Remove "walks" from running challenges and expand challenges for walks

[runprime]

Walks have been added to running challenges as of January 2024 and as a person who does both run and walk acitvities as separate sports, this has ruined the experience of challenges in the app for me, and in general.

My walks are no counting towards running challenges which rightly used to be separate. They are separate sports.

I found an idea here from last year where somebody requested the opposite and now it has been implemented. From their point of view, they were lesser abled and some walks "felt" like runs to them, which i acknowledge - however, the solution there is ti simply record a running workout on your device, not a walk.

To improve the experience for walkers then more 5k, 10k and monthly mileage challenges can be set up to keep it interesting. 

Last year I really enjoyed tracking my walking challenge and sepaately doing the running challenges. 

Now there are fewer challenges in total which seems like the app is getting worse, not better.

Also importantly need to point out that runs are not included in the walking challenges.... I guess that's the real punchline to this joke.

[Aqua4]

My paid subscription is due for renewal in the next few months so I’ve been checking out the stats on my Garmin Connect app. It’s linked to my watch which I use for all my runs and they’re actually pretty good. You can overlay things like heart rate, pace and cadence. You can see lap times, and a heat map showing faster/ slower sections on your route. You can also join a wide range of challenges including a ‘run 50 miles’ monthly challenge and guess what, your walks don’t count and ruin your running stats! You can also connect with your friends on Garmin Connect. Strava: you haven’t listened to your runners, so bye bye. 

[Wheredhego]

Agree, I get the same data from my tracker.

I WOULD LIKE TO STICK WITH STRAVA FOR THE COMMUNITY AND WHAT ONCE WERE GREAT CHALLENGES. 

But it doesn’t seem they want us in their community…

[Anne1]

I agree that Garmin Connect is a good alternative to Strava. Strava haven't listened - walking is apparently still running as far as they're concerned. There's no way I'm renewing my subscription now.

[dangreen17]

I am the same.  I’ve started to pay more attention to Garmin than Strava.  The irony for me is that I didn’t have a premium subscription before, but I am went for an annual one in December, they changed it so that you cannot track running!  

I tried raising a feedback ticket, I was told I could go through my activities one by one in order to get a monthly total!  What the **bleep**, why can’t the acitivity app I paid for do that for me!?

Absolutely never again am I going to pay for Strava again.  

[dangreen17]

Any word from Strava on this i.e. what is going to be done about it, if anything?

The change came in nearly 2 months' ago now.  

It wasn't a bad idea to merge run and walk, but as an additional metric.  I think it was ridiculous to do so and remove the individual activity data.   I can't believe that on the world's largest fitness activity tracking app, where the most popular activity is running, you cannot see your monthly running stats!  I can see how many hour's I've run, but not the total distance.  There should be a thousand difference ways to look at that data for the user...

[Tonis19]

I wholeheartedly agree with this stance. As someone who was a non runner 4 years ago these challenges have been vital in building both my confidence and ability within the field of running. Now to have the accumulative and set distance running challenges cheapened with walking workouts makes me think what was the point. 
I also hike and walk and track these all separately. I’m all up for inclusion but this just seems like madness. If someone’s walk felt like a run then they can log it as a run on Strava, no where on the challenges does it state a time limit so that does make it inclusive as clearly it’s all about finish lines not finish times. Everyone is in competition with themselves and Strava has clearly decided to ignore the wants of runners in favour of walkers. Such a shame, a change of app appears to be in order

[Lorstell]

I 100% agree with this! As someone who tracks their walks and runs separate why would i want them combining! I used to love the running challenges it really used to push me now i just achieve them easily with next to no effort because of them adding walking as an allowed effort. I can’t see why even if you are a slow paced runner that’s fine you are still a runner so track it as a run why track it as a walk anyway and ruin the strava running challenges. Im now not renewing my strava subscription and going to find a different app to use. 

[Craig1976]

Same here, I do not like this and it confused me through January to my distances and elevation that I had run.

[MickyWeir]

Please turn this off it’s ruining my running! The whole point of a running challenge is that is actually a challenge! 

[sanchit3008]

It has been a month since I first commented on this thread. Glad to see so many others supporting this (vs the 6 people who wanted walks to be added to running challenges), but sad to see no official response! Why is the Strava team ignoring the needs of frequent runners? How does adding walks to running challenges or removing 200/300km challenges make the app more inclusive? I could barely run 50km a month when I started out, and these challenges were a motivation to get better.  It is absurd to penalise those who can run that much for what is a mindless attempt at customer acquisition. By this logic, Olympics should be cancelled too for being too intimidating for regular people.