Strava users are about to get a new coach. The leading active app has announced the acquisition of Runna, a run coaching app that provides AI-powered plans for runners seeking personalized guidance.
In a press release, Strava says the move was prompted by a sharp increase in race participation – nearly 1 billion runs were recorded on Strava in 2024, and 43% of Strava users say they want to conquer a big race or event in 2025 – and increased demand for online training.
“Coming off Strava’s accelerated innovation and unprecedented growth last year, it was the right time to look for complementary businesses that could create even greater value for our users,” says Michael Martin, chief executive officer at Strava.
“Runna’s mission to give every runner a personalised plan to achieve their goal is a perfect fit.”
Runna is a top-rated coaching app with an average 5-star rating on the Apple store and over 16,000 reviews. It was a finalist in last year's App Store awards and provides training plans for 5k, 10k, half marathon, marathon and ultra marathon distances for $19.99 per month / $119.99 per year.
The app syncs with popular GPS devices like Garmin watches and Apple Watches and supplements run workouts with insights on aspects of training like running form, nutrition, strength training and mobility exercises.
“Our passion is to give every runner a training plan and access to amazing coaching and this investment allows us to make even more improvements to everything we do at Runna, benefiting runners worldwide,” says Ben Parker, co-founder of Runna, which is headquartered in the UK and has a team of 150 employees.
If you're hoping to get an instant boost to your training plans via Strava, however, you might want to temper your expectations. Martin says Strava plans to keep the apps separate for the foreseeable future and further accelerate the development of the Runna app.
Runna joins over 100 training apps that currently connect to Strava’s API. The deal is part of Strava’s ongoing initiatives to innovate for its 150+ million registered users.
