As we crested the most formidable hill on our daily run, Strava’s Live Segment alert lit up our Apple Watch, announcing our approach to a Live Segment.

Suddenly, it wasn’t just another hill—it was a mini-race.

The progress ring filled in as we ran, showing when we were ahead of (or behind) our personal best. Strava turned it into a challenge by pitting us against the most motivating competitor of all: ourselves.

As the app’s social features showed us, friendly support can fuel personal bests just as much as friendly competition. Each time we shared our stats, Strava’s global network cheered us on with kudos (that surprisingly satisfying orange thumbs-up) and kept us accountable to our goals.

Smartly timed haptics and generously sized tap targets made starting, pausing, and resuming workouts effortless. High-contrast colors and the sleek, stripped-down layout made real-time stats visible at a glance, even in full sun.

Strava also unleashed the full power of Apple Watch Ultra’s dual-frequency GPS. Thanks to pinpoint accuracy in elevation and distance data, the app not only registered the climb but also verified every vertical meter gained when we reached the summit. Strava Beacon, available on all Apple Watch cellular models, added peace of mind during our solo, off-grid adventures. By sharing our live location with trusted contacts, we could focus on the moment, knowing someone had our back.

As we crossed the finish line of our Live Segment, Strava flashed the result on our wrist: We set a new personal record...by one second. As Strava’s many upgrades this year made clear, even small wins can be total game changers.

Strava’s privacy controls allow you to enjoy activities without sharing your location. Adjust your map visibility to hide where you start and end your runs—or hide your routes from others completely.

Strava takes its name from the Swedish word sträva, which means to strive—a fitting nod to the app’s ethos of perseverance.

Founders Mark Gainey and Michael Horvath met on the Harvard crew team. Inspired by their love of fitness, they created Strava to connect athletes around the world.