Running has always been one of the world’s most accessible sports, but this year, it has exploded into a full-blown cultural movement. According to Strava’s Year in Sport Trend Report, running has officially become the sport of the year, driven largely by Gen Z, who are transforming fitness into a social, digital, and lifestyle phenomenon unlike anything seen before.
What was once seen as a solitary workout has now become a public ritual. From first-time 5Ks to packed weekend run clubs, the sport is now a blend of performance, lifestyle, and digital storytelling.
Once dismissed as the “laziest generation,” Gen Z athletes are now rewriting that narrative with sheer numbers. Those born between 1997 and 2012, currently 13 to 28 years old, are flooding races across the board.
In 2025 alone, Gen Z accounted for:
Gen Z’s fitness takeover isn’t limited to running trails.
The report finds they’re twice as likely as older generations to call lifting their main sport. With Gen Z making up 27 percent of social media users, aesthetics remain part of the draw, yet gender differences persist. Women in this age group are 21 percent more likely to record their lifts, but also 38 percent more likely to fear “getting bulky,” a lingering myth fitness experts have long tried to debunk.
Run clubs, group workouts, and gym meetups have become key hubs for social connection. 39 percent of Gen Z and Gen X now say fitness is one of their top ways to meet people with similar interests. And the connections don’t stop at friendship: one in five Gen Z users has gone on a date with someone they met through exercise.
What was once seen as a solitary workout has now become a public ritual. From first-time 5Ks to packed weekend run clubs, the sport is now a blend of performance, lifestyle, and digital storytelling.
Once dismissed as the “laziest generation,” Gen Z athletes are now rewriting that narrative with sheer numbers. Those born between 1997 and 2012, currently 13 to 28 years old, are flooding races across the board.
In 2025 alone, Gen Z accounted for:
- 38 percent of all 5K runners
- 39 percent of 10K participants
- 31 percent of half-marathoners
- 33 percent of full marathon finishers
Gen Z’s fitness takeover isn’t limited to running trails.
The report finds they’re twice as likely as older generations to call lifting their main sport. With Gen Z making up 27 percent of social media users, aesthetics remain part of the draw, yet gender differences persist. Women in this age group are 21 percent more likely to record their lifts, but also 38 percent more likely to fear “getting bulky,” a lingering myth fitness experts have long tried to debunk.
Run clubs, group workouts, and gym meetups have become key hubs for social connection. 39 percent of Gen Z and Gen X now say fitness is one of their top ways to meet people with similar interests. And the connections don’t stop at friendship: one in five Gen Z users has gone on a date with someone they met through exercise.
