Animate Your Strava Route

From Strava to animated poster

Strava records every GPS point of your run, ride, or hike — and that data is the foundation of an animated route poster. When you export a GPX file from Strava and drop it into Route Posters, the editor reads the full track and renders it as a smooth draw-in animation that retraces your exact path.

The animation includes the stats from your activity: distance, total time, pace per kilometre, and elevation gain are read directly from the GPX file and can be displayed as overlay text that counts up as the route draws in. The result is a short video that captures not just the shape of your run, but its story.

Export as a GIF for Twitter and Discord, or as an MP4 for Instagram Reels, Stories, and TikTok. Everything runs in your browser — no account, no upload to a server, no waiting.

How to animate your Strava route, step by step

1. 1

   Export the GPX from Strava

   On the Strava website (the mobile app has no export), open the activity, click the three-dot (⋯) menu and choose "Export GPX". Then open the editor and drag the file onto the canvas; your route appears at once. Full walkthrough with screenshots in the Strava export guide.

2. 2

   Pick a design and a map style

   Choose one of the poster presets, then set the route colour, background (plain, street map, topo map or city backdrop) and which stats to show. Headline and subtitle are free text, so "Berlin Marathon 2026 · 3:58:41" is one line away.

3. 3

   Open the Animate panel

   Click ✦ Animate. The preview plays right away: the route draws in from start to finish over 2.5 seconds while distance, time and pace count up alongside it, then holds on the finished poster.

4. 4

   Export GIF or MP4 and post it

   MP4 for Instagram Reels, Stories and TikTok; GIF for Discord, Slack, Twitter/X or a blog. The file renders in your browser and downloads when done. Want the wall version too? The same file exports as a 300 dpi print poster with one click.

Route Posters vs Relive vs Strava's own share card

Three common ways to share a run as motion. They solve different problems, so here is the honest comparison.

Use Relive when the terrain is the story, a mountain ultra or a long ride. Use Route Posters when the shape of the route and your numbers are the story, and when you also want something to print.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get a GPX file from Strava?

On the Strava website, open the activity page and click the three-dot (⋯) menu in the top-right corner, then select "Export GPX". The file downloads immediately. The Strava mobile app does not have a direct GPX export; you need to use the website.

Does the animated poster show my Strava stats?

Yes. The GPX file exported from Strava contains your GPS track, timestamps, and elevation data. Route Posters reads distance, total time, pace, and elevation gain directly from the file and displays them on the animated poster.

Do I need to connect my Strava account?

No. You only need the GPX file, which Strava lets you export from any activity page on the website. Nothing is uploaded to a server and no account is created — the file is read and rendered entirely in your browser.

Is this like Relive?

Relive makes a 3D fly-over video of your route and needs the app plus a paid plan for HD, custom length and no watermark. Route Posters makes a flat, poster-style draw-in animation with your stats counting up, exports GIF or MP4 with no watermark, and is free. It also produces the matching print poster from the same file.

How long can the animation be, and what size is the file?

The animation is about 3.5 seconds: a 2.5-second draw-in and a short hold on the finished poster, which is the right length for a Story or a looping Reel. The MP4 is typically 1–3 MB; the GIF is larger and runs at 15 fps, so use MP4 for Instagram and TikTok and GIF for Discord, Slack or a blog.

Can I animate any Strava activity type?

Any Strava activity that recorded a GPS track can be animated — runs, rides, hikes, trail runs, open-water swims, and more. Indoor activities and manually entered activities do not have GPS tracks and cannot be used.