Strava charts the rapid rise of trail running in France from 2025 to 2026

Trail running continues to gain ground in France. Figures released by Strava ahead of the season’s major events confirm a trend that is already well established: the sport is attracting an ever broader audience and becoming part of more runners’ regular training.

In the 10 weeks leading up to the peak period of the 2026 trail season, the number of athletes in France who recorded a trail activity rose by 11.4% year on year, compared with the same period in 2025. It is an interesting indicator because it reflects the community’s underlying momentum rather than the impact of a single event. And when you widen the lens, the growth looks even more striking.

+69% more users in one year

Between 2024 and 2025, the number of Strava users in France who recorded at least one trail run increased by 69%. Over the same period, the number of recorded trail activities jumped by 160%. Together, those figures point to a major shift in the sport: trail running is not just attracting new participants, it is also generating more outings.

The momentum appears to be continuing in 2026. Around two weeks before the season’s peak period, the cumulative number of runners recorded since the start of the year had already reached 95% of the full-year total observed in 2025. The number of activities had reached 69% of the 2025 annual total, with several months still to come. In other words, the 2026 season has plenty of kilometres left to deliver.

Trail running is no longer just about alpine ultras

This is probably one of the most revealing takeaways from the data. While trail running remains closely associated with major mountain ranges and long distances, the activity recorded on Strava paints a much more accessible picture.

In 2026, an average trail run recorded in France covered 9.8 kilometres with 182 metres of elevation gain. Those figures are a reminder that everyday trail running often looks very different from the 50-, 80- or 100-kilometre races that dominate the headlines.

Even more tellingly, 50% of the average French trail runner’s outings are trail runs. The discipline is therefore becoming increasingly woven into everyday training rather than being reserved for a specific race build-up.

The trend points to trail running becoming part of the ordinary routine. Running on trails, seeking elevation and switching between surfaces are gradually becoming standard training options, including for runners with no particular plans to tackle long distances.

Women are driving the growth

Another strong signal is the sport’s growing appeal among women. Between 2024 and 2025, female Strava users recorded 83% more trail runs in France. Worldwide, the number of activities recorded by women even doubled over the same period.

Trail running’s growth is therefore also being driven by a broader participant base. Once again, the data challenges the traditional image of a sport that is mainly male, mountain-based and focused on long-distance endurance. The rise in female participation is one of the clearest markers of how trail running is changing.

Rhône-Alpes leads, but Brittany makes the podium

Unsurprisingly, the Alpine regions remain at the heart of the activity. Rhône-Alpes accounts for 15.3% of trail activities recorded in France in 2026, ahead of Île-de-France on 12.8%. But third place is worth highlighting: Brittany accounts for 10.8% of activities, ahead of Pays de la Loire (9.5%) and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (7.1%).

The rankings are another reminder that French trail running is not being built solely in the Alps. Île-de-France, despite having no major peaks, sits in second place, while Brittany completes the podium. Altitude is not necessarily the common denominator. What matters is also having varied enough terrain to incorporate trails and elevation into regular training.

Chamonix remains a high-mountain laboratory

National growth has not diminished the appeal of trail running’s historic strongholds. In Chamonix, all five iconic climbs studied by Strava recorded an increase in effort volume compared with the same period in 2025.

The increase reached 25.8% on Top Chairlift → Jonction and 25.6% on the Chamonix KMV. The Col des Montets – La Flégère segment rose by 17.4%, the Plan de l’Aiguille climb by 12%, while the route to the La Floria refuge increased by a further 4.2%.

Overall, the total effort volume across the five segments rose by nearly 15% in one year. It is another indicator of Chamonix’s special status in the trail-running ecosystem: as the sport becomes more accessible across France, its iconic Alpine terrain is also attracting more runners.

Growth is changing the face of trail running

Taken together, these figures point to change on several levels. Trail running is attracting more participants, those participants are recording more outings and the sport is gaining ground among women. At the same time, the characteristics of those outings show that growth is not driven solely by a swelling field of ultra-trail hopefuls.

With an average outing of 9.8 km and 182 m of elevation gain, everyday trail running is above all a relatively short, accessible form of training that fits easily into a regular routine. That is likely to be the key issue in the years ahead. Major events will continue to showcase the sport and fuel its mythology. But trail running’s real growth is also, and perhaps above all, happening on ordinary trails: the ones used for a training run, with no bib and no stopwatch.

Strava’s data makes one thing clear: the momentum is far from slowing. As the season’s major peak approaches, French trail running is no longer a specialist pursuit. It is becoming a fully integrated part of everyday running.