Latest from Coach in Strava

The Most Popular Running Shoe In The World Is The Hoka Clifton, According To Strava Data

Nick Harris-Fry — Wed, 03 Jan 2024 08:00:02 +0000

Strava has launched its annual Year In Sport report, which draws on data from the app’s 120 million-strong user base to highlight trends in fitness and sport. There are all kinds of interesting nuggets in the report, but as a running shoe obsessive, I immediately checked to see what the most popular running shoes worn by Strava users were.

Top of the charts globally was the Hoka Clifton—no data is given on the exact version of the shoe, with the latest being the Hoka Clifton 9—with the runner-up being the Nike Pegasus, with the Nike Pegasus 40 coming out in 2023.

Interestingly, the Hoka Clifton also topped the charts when just looking at US and UK users, with the Pegasus also being the runner-up in the UK, while the Brooks Ghost was runner-up in the US.

This data is from Strava users who log their shoes in the app, which is a minority of users in my experience, but the Year In Sport report is bolstered by a new survey of 6,990 active people from around the world in 2023.

I’d also say that the shoes that have come out on top are not huge surprises. The Clifton, Pegasus and Ghost are all well-established shoe lines that are good value and will work for a variety of runners.

You can usually find these shoes in sales too, especially if you’re happy to opt for an older version. That’s wise with the Nike Pegasus 40 and Brooks Ghost 15 in particular, since the most recent versions aren’t substantial improvements, though I do much prefer the Clifton 9 to its predecessor.

It is a bit surprising that the Clifton has edged out the Pegasus and Ghost, since those are more established shoes from what are traditionally seen as bigger brands.

The report also contains some interesting facts about which shoes have quickly grown in popularity, with the Asics Novablast and Saucony Endorphin Speed both standing out as shoes that have become much more popular in 2023 compared with 2022, along with the Clifton itself, which has surged all the way to the top of the charts. There is also a gender divide on shoe choice, with the Pegasus being the most popular pick with men globally, and the Clifton being number one for women.

How To Turn Off Strava’s New Private Messaging Service

Nick Harris-Fry — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 14:00:01 +0000

Many athletes already spend more time than they’d care to admit on Strava, the most popular sports tracking app in the world. It’s latest feature might mean it hogs even more of your time.

(Image credit: Strava)

From today you will be able to directly message other users on Strava, as well as set up group chats. At launch you will be able to share routes, a welcome development since Strava is widely regarded as one of the best running route planners. You can also send reactions, such as GIFs, to others in the app. Photo messages are slated to arrive early next year.

Strava has always had a social element to it and the message feature will be useful for clubs and groups of runners who can now organize runs in the app more easily.

As a keen runner I have more WhatsApp groups than I care to count, and most are used to organize runs with different groups of running buddies. If just half of these groups migrate to Strava then it’s about to explode as a social media platform.

The messaging will also make it easier to connect with people you might only know through the app. Finally, you can privately contact the person who always runs the same local loop as you and ask if they want to buddy up for a run.

However, not everyone will want others to have the option of messaging them and it’s worth noting that if you have a public profile on Strava then the feature will automatically be turned on so people you are following can message you.

Thankfully, as befitting a GPS tracking app, Strava has included easy-to-use privacy features if you’d like to turn this off.

Allowing messages from people you follow is one of three options available in message settings on Strava.

(Image credit: Strava)

The other settings are only receiving messages from mutuals (you follow each other), or not allowing anyone to initiate messaging. If that last one sounds appealing you’ll need to dive into your settings on the app and select it, though if you have a private profile it should be selected already.

Is Nike Run Club Better Than Strava? I’m A Strava Devotee Who Switched For A Week—Will I Go Back?

Lois Mackenzie — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 05:49:42 +0000

Garmin or Apple Watch, Hoka or Asics, Strava or Nike Run Club: these are just some of running’s dividing lines and I’ve been on team Strava for more than five years. Even though I bought a Garmin Vivoactive 4 this year I still look over my stats in Strava rather than Garmin Connect—old habits die hard—so when my editor tasked me with switching from my faithful run tracker Strava to Nike Run Club, I considered quitting there and then.

You’ll find Strava and Nike Run Club in any list of the best running apps (including ours, of course). Both track and analyze your activity, help you set goals and follow the activities of friends and family.

But there are differences, as I discovered when I used Nike Run Club alongside Strava for a week. I tracked a 13-mile long run, a recovery run, a tempo run, an interval session and an easy 5K run on my Garmin and synced the data with both apps. Here are my honest impressions.

The Design Feels Clunky

While many love the design of the Nike Run Club app, to me it feels clunky. The bright colors and images are great, but they distracted me from what I was there to do: check my run. Compared with Strava, I felt my data was scattered and not as easy to read at a glance.

Data Syncing Was Spotty

(Image credit: Lois Mackenzie / Future)

I used my running watch to collect data so I can’t accuse NRC of being inaccurate, but I regularly found that my kilometer pace was displayed on Strava but not on Nike Run Club. It was the same case with my cadence.

You Can Only Track Runs

For a tracking app called “run club”, I shouldn’t be surprised that you can only track runs, yet I am. Many runners cross-train to complement their running; without a sports watch how else are you to track that data? On top of my runs, I swim and strength train once a week, but neither appeared on Nike Run Club.

The Gear List Isn’t Complete

One of my favorite features of Strava is being able to log which running gear I’ve used, particularly my shoes. This gives me an idea of how many miles I’ve logged in a particular shoe, so I know when I should think about replacing it. Nike Run Club does have the ability to add your shoes, but the preset list is far from exhaustive. I either use the Asics Novablast 3 or Hoka Clifton 8 running shoes, which are fairly popular running shoes but neither appears on the Nike Run Club app. Only the 2, 3 and 4 editions of the Hoka Clifton range are available (the line is up to 9 now), and the Novablast range doesn’t appear under Asics.

It Doesn’t Split Moving Time From Elapsed Time

Another top feature of Strava is the distinction between moving and elapsed time. As someone who regularly runs through a busy city, a lot of my runs are spent waiting at traffic lights or stuck behind walkers. This affects the accuracy of your run time. Strava provides your elapsed time (the duration of your run, start to finish) and your moving time (the periods it registers you as moving, not stationary). Nike Run Club provides only elapsed time,making it difficult to accurately analyze your run.

(Image credit: Lois Mackenzie / Future)

Is Nike Run Club Better Than Strava?

No, although there are two features where NRC outshines Strava.

NRC offers four training plans that range from a four-week “just getting started” plan all the way to a 16-week marathon training plan. Each plan has must-do runs as well as optional sessions, and explains each type of run on the plan. This is something Strava also offers, but only to those who pay for a Strava subscription. On NRC, this is free.

There are also guided runs available on NRC, with a coach offering tips throughout the run, although this is available only if you start your run directly in the app.

All the same, Nike Run Club falls short elsewhere—meaning Strava still comes out on top.