What the Strava 2025 Report Reveals About Athletes Preparing for Races

Every year, Strava publishes the Year in Sport report — one of the most reliable snapshots of global endurance habits. The 2025 edition confirms what many of us already feel on the ground: athletes are training smarter, staying more consistent, and showing a renewed appetite for events, challenges and outdoor exploration.

If you’re preparing for a race (or thinking about it), these insights matter. They highlight how people actually train, recover, and stay motivated across running, trail, cycling, swimming, walking, and triathlon — all core sports inside the RaceFinder community.

Let’s break down the most relevant trends.

1. Running remains the most dominant sport on Strava

Running once again tops the list of the most recorded activities on the platform.

This reinforces two clear trends:

• Running continues to be the gateway sport for most active people.
• More athletes are training with clear goals, often tied to races — from 5K events to marathons and trail ultras.

For athletes preparing for events, this means stronger communities, more training content, and more people sharing their race journeys.

2. Walking emerges as one of the fastest-growing activities

One of the most notable trends in the 2025 report is the explosive growth in walking.

Why is this important for race preparation?

• Many beginners start with walking-run combinations, especially when preparing for their first 5 km or 10 km race.
• Walking improves consistency and injury resilience, two pillars of sustainable training.
• Long-distance walkers are increasingly transitioning to hiking events, trail running, and adventure races.

The walking boom shows that movement is becoming more inclusive — and that many athletes are discovering endurance sports gradually, step by step.

3. Athletes stayed active even while traveling

Another strong trend: athletes kept training during trips, holidays, and weekend getaways.

The report reinforces that:

• People maintained their workout routines even while traveling.
• Many athletes explored new places through runs, hikes or rides.
• Active travel stayed close to home, with fewer long international trips but more regional explorations.

For event preparation, this means consistency is becoming a habit — even when life’s routine changes.

4. More athletes are signing up for challenges and real events

Strava shows a growing participation in:

• Virtual challenges
• Monthly mileage or climbing goals
• Real-life events and organised races

This reinforces something we see daily on RaceFinder:

• Athletes stay more motivated when they have a clear target.
• Races — whether 5 km, trail 20 km, cycling sportives or triathlons — help maintain consistency over many weeks or months.

The rise in event participation reveals that people are seeking meaningful experiences, not just workouts.

5. Community is the biggest driver of consistency

Across Strava groups, clubs and event participation, the report highlights that athletes:

• Train more when they share progress
• Stay consistent when they feel part of something
• Are more likely to complete training blocks when preparing with others

This aligns perfectly with the RaceFinder mission: helping athletes connect with events, communities and motivations that keep them moving.

Why this matters for you

These trends show one thing clearly:

💛 People are moving more, becoming more consistent, and looking for goals that inspire them.

If you’re thinking about preparing for a race, this is the perfect year to start.

Whether you love running, cycling, trail, swimming or triathlon, Portugal is full of events — from beginner-friendly races to epic endurance challenges.

Ready to plan your next race?

👉 Explore hundreds of events at RaceFinder

Because training is where it begins — but the magic happens at the start line.