The release of the Strava Year in Sport 2021 report spotlights that the pandemic-era sports boom shows no signs of slowing. It also shows how extreme weather events impact athlete behaviour across the globe.
In 2021, global activity rates on Strava continued to rise to new record levels, with over 37 million uploads per week, totalling 1.8 billion public uploads over the past 12 months.
Strava’s Year In Sport 2021 analyses public activity uploads on Strava between October 1, 2020 and September 30, 2021. Private activities, and activities from athletes who have opted out of any Strava features are excluded from aggregated insights.
2021 Strava community totals at a glance:
- 95 million total athletes
- 2 million new athletes join every month
- 1.8 billion activity uploads
- 20 billion miles covered
- 189,000 Strava clubs created
- 9.6 billion kudos given
Though the gradual return of some in-person events and races in 2021 has been much-anticipated for athletes, Strava notes that demand for community and connection online remain at an all-time high.
This year’s 38% increase in activity uploads follows 2020’s surge of 1.1 billion uploads (a 33% increase versus 2019). Strava welcomed 2 million new athletes per month to its global community, which collectively logged over 20 billion miles this year.
“Even as the global athletic community endured another year of pandemic disruptions and restrictions, we saw a persistent desire from athletes to stay connected and keep one another active,” said Michael Horvath, Strava CEO.
“Athletes from every country on earth recorded and shared their runs, bike rides and lunchtime walks. And in turn, the community encouraged one another by doling out 9.6 billion kudos
“Every effort counts on Strava, and our team is thrilled to provide a platform for anyone who sweats to connect with their peers, find new places to be active, set goals for themselves, create clubs and challenge their friends. Strava is committed to creating positive impact in the areas that matter to us and our athletes: climate change, environmental racism and equity & inclusion in sport.”
By the numbers
- There was a 38% annual increase in activities on top of last year’s sport’s surge – totalling 1.8 billion uploads over 12 months.
- While the increase in uploads spanned all sports, walking and hiking showed some of the strongest continued growth, increasing 2x and 1.7x respectively in 2021 compared to 2020.
- New pandemic-era runners set new personal bests in 2021 with 1.8x as many people setting new personal records (5K, half marathon, etc.) this year compared to last year.
- Group challenges doubled again this year (having also doubled from 2019 – 2020).
- Half of all group challenge participants uploaded more activities in the 30 days after starting a challenge than in the 30 days prior.
- Since its launch in May, the Maps tab on Strava has generated over 120 million suggested routes for cyclists, runners, and walkers to explore.
- Total club members across Strava grew by 37% on top of a large increase from last year with over 180K new clubs created.
- Athletes who set a goal for the New Year were 2 hours more active in January 2021 than those who didn’t.
- Walking is more popular across all age groups and regions. Athletes who regularly upload walks record around 2.5 to 4 hours a week.
- Cyclists and runners who walk are 16.1% more likely to still be active six months down the road than those who don’t.
- Female runners and cyclists are 2.4x as likely to upload walks as males.
Weather impacts
- During the Texas freeze and power crisis in February, there was a -57% decrease in outdoor activities.
- During the heatwave in Oregon over the summer, outdoor activities dipped -23%.
- During the snowstorm in Madrid in January and the flooding in Nagano in August, indoor activities increased 55% and 56% respectively.
- In the UK, activity dropped by 32% between the 18-20 January as a result of Storm Cristoph.
Walk on in the UK
The UK saw the biggest increase in walking and hiking since 2019 compared to any other country – making the UK the global capital for hiking. On average, British Strava athletes spent 3.5 hours a week walking.
Strava is now used by 17% of the UK population, making the report one of the largest studies into the active lifestyles of the country’s population.
