Strava’s Year in Sport Trend Report is always a goldmine for gear nerds, but this year’s data delivers one of the most surprising plot twists in recent memory.
For the first time, neither Nike nor HOKA nor any carbon-plated super-shoe claimed the crown.
The most-used running shoe on Strava in 2025 was the ASICS Novablast, a neutral daily trainer now in its fifth iteration that quietly outpaced the usual category heavyweights.
The Nike Pegasus settled into second, with the HOKA Clifton in third, confirming that the daily trainer category is far more volatile than many assumed.
The ranking appears in the gear section of the report, which highlights how tens of millions of athletes recorded their sessions across the year.
This year’s findings also reveal that people are choosing shoes that slot into everyday training rather than the flashy models promoted for race day.
It mirrors a broader trend in the report showing that more runners are training consistently, more runners are racing, and far more beginners are entering the sport.
A gentle tide that quietly shifted the landscape
Running remains Strava’s most recorded activity globally, but walking has risen sharply and now sits firmly in second place.
The growth of walking hints at a wider embrace of lower-intensity training and the kind of all-around athleticism that daily trainers are built for.
Gen Z is 75% more likely than Gen X to say their primary motivation is a race or event, which explains the dramatic increase in race uploads across all distances compared to last year.
Strava’s charts show enormous spikes in five-kilometre and ten-kilometre race participation, with everything from half marathons to full marathons seeing an uplift.
The average athlete is mixing running with weight training, walking and occasional cross-training, which once again makes a durable daily trainer more appealing than a specialised racer.
One of the most striking statistics sits outside running entirely. 72% of Strava users recorded their activities on mobile this year.
Garmin clocks in as the second most common device – it was on top two years ago – with Apple Health in third, yet in the watch category, it is the Apple Watch that takes the top spot.
COROS also made noticeable gains, echoing a shift toward lightweight performance wearables among younger athletes.
This trend complements the broader spending patterns Strava highlights.
63% more Gen Z than Gen X said wearables were their biggest fitness investment in 2025, and 30% plan to spend even more on fitness next year despite economic pressure.
Momentum that reshaped the leaderboard
The data also paints a picture of a highly social running culture. There were fourteen billion kudos given this year, a 20% increase from 2024.
Clubs almost quadrupled, hitting one million total. Hiking clubs grew the fastest, and running clubs were not far behind.
Saturdays emerged as the biggest long-run day. When people did travel, they favoured winter sports, hiking and mountain pursuits.
An unflashy shoe that says a lot about how we train now
So the Novablast sits at the top not because it is the loudest shoe, but because it reflects how people really train.
Running is booming. Walking is booming. Weight training is booming. Gen Z is spending money on fitness rather than nights out. Beginners are joining in huge numbers. Community is rising.
Strava’s data shows that everyday consistency is now the real status symbol. The top shoe on the platform is simply the one that helped people show up the most.
