Love seeing your miles add up? So do we. When you connect Strava to your favorite running store's mobile app, every run and walk you log can show up right inside the app, helping you hit distance milestones, earn bragging rights, and maybe even snag a prize or two along the way.
This guide walks you through how to set it up one step at a time. No tech degree required, we promise. Just sit back and follow along.
Latest Activity Not Showing Up? Strava's connection to your running store's app is a "pull" service, meaning there has to be a request from the running store's app to Strava to get an updated list of your activities. The running store's app will automatically update by periodically requesting new activities from Strava on its own. However, if you want to "force" it to check for new activities in Strava, simply click on the synced miles or log miles icon in the running store's app. Then, on the mileage detail screen, pull to refresh.
Some Quick "Good to Know" Stuff
Before connecting anything, here are a few friendly facts so nothing surprises you later:
We track your runs and walks. The app looks at your running and walking activities in Strava and counts up the miles. Things like bike rides or swims aren't part of mileage tracking. And although counting steps is a great habit to get into, your step counter doesn't count towards mileage accrual in this app either.
Miles and loyalty points are two different things. Your miles go toward fun distance milestones and achievements. They do not add to the loyalty points you earn from shopping. Think of miles as their own little game.
Only the runs and walks you do after you connect will count. The app starts tracking from the day you join, so older activities from before you signed up won't pull in. Totally normal, not a glitch.
Strava is the "source," the app does the asking. Your app reaches out to Strava to grab your latest miles. Once in a while it just needs a little nudge to go check Strava for new activities (we'll show you how to refresh below).
Using an iPhone and want to use Apple Health instead of Strava? No problem, that's a different (and separate) way to track and it has its own how-to guide. This article is just for Strava.
1. What You'll Need Before You Start
A Strava account that you're logged into. If you're new to Strava, open their app and sign up there first, it takes a minute. You can't connect your running store app to Strava without a Strava account.
Your store's app installed, with you logged in.
Got all three? Great. Let's go!
2. How to Connect Strava (Step-by-Step)
Open your running store's app and make sure you're logged in.
Tap the Miles badge (look for the mileage or miles area in the app to the right of your profile pic).
Tap the "Connect with Strava" button.
Strava will pop open and ask if it's okay to share your activity with the app. This is the important part 👇
Say yes to everything Strava asks. When Strava shows you the permission screen, turn ON / check all the boxes, especially any option about sharing your activities. If you skip allowing one of these, your runs will not come through correctly.
Tap Authorize (or "Allow").
That's it! 🎉 The app will bring you back, and your runs and walks will start showing up with the date and distance.
💡 The #1 reason miles don't show up: A permission box got left unchecked when connecting. If something looks off later, the fix is almost always to disconnect and reconnect Strava, and this time check everything. (Steps for that are below.)
3. Making Sure Your New Miles Show Up
Because the running store's app has to go ask Strava for your latest activity, sometimes a fresh run takes a moment to appear. If you just finished a run and don't see it yet:
Tap the Miles badge in the running store app and go to the Mileage screen.
Swipe down on the list (pull down with your finger and let go). This tells the app to go check Strava for anything new.
Give it a few seconds, your latest miles should pop in.
A couple more things that help:
Make sure your run actually saved in Strava first. If it's not in Strava, the running store's app has nothing to grab.
Make sure your phone has an internet connection too (WiFi or cell data).
4. Troubleshooting (When Miles Act Up)
My miles stopped updating
Every so often, the connection between Strava and the app quietly expires, it's normal and happens to everyone eventually. The fix is quick: Disconnect Strava and reconnect it.
Tap the Miles badge.
This takes you to the Miles screen.
Tap the log out / disconnect option for Strava.
Then tap "Connect with Strava" again and re-authorize (remember: check all the boxes!).
This refreshes the handshake and gets your miles flowing again.
Some of My Runs Are Missing
Are they runs or walks? Only running and walking activities are tracked. Other activity types won't appear.
Are they from before you joined the app? Activities from before you connected won't pull in, only the ones you do going forward.
Did a permission get skipped? If whole runs are missing, disconnect and reconnect Strava, and make sure you check every box when Strava asks for permissions when you make the connection to the running store app.
Nothing's Working / I'm Stuck
Try these in order, they fix the vast majority of hiccups:
Swipe down on the Miles screen to refresh.
Close the app completely and reopen it (don't just minimize it, fully close it and launch it fresh).
Disconnect and reconnect Strava using the steps above.
Make sure you're using the most up-to-date version of your running store's mobile app. Apps get updated frequently and your phone might not have automatically kept up. Visit the Apple App Store or Google Play and update the running store's app if a new version is available.
Want to Log a Run Without a Smartwatch?
No watch? No problem. Strava can track a run or walk right from your phone, or you can add one by hand:
Record with your phone: follow Strava's recording guide.
Add a workout manually: follow Strava's manual activity guide.
Once it's saved in Strava, swipe down on the Miles screen and it'll come on over.
Still Need Help?
We've got you. Just tap the support menu inside your store's app, then select the first option (app support), and we're happy to help you get those miles rolling:
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Our tech support hours are 8am - 6pm ET Monday - Friday, though the team often works late and keeps track of inbound requests off-hours and over the weekends for any outages, escalations, or other operational continuity issues that are extremely time-sensitive. Most requests for tech support receive responses within one business day.