a metric century (100km) rose 5% in 2023 – and the share who’ve recorded an e-bike ride rose an eye-popping 23%.
Gravel riding is one of the fastest growing sports on Strava, with a 55% increase in the share of athletes who've given it a shot.

The Generation Game

Gen Z are fast, Gen X are Crown Collectors, and Boomers love the bike. Here are some of the key takeaways from the report.

Gen Z logged the fastest median run and ride pace on Strava. But they also
logged the shortest runs and second shortest rides.
Gen X leads the pack when it comes to taking King and Queen of the Mountain titles and Course Records - the top overall times on Strava Segments, which are pre-determined stretches of road or trail where athletes can compete against each other. Boomers are solidly in second and Gen Z has some work to do: They were half as likely to take a top time as Gen X.
Gen Z athletes were almost twice as likely to upload runs as rides. This reverses with age: Boomers were twice as likely to upload rides as runs.

YEAR IN SPORT 2023 AWARDS: See all the Winners here

Exercise loves company...

Whether it's a long-time training partner or a furry friend, the data shows that athletes exercise better with company.

Runners and cyclists on Strava are 83% and 53% (respectively) more likely to snag a segment PR in a group of 2 or more vs. solo. That’s not even including races!
Rowing was the sport most frequently uploaded to Strava in groups of two or more in 2023.
Pets get us out the door: 76% of Strava athletes with pets say their furry companions help get them out the door when they wouldn’t go otherwise – and that exercising with their pet is more fun.

Strava Athletes just love to travel

Strava Athletes don't put their feet up when on their holidays... far from it.

Croatia and Greece saw the highest share of activities uploaded by athletes from other countries, followed by Luxembourg and Austria.
Alpine skiing and snowboarding are the sports while hiking and stand-up paddle boarding take those top spots in warmer months