Garmin, the tech platform is celebrating both global running day and global cycling day with the release of its running and cycling data reports, highlighting how athletes around the world are recording runs and rides. Whether taking to the trails, roads, mountainsides or their home gyms, the Garmin Connect community proved running and cycling activities remain popular globally.
Here are some key takeaways from the past year:
Running data
- Garmin runners recorded nearly 13% more indoor and 3% more outdoor running activities. There was also a 23% increase in users who recorded a run and a strength activity in the same week.
- The average distance ran was 4.82 miles with those aged 50-59 running slightly more per activity on average at 5.1 miles.
- The average pace per mile was 9:21 for men and 10:11 for women. Runners in Ireland logged the fastest average mile (9:09) followed by those in Portugal and then Italy.
- Runners logged the most miles in August and typically ran the farthest on Saturdays.
- The half marathon training plan was the most popular distance trained for using Garmin Coach.
- The average VO2 max for all Garmin runners was 50 and the average sleep score was 73.
Cycling data
- The average bike ride per user was 28.59 miles with cyclists in Italy recording the highest average miles per ride (34.73), followed by those in Belgium and then Spain.
- Garmin cyclists spent about 115 minutes on average on each ride. They also recorded most of their rides on Sundays and the most popular month of the year for all rides was August.
- Garmin cyclists rode an average speed of 14.89 miles per hour (mph) and climbed an average 1,158 feet per ride.
- The average VO2 max for all Garmin cyclists was 51. Data also indicates that the more miles cyclists recorded each week, the higher their VO2 max was.
What athletes love about Garmin: “Living in Seattle, I rely heavily on indoor track training, and the indoor track activity on my Garmin Forerunner 970 allows me to maintain the same level of pacing precision I expect from GPS outdoors. The consistency my smartwatch provides is critical for getting the most out of every session—no matter where I’m running.”
—Isaiah Harris, Garmin-sponsored 800m runner
“My Edge 850 is a non-negotiable for every training ride. Lately, I have been exploring new ride areas and trails. It’s so important for me to reduce my pause time while training, so I have a screen set on my Edge with a large view of navigation with a couple ride stats, including my ride time and power. Since the navigation on the Edge is so easy to use and read while riding, I can stay on top of my specific training plan and ride like a local in new places. The entire ecosystem on Garmin Connect makes it easy to view my training stats, sleep, and recovery all in one place. One feature I really appreciate is the Altitude Acclimation, which allows me to track my elevation and performance improvements throughout my altitude training. Since I am tracking my training load on my Edge and sleep with my Index™ Sleep Monitor1, I can optimally observe how I balance my training and recovery while at altitude. Every detail counts!”
—Haley Batten, Garmin-sponsored mountain biker
