Barefoot icon: add barefoot running as an activity type/sport

[Nicorun]

We, the barefoot community, would love to get our own icon. Just as for example the electrical bikes

[Bryant]

Hey @Nicorun,

Thank you for joining the Community Hub and submitting an idea!
It has been reviewed by our moderation team and is now open to voting.

[Soren]

Sorry @Nicorun just one question -- is this a request to add barefoot running as a new Sport Type, specifically? If so, would a tag such as the exising "workout", "long run" suffice? Why or why not and are there other statistics that are important to differentiate?

[Nicorun]

Good morning @Soren ,

Good question indeed. Well, seen the benefits of the barefoot, or even huaraches running, si would say the sport looks different and your idea of considering it as a new one seems appealing to me.

I was rather thinking of the shoe logo when selecting the equipment..I like the idea to make it visible as the benefits of lightfoot running are numerous.

I just don't really know what the best way would be.

What would you recommend?

Kind regards,

Nicolas

[Soren]

Thanks for the further clarification, I see you simply want to emphasize the fact that you're running barefoot or with minimal footwear. I'm not sure what the best way to go about this is, but I'd definitely recommend looking into customizing your gear if you haven't yet. We appreciate your comments, thanks for your participation.

[Nicorun]

Would this mean we can have an icon? Just like the eBike Vs the bike?

[Soren]

Our team reads and responds to inquiries, but we generally cannot speak to the direction of the product, nor discuss product or policy decisions or opinions. We do appreciate your input though -- our product, research and marketing teams look at all idea suggestions to take into consideration for roadmap planning. To find out more about how we manage the ideas section, please refer to our Community Guide to Ideas article. Thank you once again!

[uzaks]

Please add the barefoot option under runs and walks when we select shoe/gear. 

[Heptalogos]

@Soren I would indeed want to request to add barefoot/minimalist running as a new sport type (subcategory for running). The reason is that in the opinion of the barefoot community, minimalistic running is actually a different type of sport, and not just a matter of equipment. It's a different technique, with different skills, pros, cons, and stats.

For example, trail running and track running are also subcategories for running.

'Standard' trail runners use far less cushioned shoes also, so on trail there is not that much difference. But running on the pavement 'barefooted' compared to standard/cushioned shoes is extremely different, because the whole body has to absorb the blows when hitting the road. Running on cushioned shoes is to barefoot runners, what blade running is to standard runners.

[uzaks]

Totally agree 

[Nicorun]

I agree, the technic need to be adapted completely. Going for the tip of the foot instead of the whole feet if one wants to avoid injuring itself (joins, knees, ankles,...).

On the other hand, it remains running, just properly. So not sure if I would call it another sport...

[Heptalogos]

@Nicorun not just the forefoot landing, but also quads, hamstrings, glutes and lower back that work very different.

It surely remains running, just like trail and track running. But these are all different sports (categories) in Strava, grouped under running.

[Jane]

Hello and thank you to everyone who has taken the time to add your votes and comments to this request. 

We want to let you know that we do not intend to add more activity/sport types to Strava in the foreseeable future, and this feature suggestion will be moved to a status of not currently planned.

We appreciate and understand this is not the answer you were hoping for. We strive to be as transparent as possible and provide updates to our Community when they become available. 

Please remember that we receive a large number of idea submissions, and even some  popular ideas may not make it to the implementation stage. The number of votes an idea gets is one factor among several that’s considered when our product team develops the roadmap.

For more information, review our Guide to Ideas.

Additionally, a status of not currently planned does not mean this feature suggestion goes away. It will remain open to votes and comments, and may be revisited at some point in the future.

Lastly, we sincerely hope you will continue recording and uploading your activities to Strava. Here is a list of the Sport types that we currently support. It’s always an option to set your activity to sport type “workout” and indicate more specifics in the activity name.

Thanks again for your contributions.