How to Create a Strava Overlay Video for Reels & TikTok

What is the Strava overlay video trend?

If you have been scrolling through running content lately, you have probably seen it: a first-person running clip with a translucent Strava-style overlay floating on screen. The overlay typically shows an animated GPS route tracing the path in real time, plus live stats like pace, distance, elapsed time, and sometimes heart rate or elevation.

The trend started gaining traction on TikTok in late 2025 and quickly spread to Instagram Reels. It appeals to runners because it turns a simple training clip into something visually dynamic and data-rich. Instead of just posting a screenshot of your Strava summary, you get a cinematic video that actually shows the effort.

The problem? Strava itself does not offer this feature. There is no "export as overlay video" button in the app. So people have been cobbling together workarounds using screen recordings, CapCut, and a lot of patience. Let us walk through the most common method.

How to make a Strava overlay video with CapCut (step by step)

This is the method most creators use right now. It is free, but it takes time and a few workarounds. Here is the full process:

Step 1: Record your run with video

Before or during your run, film some footage with your phone. Many runners mount their phone on an arm band or chest strap, or simply film a few clips at the start, middle, and end. You need this background footage for the final video.

Step 2: Screenshot or screen-record your Strava activity

Open Strava after your run, navigate to the activity, and either take screenshots of the map and stats or do a screen recording while slowly scrolling through the activity. Some people screen-record the Strava route animation that plays when you first open the activity -- that short auto-play of your route drawing itself on the map.

Step 3: Import everything into CapCut

Open CapCut (free video editor) and create a new project in 9:16 format for Reels or TikTok. Import your running footage as the main video layer, then add the Strava screenshots or screen recording as an overlay layer on top.

Step 4: Remove the background from the overlay

This is the tricky part. You need to make the Strava overlay layer semi-transparent or use CapCut's chroma key or "remove background" tool to isolate just the map and stats. Because Strava uses a white or dark background, you can sometimes use the blend mode (like "Screen" for dark backgrounds or "Multiply" for light ones) to make it blend over your footage. Adjust opacity to around 60-80% so it looks clean.

Step 5: Position, resize, and time it

Resize the overlay to fit nicely in a corner or along one side of the frame. If you are using a screen recording of the route animation, sync it with your running footage so the route draws as you run. Add any text overlays for distance, pace, or a caption.

Step 6: Add music and export

Pick a trending audio track, trim everything to 15-30 seconds, and export at 1080x1920. Upload to Reels or TikTok.

Why the manual method gets old fast

The CapCut method works, and plenty of creators have made great videos this way. But after doing it once or twice, the friction becomes obvious:

• It takes 20-30 minutes per video. Between screen recording, importing layers, adjusting blend modes, and syncing timing, it is a real time investment for a 15-second clip.
• The overlay looks static. Unless you screen-record the route animation at exactly the right moment, you end up with a flat screenshot pasted on top of your video. No animated route tracing, no live pace counter.
• Blend modes are unreliable. Depending on your footage colors and the Strava screenshot background, the overlay can look washed out, too dark, or have visible edges.
• No real data sync. The stats on screen do not update in real time. It is just an image overlay, not actual data visualization.
• You need the raw footage. If you did not film during your run, you are out of luck. You cannot create the video from just your GPS data.

This is exactly why tools purpose-built for this are starting to appear. Which brings us to the easier approach.

The one-click alternative: RunFlick

RunFlick takes a completely different approach. Instead of layering screenshots on top of footage, it generates a fully animated video directly from your GPS data. No filming required. No CapCut. No blend modes.

Here is how it works:

1. Connect Strava or upload a GPX file. RunFlick pulls your activity data -- route coordinates, pace per kilometer, splits, heart rate, elevation -- directly from the source.
2. Click "Create Video." The app generates a cinematic 9:16 video with an animated route that traces your path on a real map, live pace and distance counters, a splits chart, and heart rate visualization. Everything is rendered frame by frame, not a screenshot overlay.
3. Download and share. You get an MP4 file ready for Instagram Reels or TikTok. You can also share via a direct link.

The whole process takes about 30 seconds. You do not need any video editing skills, and the result looks more polished than what most people achieve with the manual CapCut method -- because every element is programmatically animated and synced to your actual data.

RunFlick is free to start with 3 renders per month. If you post running content regularly, paid plans start at $7/month for 30 renders with no watermark and full customization.

Frequently asked questions