Strava acquires Runna to enhance training functions and improve user experience

Strava, a popular fitness tracking and social platform, recently acquired Runna, an app known for personalized running programs, a move that will significantly enhance its running and training capabilities.

For Strava users, the addition of Runna makes up for the lack of training plans for Strava. Strava is good at tracking and social interaction, but when it comes to developing training plans such as 5km or marathons, users often need to rely on other applications. Launched in 2021, Runna quickly became popular with its AI-powered coaching and training programs of various distances, becoming the first choice for many.

Currently, Strava ranks 13th in the health and fitness category of Apple's app store, and Runna ranks 26th. The merger of the two apps will pose a major challenge to competitors such as Garmin, and Strava's move is designed to consolidate its important position in the running community.

The acquisition is beneficial to both parties. Strava gains its long-lost features, while Runna gains Strava's huge user base and resources. Strava CEO Michael Martin said that the use of static, document-based training programs in the past is low, and the lack of proper guidance is a major pain point for runners.

However, there will be no immediate changes in the short term. At present, the two applications will continue to run independently. Martin stressed that the initial plan is to invest in the development of Runna applications and their teams. The goal is to achieve an "integrated experience", which means that end users will have a smoother experience between the two platforms. Currently, the functions of the two applications are separated: users need to view the daily training plan in Runna, then switch to Strava to find routes, and then return to Runna for real-time guidance. The goal for the future is to simplify this process.

An important issue is the subscription model. Currently, the annual fee for Strava premium features is $79.99, while the annual fee for Runna is $119.99. Currently, if users want to experience all the functions of the two applications at the same time, they need to pay separately. Martin compared this to Strava's previous acquisition, suggesting that Runna's integration may be more similar to Recover Athletics (as a standalone app that provides free value for subscription users) rather than FATMAP (which has been shut down and merged into Strava).

According to past experience, after such acquisitions, things almost always end up changing. CEOs usually assure clients that “everything is the same,” but this usually doesn’t last too long. Strava raised its price in 2023, which caused a lot of dissatisfaction. In the future, it is not surprising that it will raise prices again in order to integrate Runna.

All in all, for Strava users, the acquisition has the potential to significantly improve the running experience. While details of the integration and subscription model are still being formulated, the prospect of Runna's training program seamlessly integrating with Strava's social and tracking capabilities is exciting. Let's wait and see how the two giants will merge in the coming weeks and months.

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