Strava partners with Hot Girl Walk™ creator to advance gender justice in sports this International Women's Day

Strava expands its Strive for More™ initiative pushing for equity in women's sports with Hot Girl Walk United, a global community challenge benefiting GRLS and the ONSIDE Fund

SAN FRANCISCO, March 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Studies show that 91% of active women aged 25-39 say working out is as much for their mental health as their physical health; however, with external factors like social perceptions and harassment, women unfortunately dedicate less time to physical activity than their male counterparts (15% less active time per week across Strava's global community). Strava, the subscription platform at the center of connected fitness with more than 100 million community members, wants to help change that.

To celebrate and honor International Women's Day on March 8, Strava is partnering with the Hot Girl Walk™ creator to bring it to its platform and raise funds to benefit GRLS and the ONSIDE Fund, global initiatives by Women Win helping to build leadership skills and empowering girls to become better equipped to exercise their rights through sports and play.

"I created the Hot Girl Walk to encourage other women to get active in a way that helps their mental health—it's not just about walking. The Hot Girl Walk is about building self-confidence, mindfulness, and community. I'm excited for Strava's community to join the Hot Girl Walk movement and support these important charities," says Mia Lind, Creator of the Hot Girl Walk™.

Hot Girl Walk United Global Challenge
This March, Strava is partnering with the creator and founder of the Hot Girl Walk, Mia Lind, to empower women to strive for more for themselves and the next generation with the launch of Hot Girl Walk United – a global challenge to commit more time to movement. The Hot Girl Walk is a 4-mile, outdoor walk that builds confidence through movement, serving as a dedicated time for self-reflection. For every challenge completion on the app, Strava will donate $4 (up to $250,000) to GRLS and the ONSIDE Fund.

How to Participate
Strava community members can join the Hot Girl Walk United global challenge and discover Mia's favorite HGW routes all over the world. Those based in New York can kick off International Women's Day with Strava and Mia by joining the brand for an in-person Hot Girl Walk at 8 a.m. EST on March 8th in Central Park.

Date: Wednesday, March 8
Time: 7:30 a.m. arrival time; 8:00 a.m. start time
Start Location: Columbus Circle
Link to Register

*Walk registration to take place at the Globe statue - Central Park West

Striving for Women's Equity & Inclusion
Strava is committed to women's equity and inclusion in sport and in their daily lives. Strive for More is a $1 million commitment by Strava over the next three years to get more women to the starting line – whether it's in professional competition, or starting a new routine to make more time for movement.

"Our commitment to women's equity and inclusion in sport and empowering activity in their daily lives is fully integrated to Strava's mission. Walking has emerged on Strava as one of our most popular activity types, and we see that women are 60% more likely than their male counterparts to upload a walk to Strava. This International Women's Day, the Strava community is harnessing the power of our collective movement with Hot Girl Walk United, a challenge benefiting GRLS and the ONSIDE Fund. These programs are invested in the next generation of sport and play, impacting the lives of over 4 million adolescent girls and young women in over 100 countries," says Zipporah Allen, Chief Business Officer at Strava.

"For girls, women and non-binary people, sport is a powerful tool to challenge gender norms and stereotypes, regain ownership of their bodies, experience joy, freedom and pleasure, and rebuild their lives after trauma. GRLS' mission is to advance the playing field that progresses gender equity in sports and through play. We create spaces and opportunities for girls and women to lead. And at the systemic level, we aim to dismantle traditional power dynamics through feminist, decolonised and democratic practices," says Nicole Matuska, director of GRLS and the ONSIDE Fund.

Starting today, walkers in Strava's community can see their step count on walk activities they track and upload. For more information on Strava or to start a free subscription trial visit www.strava.com.

Strava is the leading subscription platform at the center of connected fitness, with more than 100 million community members in over 190 countries. The platform offers a holistic view of your active lifestyle, no matter where you live, which sport you love and/or what device you use. Everyone belongs on Strava when they are pursuing an active life. Join the community, find motivation and discover new experiences with a Strava subscription.

Our favorite stats:

• More than 8 billion activities shared on Strava
• 40 million activities uploaded per week
• Over 30 million Segments
• Over 3,000 professional athletes on Strava
• Almost 10 billion Kudos given last year
• Over 10 million photos and videos shared per week
• Over 2,000 partner organizations making their communities better with Strava Metro
• 400+ employees around the world, with seven offices across the globe:
• San Francisco, CA (headquarters)
• Berlin, Germany
• Bristol, UK
• Chamonix, France
• Denver, CO
• Dublin, Ireland
• Vilnius, Lithuania

Mia Lind created the Hot Girl Walk™ in 2020, during the pandemic, as a way to deal with the negative impacts of isolation. She went on 4 mile walks, confronting her negative self-talk, and focusing on positive, aspirational thoughts and ideas.

Mia began to think of her walks as a 'Hot Girl Walk™,' and she focused on 3 things during the walk: Gratitude, Goals and Confidence.

The results were amazing: Mia became more confident, happier, and successful in her day-to-day life. Her friends and family encouraged her to share her ideas, and the Hot Girl Walk™ was born, with the first video posting in January 2021. The video has millions of views, and millions more people worldwide have become part of the Hot Girl Walk™, making it a truly global phenomenon.

The Hot Girl Walk™ is a 4 mile, outdoor walk, where you focus on 3 things:

1. What you're grateful for
2. Your goals and how you're going to achieve them
3. How HOT you are!

You can find out more about the Hot Girl Walk™ by visiting www.hotgirlwalk.com or at The Official Hot Girl Walk™ Instagram

GRLS is Women Win's Brand which aims to advance the playing field that empowers adolescent girls and young women to exercise their rights to and through sport and play. GRLS' three key strategic areas of work include:

• Joining forces with implementing partners to empower adolescent girls and young women to exercise their rights in their communities
• Transforming sport and sport for development through collective action to create truly equitable and inclusive spaces and institutions
• Supporting feminist organising and movements to bring about systemic change

Through these three approaches, GRLS defines not only the type of change we are seeking to support but also the partnerships we need to develop to collectively realise that change with the development, sport and women's rights sectors.

ONSIDE is a pooled fund that supports feminist organising and movements that leverage sport to advance gender justice. Through ONSIDE, groups access unrestricted funds to support girls, women and non-binary people in exercising their right to play, thus advancing gender justice in sport at all levels, from the grassroots to the global.

ONSIDE is committed to participatory and equitable approaches to decision-making, grant-making and learning. The Fund shares decision-making power and shifts resource allocation decisions to individuals and groups at the centre of feminist movements. Girls, women and non-binary people in communities run their own sports initiatives as they see fit with completely unrestricted funds. Today, ONSIDE supports 99 groups, individuals and social enterprises in 51 countries, advancing gender justice in physical and digital spaces.

The ONSIDE Fund contributes to WW's goal to advance feminist, democratised and decolonised practices by creating purposeful practices that can be replicated globally.

Founded in 2007, Women Win (WW) is a global multi-dimensional women's fund guided by the vision of a future where every girl and woman exercises their rights. WW distributes its programmatic work across three "Brands" which all serve WW's overall vision, but each with its own unique mission:

• Win-Win Strategies. Building bridges to advance girls' and women's economic resilience through impactful partnerships and holistic approaches;
• Ignita. Catalysing a shift in the philanthropy ecosystem that strengthens local activists, organisations and movements' capacities to drive change on their terms;
• GRLS. Advance the playing field that progresses gender equity in sports and through play;

CONTACT: [email protected] 

SOURCE STRAVA, INC.