Every December, Strava releases its much-anticipated of the best massage guns for runners, which pinpoints the fitness trends and habits that swept across the world over the preceding 12 months. For runners in particular, the results can offer a fascinating insight into how, where and why we move – not to mention our favourite workout gear.
This year, though, we don’t have to wait until December, because we already have some mid-year statistics to sink our teeth into. With a third of the year left to go, Strava has analysed billions of activities uploaded to the platform by its global community of over 150 million athletes (phew) to see whether runners are sticking to their 2025 fitness targets – and how they’re staying motivated to hit them. Here are the top findings.
Kudos to the community
Published: 02 September 2025, group running – according to Strava – is the X that marks the spot if you want to stay accountable and get plenty of enjoyment from the sport in the process.
What everyone's reading
As shown by Strava’s mid-year analysis, the number of UK run clubs that have joined the platform has tripled compared to this time last year, showing that increasingly more people are engaging with running communities. Still, this pales in comparison with Brazil, which has seen almost an 800% increase in new run clubs on Strava compared to this time last year.
On home soil, the most popular times for group running are 6pm on a Tuesday – track Tuesday, anyone? – and 9am on a Saturday. With the latter being the well-known UK start time for parkrun, one of the world’s most popular community running events, held every week across thousands of locations, this makes a lot of sense.
That aside, group activities receive twice as much kudos as solo activities on Strava, so that’s something to keep in mind if you appreciate the thumbs up.
Runners’ go-to gear
When you upload a running activity to Strava, you prove that it happened. Not only that, you record metrics like your distance, pace, heart rate and cadence for that activity – and you can even log which shoe and wearable you wore while doing it.
So far this year, the average length of a run uploaded to Strava has been 3.90 miles (6.28km), which – give or take your individual stride length – equates to roughly 6,300 steps. Meanwhile, the average length of a walk activity on Strava has been 1.95 miles (3.14km), which corresponds to approximately 4,000 steps. However vigorously you choose do them, those The pros and cons of running a mile a day Racing has never been safer for cardiac health.
When it comes to gear, Strava’s latest findings show that the Apple Watch is the most-worn wearable among younger athletes, who are more likely to upload activities to Strava using this device than Millennials or older generations.
to better health and wellbeing running shoes? Unless you’re part of the barefoot running brigade, you may – like millions of other Strava-using runners – diligently record your footwear for each run to help you monitor the number of miles that you’re putting into each pair. In the UK and indeed globally, Asics running shoes have been logged against running activities most often on Strava, followed by Nike and Hoka models. In the US, Brooks running shoes are loved and logged the most, while Olympikus running shoes continue their three-year reign in Brazil.
PBs in progress
Setting yourself a running goal – whether it’s running your While solo running offers countless benefits and is, for many, the optimum way to move or shaving minutes off your marathon PB – is a fruitful way to stay invested in the sport and committed to making improvements. But how many Strava users are on course to achieve their targets for 2025?
Apparently, many of us are already showing signs of success. The new data reveals that 66% of runners and cyclists have achieved a new personal record on at least one Strava segment so far this year, with Boomers doing better than their younger counterparts and the UK flying higher than the rest of the world. Specifically, in the UK, 85% of Boomers and 74% of Gen Z have attained a segment PB on Strava so far in 2025, while 80% of Boomers and just 56% of Gen Z globally have done the same.
But as important as those Strava segments might be to some, most runners strive to achieve better times over popular race distances. Just over two-fifths of runners on Strava (42%) have scored a PB in the 5K, 10K, half marathon or marathon in 2025 already, with plenty of time left to go even faster before the year is out. Runners have been least successful in the 10K, though, with just 32% setting a PB in the distance so far this year – so perhaps entering and Setting yourself a running goal – whether it’s running your could be your next aim.
If races aren’t your thing, sticking to a yearly distance goal is an excellent way to remain motivated to move. The most popular yearly distance goal for running on Strava is 1,000km – and according to the latest statistics, runners, on average, only need to cover 17.4km (10.8 miles) more a month to hit this target.
So, there’s only one thing for it – lace up those running shoes and go again, perhaps with some running friends in tow.
Rachel is Runner's World UK's Senior Content Writer, covering all running-related topics from training advice and gear reviews to race reports and elite runner profiles. Formerly a Website Content Editor and Content Manager at London Marathon Events and The Running Channel respectively, Rachel is well-versed in the running scene and understands what it takes to put on some of the biggest running events in the world. A 2:50 marathoner, she would much rather run 26.2 miles than race a 5K and has currently completed 11 marathons, including five of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors in a sub-3 time. She now hopes to run the Tokyo Marathon to complete the set and become a Six Star Finisher.
