Strava Releases Year In Sport Report, Showing Benefits of Community and Booming Popularity of International Travel Post-Pandemic

News provided by

Dec 07, 2022, 05:00 ET

Marathons, snow sports and international travel are all rebounding toward pre-pandemic levels while hiking and trail sports continue gaining popularity

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Strava, the leading social platform for athletes with more than 100 million members, today announced the release of the 2022 edition of its Year In Sport data report. The highly anticipated annual report concludes the year by revealing global trends in sports and active transportation, celebrating athletes' achievements and memorializing stories from the global Strava community.

The 2022 findings show which 'new normal' routines have stuck–from the lasting popularity of trail sports to changing commuting patterns and the ways we share aspects of our lives with friends through technology and group activities.

The share of runners completing a marathon nearly doubled compared to 2021, evidence that pandemic-era runners continue to lace up their shoes and want to toe the start line together after years of social distancing. The fastest-growing sports were those done in communal spaces that saw closures during the first year of the pandemic, and international travel is booming, with 101% more activities uploaded outside athletes' home countries over the past year.

"Global trends in this year's data show tremendous energy for activities we can do together. The feelings of joy and connection we get by being active together can be amplified and inspire others when we share all the aspects of our active lives with our community," says Michael Horvath, CEO of Strava. "Anyone seeking an active life will find a motivation machine in Strava: tools to explore confidently, goals and insights to keep you on track, and a community to cheer you on."

With over 40 sport types, everyone on Strava did 2022 their own way. Key takeaways from the Strava community's Year In Sport include:

Trail sports are having a moment: hiking's popularity has tripled on Strava over the last 3 years, and 52% of athletes uploaded trail activities to Strava in 2022.
E-bikes are here to stay: The share of cyclists on Strava with an e-bike ride increased 26% this year and e-bike rides are 30% more likely to be commutes than non-ebikes. In 2022, bike commutes nearly rebounded to 2019 levels, and they're far more likely to happen on Tuesday/Wednesday than Monday.
Community inspires longer and farther activities: Athletes in pairs went longer in both time and distance than when they were solo, and often longer still in a group of three or more.
Racing is back, and marathons are the hottest tickets: the share of runners on Strava who ran a marathon nearly doubled compared to 2021.
International travel is nearly back to pre pandemic levels: The share of athletes uploading activities outside their home country was up 101% over last year – only 3% shy of pre pandemic numbers from 2019.

To view the full data report and the most popular places to hike, bike and run around the world, check out Year In Sport online.

About Strava

Strava is the leading platform for athletes and the largest sports community in the world, with over 100 million athletes in 195 countries. If you sweat you're an athlete, and Strava's mobile apps and website connect millions of active people every day. Strava gives athletes simple, fun ways to stay motivated and compete against themselves and others without having to be in the same place at the same time. All athletes belong on Strava no matter where they live, which sport they love or what device they use. Join the community and make the most of your sport with a Strava subscription.

Our favorite stats:

More than 7 billion activities shared on Strava
Athletes in every country on earth
40 million activities uploaded per week
Over 30 million Segments
Over 3,000 professional athletes on Strava
400+ employees around the world, with offices in San Francisco, CA, Denver, CO, Bristol, UK and Dublin, Ireland
9.9 billion Kudos given between athletes last year
Over 10 million photos and videos shared per week
Over 2,000 partner organizations making their communities better with Strava Metro