The maker of the ubiquitous run-tracking app Strava has announced it has purchased the UK-based run training app Runna.
The allegiance of two of the best and most popular running apps out there could enable Strava to supercharge its offering with personalised training programs for runners using the best running watches.
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Among its feature set, Runna uses real-world coaches (including GB Olympians) that craft personalised plans, which start from your current running level and builds the schedule based on how far out from the big race you wish to begin training.
The app adds the workouts to your calendar, enables you to add strength and mobility workouts to the plan, and offers support on things like injury management.
While Strava does a great job of harnessing runs, either recorded via the app or synced via other devices, surfacing stats like PBs, adding a social element, and surfacing new routes for runs, it’s not a complete proposition.
The purchase of Runna could make the app a true rival for the likes of Garmin, which offers comprehensive training tools as well as activity tracking.
For now though there’s no immediate changes afoot, with Strava boss Michael Martin telling The Verge “Effectively, nothing changes for the user out of the gate,” although he added: “The ambition is to do things where it makes sense”.
Runna already integrates with Runna thanks to the Strava API, but a closer alignment may be on the cards. Martin did say the plan was “to invest further into growing the Runna app, invest in the Runna team, and then continue to operate them as independent but in an integrated fashion.”
Opinion
Kudos to Strava!
Strava does a great job of totting up the miles, but it’s not that useful until you start taking strides. Acquiring Runna and building its training programs into the Strava proposition is a logical next step for the social workout app.
