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.

[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.

[PauliusG]

I asked Strava why they ignoring our voice and closing tickets without any explanations. They answered me that:

"As mentioned, we have made changes to our challenges recently. We are the support team and while we help with issues on the intended function of the application we cannot discuss the direction of the product. We welcome you to continue this discussion in our community hub. I apologize for the inconvenience this causes you."

I don't no is this is some kind of a joke or something? 😄

[yantonov]

It's not a direction of the product, it's mistakenly hired people who completely don't understand what they are doing!!!

[runprime]

Pleased to see so much support to get this absurd addition of walks to running challenges reversed. Remember to kudos the original idea at the top if you support returning the challenges to how they should be.

[srybarczyk]

I just posted the same before I figured out how this forum works. Completely agree.  It makes zero sense. I walk and I run. They’re two different activities and I have very different goals for each. Most people have shoes and clothes for running and different gear for walking. Not the same activity! And those challenges motivate me. Not happy. I always thought they should have larger distance walking challenges (i walk a lot), but to combine walking and running makes absolutely no sense, and I’m purely a recreational runner! 

[BruceG]

Couldn't agree more, totally ruined the challenges, and have removed the 200k and 300k badges from running, massive step backwards Strava

[fryeharp]

Can running count for the swimming challenges??  Seems appropriate since walking is now running?

[jillbelll]

10000000% could not have said this better myself. I haven’t been on Strava that long but I am already disappointed with the challenges portion of the app between the bogus winners who walked “34000km” in a month and the fact that walking counts towards running challenges? For the price per year I would expect a greater attention to detail.

[fryeharp]

Running is not walking, and vice versa.  Please separate the challenges again.  Walking should not count as running in running challenges!!  Why even have a walking challenge if walking counts for running?  Please listen to the followers on this app!

[Agoodheart]

The running distance challenge was very motivating for me to run more. However, now walking counts as a running activity, but treadmill running longer does. The running challenges should be for RUNNING of any type: road, trail, treadmill. And the walking challenges should be for walking. If there’s a request to make challenges that combine running and walking then that actually also sounds fun, but please restore the running distance challenges back to running. As far as I can tell, this is an app with a large number of runners, so I suspect I’m not alone in this. I’ve used Strava for a long time, but I’m seriously considering looking for a different app that will actually provide me running challenges if Strava won’t do so anymore. Thanks.