In Strava we trust: a glimpse into the explosion of running culture

Sunday, June 10, 2012. My first recorded run via the Nike app. 6.4 kilometers in 31 minutes and 15 seconds, an average of five minutes per kilometer. No heart rate monitor, no fancy carbon shoes, no run clubs. Just wear shoes, phone around your arm, earphones in, out and run. Nice to clear your head. That's how running started for me. No finish line, no medal, no Strava kudos.

Fast forward to now: 2025. Running has exploded. Everyone walks. Marathons are full in no time and run clubs are springing up like mushrooms. Strava is no longer an app for geeks, but a social sports network full of PRs, kudos, and aesthetic images. Running has become culture.

From function to lifestyle

What used to be functional, just a way to stay fit, has now become a lifestyle. And that is reflected in the market. Nike, untouchable as the dominant running giant for years, is now being challenged by brands such as HOKA, On Running and ASICS. Brands that not only promise technical comfort, but also appear more culturally relevant. They all respond to the need for meaning, recovery, mental well-being — all themes that are booming after corona.

Corona really seems to have been a tipping point. The world stood still, but our legs weren't. When the gyms closed and the streets became empty, people put on their fastest shoes en masse. Outside sports became the outlet, the pandemic made running a socially accepted form of mental well being.

42 kilometers and a bit

The marathon has become the new status symbol. Where it used to be a sports performance by a small group of fanatics, it is now a bucket list item, a personal brand statement, a way to show that you're doing the right thing on socials. Registrations for major marathons fill up within a few days, everyone is always training for something.

I couldn't avoid this new running hype either. First via Patta's Running Challenges, later for real: training for the Paris Marathon with Keren. The goal: 42 kilometers for the first time, but then, of course, to set a top time. As it happens, if you dive into something far too enthusiastic, things turned out differently. A few weeks before the race, I had to drop out due to calf overload — a typical injury for those who are far too eager. But the motivation remained. This year, we're going for a second chance, in our own city: the Amsterdam Marathon. Another special edition, because of the city's 750th birthday party.

Brands are running along

From a brand strategy perspective, what I find fascinating is how this cultural shift is forcing brands to reposition themselves. ASICS does that smartly: not focusing on always having to win, but rather “Move your body, move your mind”. A promise of comfort and mental balance. On Running is fully committed to technology and community. HOKA focuses on extreme comfort in a distinct visual language. Today's brands need to offer not just performance, but meaning. Not just fast, but smart. Not just winning, but connecting.

But a new type of brand culture is also growing in the niche. Labels like Satisfy and UVU embrace the raw edge of running and mix aesthetics, identity, minimalism, sometimes even spirituality. They are not making running a sport, but a form of expression, aimed at a generation that is just as interested in trail runs as they are in aesthetics. These are brands that make community and content almost more important than products, and thus respond perfectly to today's creative, conscious runner.

Running shows how quickly a functional market can shift culturally. As a brand, you need to be alert to these kinds of movements. It's not just about product key features, but about the role you play in someone's identity. Today's runners are not athletes, they are creators, dreamers, thinkers.

And somewhere in between, I'm running. Still someone walking to clear their head. Fascinated by how this sport, and the culture around it, has moved.

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