Strava statistics for 2020

The year 2020 will have been marked by COVID-19. All over the world, a new challenge presented itself to athletes: staying active and healthy during a pandemic. Even if this health crisis is not yet behind us, data from 73 million athletes on Strava indicate that the community has mobilized, adapted, and invented new ways to support each other, progress, and compete with others, even remotely.

Source: Press Release

The pandemic led to a surge in physical exercise. Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic led to an unprecedented increase in activity on Strava, far exceeding the app’s forecasts.

COVID-19 measures differed by country

Measures were taken worldwide to slow the spread of the coronavirus, but not all countries proceeded in the same way. Depending on the country, outdoor activities such as running and cycling either soared, progressed less dramatically, or reached their lowest level before making a comeback.

France

Cycling plummeted during the spring lockdown due to the limitation of outdoor physical activity to one hour per day, within one kilometer of home. However, the level of outdoor activity did not completely collapse thanks to a renewed interest in running.

The multiplication of sports activities

Running and cycling are by far the two most popular sports on Strava, but other sports have experienced a new boom. Walking, hiking, indoor activities such as yoga and strength training, as well as water sports such as kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding, all saw rapid growth.

Varied activities

It wasn’t just new Strava users who recorded new activities; many runners and cyclists turned to other types of sport. The “Walk” activity was very successful, as many of us felt the regular need to go for a walk in this very particular year.

Getting out at all costs

Unsurprisingly, indoor activities took off in Spain, Italy, and France during lockdown. However, as soon as lockdown was lifted in May, levels quickly returned to normal.

Women lead the way

The upheavals we experienced not only transformed the way we exercise, but also the frequency of our activities. Overall, athletes who were active last year increased their training frequency by 13.3%. Women and young athletes showed the strongest progression.

Time well spent

Athletes uploaded more activities, and they weren’t shorter either. The duration of each activity didn’t change much. As a result, the annual travel time of athletes jumped by 14.7%.

New habits

There were varying changes in activity times across countries, but after the first wave of COVID-19, everything began to return to roughly normal. In France, the main change was observed on weekdays: most bike rides were done in the evening whereas they were previously done in the morning, and the peak of running at lunchtime almost disappeared.

The competition continues

Usual sporting events, such as group bike rides and runs, marathons, and Gran Fondos, were canceled this year. However, athletes did not give up on pushing themselves and competing with others.

Friendly rivalry: it’s 27% likely that the top two athletes on a QOM or KOM leaderboard are following each other on Strava. Top spots on segment leaderboards were more hotly contested than ever: we saw a 36% increase in QOMs and a 32% increase in KOMs changing hands (or heads) this year.

Climbing your own mountains

This year, many cyclists, both amateurs and pros, tried Everesting (an activity consisting of repeating the same climb until reaching an elevation gain of 8,848 meters). For some athletes, the stated goal was to break a world record, but for most, it was simply to see if they were capable of achieving this crazy feat.

Solo

Athletes recorded fewer 42.2 km runs on Strava in 2020 than in 2019, which makes sense as most World Marathon Majors were canceled or reserved for professional runners. Of the hundreds of thousands of marathons that were still recorded, 44% were run entirely solo, compared to 14% last year.

A lasting competitive spirit: among runners who have been using Strava since at least 2019, 55% achieved a new PR for 5 km, 10 km, half-marathon, or marathon distances this year.

Community and health guidelines

Some community activities were suspended due to required physical distancing, but even remotely, athletes found ways to unite.

On Strava, clubs remain open: normally, the number of new clubs and people joining them
remains relatively stable, but this year, Strava saw a peak in new clubs and people wanting to join them. These clubs, including corporate clubs, student teams, and
local challenges, allowed athletes sharing the same interests to communicate, stay motivated, and compete with each other.

High participation

Strava challenges motivate athletes worldwide to achieve a specific goal. This year, the number of challenge participants more than doubled compared to last year, between March and August.

One million participants: over one million athletes participated in our monthly 5K challenge in May, an unprecedented number! The SOLOdarity physical distancing challenge also gathered almost one million participants. It ended on May 10, with 965,000 athletes.

Let’s stay connected

Among the figures that soared following the health crisis, this one concerns the human dimension. On average, an athlete was following twice as many other athletes in April of this year as in April 2019. Throughout 2020, everyone strove to maintain connections with their loved ones. Strava hopes to have contributed, even in a small way, to bringing athletes together.