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Strava’s 2024 recap: over 135 million users, billions of activities and kudos, and a goal accomplished every 19 seconds.
Source: Press Release
About this data
Strava’s Year in Sport analyzes activities uploaded to Strava between September 1, 2023, and August 30, 2024. Activities set to “Only You” or those for which you have opted out of aggregated data use are excluded. The report also includes survey data from a panel of 5,068 individuals, drawn from both Strava’s global community (over 135 million users) and a random sample of active individuals who do not use Strava.
A year of Strava user training data and a survey of athletes worldwide paint a realistic and accurate picture of 2024, going beyond mere numbers.
We learned, among other things, that running clubs multiplied in 2024, and couples formed within them; that we focused on recovery and our feelings, and preferred consistency over epic feats and gyms over nightclubs, took some coffee breaks, and debated the ideal sock height.
We encountered obstacles this year, and we overcame them.
Here are the trends observed this year, and a glimpse of what might happen next year.
Sweatworking
It’s not your imagination: the number of running clubs has indeed increased, as has the number of couples in these clubs. But you’re not just going for the running and the romance. More and more of you are turning to sport to socialize and be part of a community. The corresponding activities and the very large number of Strava clubs prove this.
Burnout is out. Balance is in.
Short workouts are all the rage. In 2024, athletes moved away from the faster, stronger, better mentality to adopt more moderate physical activities that they can practice long-term. And they record everything on Strava, even the shortest activities.
Barriers are for breaking down
Last year, Strava asked athletes what obstacles they encountered in their sport. The same question was asked this year to assess improvements and persistent difficulties, and to know if obstacles affect people differently based on their gender or generation.
Obstacles still persist in 2024, but women and older individuals showed particular resilience, increasing their workouts and trophies more than other athletes.
Much remains to be done in 2025, but many elements allow for optimism.
The year in gear (including the eternal sock height debate)
Since it’s easier to add or modify gear on the Strava app, we know a lot more about the most popular devices, bikes, and shoes, as well as gear changes based on races, distances, etc.
To supplement the available data, Strava surveyed users about their style preferences. Conclusion? It seems, among other revelations, that one can relatively reliably guess a person’s age based on their sock height.
Conclusion
Now you know all about our 2024. A superb year during which we sought balance, without giving up on our goals, and returned to the fundamentals that will ensure excellent results for many years to come. Moreover, we made many, many friends.
All things considered, we have reason to rejoice and be optimistic about what we will accomplish in 2025 and beyond. Let’s keep it up! And remember: if it’s not on Strava, it didn’t happen.
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