Global Running Day: UniHomes Edition

Global Running Day 2026 is almost here, and we’ve been shaking things up in Strava style. We challenged our community to a game of Strava Art - using their GPS tracking to turn the city streets into a canvas.

The goal? Run a route that looks exactly like the UniHomes house icon. 🏡

Safe to say, they laced up, grabbed their water bottles, and absolutely rose to the challenge. Ready to log some miles this Global Running Day? Get inspired by these student-mapped routes through some of the UK's most popular uni cities!

Strava Art Challenge: Top Routes

Content Ambassador Shiqin

Content Ambassador Shiqin takes the crown for the Strava challenge, hitting the streets of Brighton with a clear goal in mind. She hit the nail on the head when it came to creating the doorway for the UniHomes house. Good effort!

"As I set off on my attempt to recreate the Unihomes logo on Strava, I was lucky to have a slightly cloudier day so as for it to be cooler instead of the heat I'd spent the last two days at the beach enjoying with my friends. My route today took me through Seven Dials, starting at the ALPHABET venue, passing the cosy Cow Pub and onwards to the seven-way roundabout, paying homage to its name of Seven Dials.

I did mess up a little and go down the wrong road when I got to the roundabout, but it was fun to explore a bit more of a neighbourhood I don't usually end up in much. In classic Brightonian fashion, my run included going up and down the hill by the area a few times, which was something I definitely did not take into account when planning my run beforehand.

Despite this, I enjoyed the run through this lovely, more residential part of Brighton, discovering a new charity shop and the view from the sea and seeing Rampion Wind Farm in the distance made the quick run thoroughly enjoyable."

UniHomes SEO Manager Dan

Our very own UniHomes SEO Manager, Dan, decided to see how difficult the Strava challenge really was, embarking on an afternoon run in sunny Sheffield. We were highly impressed by his commitment - and even more so by his post-run hammock setup.

“I was very confident that the route I had in my head would give me a perfect UniHomes logo - I kept it simple by doing a short circuit around Sheffield's Bole Hills, which, as a Crookes resident, I know well and has beautiful views over Rivelin Valley. I got some funny looks coming off the path to run in a diagonal line across the field, but some people just don't understand art, I guess.

On reflection, the 'roof' isn't as structurally sound as I'd like, and it arguably looks more like the Sorting Hat from Harry Potter, but I'm still fairly happy with my effort. I regret not attempting the 'front door' at the bottom of the logo, which would've given it a bit more je ne sais quoi, but I think it's a decent one-take effort, and I'm sure our readers will agree.”

Content Ambassador Gabz

Our Bournemouth Content Ambassador Gabz is no stranger to running routes in Bournemouth. She gave things her best shot with unmatched dedication, heading out over the bank holiday weekend - yes, the exact same day the UK smashed its all-time May temperature record.

“On one of the hottest days of the year so far, I decided to take on the challenge to re-create the UniHomes logo in Strava for Global Running Day. Despite the heat, I had a lovely time running around Lansdowne and East Overcliff Drive near the beach. It was a nice and light 3km run, which meant I was just about able to exercise without melting. Sadly, the Bournemouth Goats weren’t out on the cliffs, but I can’t say I blame them.

Once I got back, it was time for the verdict. My attempt came out a little wobbly and, when showing friends, I did have to clarify what I’d actually tried to create... whoops!

I think it’s safe to say I’ll stick to running rather than Strava Art.”

Brand Ambassador Monica

Also enjoying the warm weather, Brand Ambassador Monica headed out on a route through Sheffield for Global Running Day. While finding a route that matched our UniHomes’ logo was a bit of a challenge, Monica soon found her momentum.

“For Global Running Day, I created a 3.2km route through Sheffield city centre designed to resemble the UniHomes house logo. As I am currently staying in Sheffield, which is still a relatively new city to me, I thought this would be a fun and creative way to explore more of the area while taking part in the challenge. Planning a route that matched the logo while also working with the city’s street layout made the run feel like a puzzle as well as a workout.

At the start, I found the run quite intimidating and quickly started to feel tired. However, once I settled into a rhythm and found my momentum, the experience became much more enjoyable. The cool breeze towards the end of the route was refreshing and helped me push through the final stretch.

One thing that surprised me was how supportive people were along the way. Drivers were patient, pedestrians often moved aside to give runners space, and a few people even offered words of encouragement. Overall, it was a great way to experience Sheffield, challenge myself, and celebrate Global Running Day while creating a route that resembled the UniHomes logo.”

Sort your student accommodation

Thinking about where you’ll spend your recovery time next year? At UniHomes, we’re here to help you find next year’s home-away-from-home, so that you don’t have to stress about crashing in a pad that’s a million miles away from town after a massive run!

We work with letting agents up and down the UK to bring you student accommodation options in your university city - with bills included. Simply use the filters to sort the results by price, number of bedrooms, and location. Make your house search stress-free today!

The views and opinions expressed in these blogs are those of the UniHomes Content Ambassadors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of UniHomes. UniHomes accepts no liability for the content of these Student Blogs.

Our UniHomes Content Ambassadors are current students across the UK who share tips about student life in their city to help you make the most of your time at uni. If you're interested in writing for our programme, click here for more details.