In 2024, Apple overtook Garmin as the top brand on Strava, with two primary factors contributing to their success.

What you need to know

• Strava’s Year in Sport 2024 report was published on Wednesday, showcasing users’ fitness trends globally.
• The report presents trends for 135 million active Strava users, highlighting a surge in group activities.
• The top tracking devices for runs were the “Apple Watch Series” and “Apple Watch SE,” with the Garmin Forerunner 245 coming in third.
• For tracked Ride activities, two Garmin Edge bike computers topped the list.

Strava, a popular social fitness app, releases an annual Year in Sport report that sheds light on the trends of millions of athletes worldwide. It was intriguing to see that Apple has overtaken Garmin as the leading running watch on the platform.

The 2024 report revealed that the Apple Watch Series and Apple Watch SE ranked first and second among all runners, followed by the Garmin Forerunner 245. Previously, the Garmin Forerunner 235 held the top spot for runners worldwide, but the Forerunner 245 was the most utilized watch in the U.S.

This year’s report focused on global data, and with Apple Watches being popular in the U.S., they were likely to dominate regardless. Garmin continued its dominance with the Edge 530 and 830 bike computers, while the Wahoo Elemnt Bolt V1, the top bike computer in the U.S. in 2023, secured the third spot.

A significant increase in running clubs and group runs of 10+ participants was noted in the report, with women showing an 89% increase in joining Strava clubs in 2024 compared to 2023.

According to the Strava Year in Sport 2024 report, the median pace for runners was 10:15 per mile. This was higher than the 2023 report, indicating a possible change in running speeds globally or an influence from older runners affecting the median.

For other activities, the median speed was 12.1mph for cyclists, 19:40 min/mile for walkers, and 22:06 min/mile for hikers. These benchmarks provide insights into the average pace for each activity.

An interesting statistic from Strava shows that 72% of uploaded activities come from the mobile app. While fitness watches remain popular among marathoners and half marathoners, one in four 5K runners prefer using their phones, potentially using external HRMs like the Polar H10 or disregarding wrist-based data completely.

Why Apple suddenly beat Garmin for runners worldwide

As someone who extensively covers running watches, there are a few reasons why Apple managed to surpass Garmin in the running gear category on Strava.

The categorization and sales volumes played a significant role: Apple consistently holds about 20% of the global wearables market, and all Apple “Series” watches are grouped under the “Apple Watch” category on Strava, allowing different generations to collectively lead. The same applies to the Apple SE models.

Despite the great features of the Apple Watch Ultra 2, it may not be classified in the same category. Garmin watches register activities separately, and the introduction of new Forerunner models in recent years may have led loyal Garmin users to upgrade, diversifying the Strava user base.

Apple deserves credit for enhancing its running software over the years, bridging the gap with Garmin and catering to a broader audience seeking to engage in running and fitness activities.

While serious runners gravitate towards Garmin watches for their advanced features and battery life, Apple is appealing to casual runners and beginners with its user-friendly running insights. This democratization of running insights has contributed to Apple’s rise in the Strava rankings.

The Pixel Watch 3, with Fitbit integrating running features, could also see a similar trend, albeit on a smaller scale compared to Apple.