Mars and Strava announce partnership to inspire healthier habits for people and their pets in 2026
- Launching as part of the IAMS™ brand commitment to support pet health and vitality through quality nutrition and active lifestyles
- New ‘Pet Tag’ feature on Strava allows millions of U.S. dog owners on the platform to track every walk, jog or outdoor activity with their pet
- An important step in the company’s mission to foster more pet-friendly spaces and communities through its Mars BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ program
London, UK (April 8, 2026) — Mars, Incorporated, a global leader in pet care products and services, has today announced a partnership between its IAMS™ pet nutrition brand and Strava*, the app for active people, to motivate millions of pet parents to move more with their pets.
76% of Strava users with pets say their furry companions motivate them to get moving1, yet only 40% of urban pet owners feel their neighborhoods are truly pet-friendly2. This collaboration, launching first in the U.S., aims to bridge that gap bringing pet parent communities together to log and celebrate their pet’s participation in walks, runs or hikes using the Pet Tag and participating in exclusive community challenges on Strava throughout the year.
Uniting Strava’s community of active people with the IAMS brand’s focus on keeping all dogs full of life, for more of life, the partnership offers a seamless way to track shared healthy habits and celebrate moments of connection between users and their four-legged friends.
Fueled by Activity and Quality Nutrition
Throughout the year, IAMS will launch a series of challenges on the Strava platform with exclusive use of the ‘Pet Tag’ designed to encourage active lifestyles for pet parents and their pets. Those efforts will be backed by nutrition innovation from IAMS to help support pets on every adventure.
Edwin Padilla, Global Brand VP, IAMS, comments: “Every outdoor adventure is better when pets are part of it. That’s why we’re tireless in our commitment to delivering advanced nutrition through IAMS with high-quality animal protein so pets can keep up with active lifestyles, inspiring more movement for people and their canine companions.”
To join and participate in any of the IAMS challenges on Strava, users can navigate to the Challenge Gallery(Opens a new window) within the Strava App or on Strava.com(Opens a new window). From there, navigate to each month’s unique IAMS challenge in the gallery, and select “Join Challenge.” To complete the IAMS monthly challenges, participants must tag each qualifying activity with “with pet” by completing an activity, selecting “edit activity,” and selecting “with pet” under tags.
Evelina Jarbin, Senior Director, Strava for Business, Strava, said: “Millions of people already bring their pets along for walks and workouts logged on Strava. With the Pet Tag we’re officially bringing kudos to our four-legged friends within the Strava community - helping people get outside, stay active, and take on new challenges with their pets.”
Shaping Better Cities Through Advocacy and Insight
The insights from this partnership will help guide and advocate for the design of more welcoming urban environments, bringing pet-friendly communities together and revealing how people and pets move through cities.
The collaboration marks another pivotal moment in the Mars BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ program, designed to help more cities become pet-friendly through more green spaces, and more places to live, work and play with pets. Through its global expansion last year and strategic partnership with C40 Cities, Mars is aiming to increase access to pet-friendly green spaces for 10 million people and pets around the world by 2030 starting in London, São Paolo, Los Angeles, Bengaluru and Bangkok.
Ikdeep Singh, Global President of Mars Pet Nutrition, said: “The bond between people and their pets is one of the most powerful relationships, with more than one-third of pet parents saying their pet is the most important part of their lives. It’s that connection that motivates Mars to create more opportunities for people to experience the benefits of life with pets. By bringing together the global activity community on Strava with our expertise in pet care and nutrition, we’re celebrating that bond and giving pet parents new ways to move, explore and stay active alongside their pets. And when cities make space for pets, they unlock healthier behaviors for people, too.”
1. Strava 2023 Year in Sport Trend Report(Opens a new window)
2. Mars 2024 Pet Parent Study
