Strava, the world’s largest fitness community with over 150 million users, has acquired Runna, a UK-based running training app. The acquisition amount was not disclosed to TFN, with the company stating only that “the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions.” Although financial terms weren’t disclosed, multiple sources indicate a multimillion-pound deal that generated significant returns for early investors, yielding up to 30 times their original investment.
Before the acquisition, Runna had secured £8 million in funding, including backing from the venture fund of the Innocent Drinks founders. Despite its premium pricing of $119.99 annually (or $9.99 monthly), Runna’s impressive growth since its launch has demonstrated a solid revenue model that has caught Strava’s attention.
What happened and why?
On April 17, 2025, Strava announced its agreement to acquire Runna, the UK-based tech company specialising in personalised running training plans. The timing is strategic — running has become Strava’s fastest-growing sport globally, with nearly 1 billion runs recorded in 2024. This marks Strava’s first acquisition in the UK, uniting the world’s largest fitness community with a leading running training platform.
The acquisition addresses a clear gap in Strava’s offerings. While the platform excels at activity tracking and social features, it has lacked sophisticated, dynamic training plans. “For some time, Strava had developed static, document-based plans for runners, but in reality, those were seldom utilised,” explained Strava CEO Michael Martin.
With 43% of Strava users planning to participate in primary races in 2025, the demand for structured training guidance is at an all-time high.
Why Runna?
Founded in 2021 by Ben Parker and Dom Maskell, Runna launched in March 2022. The company quickly evolved from what Maskell called “a PDF site four years ago” into a leading global running coaching app, available on both iOS and Android.
Runna now employs nearly 150 staff and serves approximately 90,000 members. While not yet a household name, ranking #36 in the Health & Fitness sub-category on iOS, Runna’s potential was recognised when it became a finalist for Apple’s App of the Year in 2024.
Runna’s core technology creates personalised training plans based on user inputs about running history, race goals, and schedule availability. Users enter details like weekly mileage, experience with structured intervals, race targets, and preferred training days. The app then generates comprehensive training plans featuring structured intervals, easy runs, long runs, and rest days — all customised to individual preferences and schedules.
A key feature is Runna’s integration with devices such as Apple Watch, Garmin, COROS, Fitbit, and Suunto, which delivers guided workouts directly to these devices.
Short-term plans: Two separate apps (for now)
Current users won’t see immediate changes, as both companies have confirmed the apps will remain separate “for the foreseeable future.” “Effectively, nothing changes for the user out of the gate. Our plan with this acquisition is to invest further into growing the Runna app, invest in the Runna team, and then continue to operate them as independent but in an integrated fashion,” said Strava CEO Michael Martin.
Rather than absorbing Runna, Strava plans to invest in growing both the team and app development. This showcases Strava’s values, highlighting Runna’s specialised focus. As Martin explained, “This is very much a growth and investment play for us. Runna will remain its app for the foreseeable future — we want to help it grow, not absorb it.”
The subscription question is still unanswered
A key concern for users is the future of subscription pricing. Currently, accessing all features requires separate subscriptions: Strava at $79.99 per year and Runna at $119.99 per year. This dual-subscription model needs addressing.
Martin acknowledges they haven’t determined how to handle subscriptions yet, stating, “There are no immediate adjustments to the subscriptions. Both platforms offer robust free services, and we plan to maintain them that way.” However, industry analysts expect changes as platform integration becomes more advanced.
The long-term vision: Integration inevitable?
While the apps will stay separate initially, leadership statements suggest eventual deeper integration. Runna CEO Dom Maskell points to current user experience friction: “At the moment, the user is often passed off quite a lot of times.” He describes a disjointed experience: “The user starts their day wanting to know which run they have planned. That information is in Runna, and when they seek a route for that run, it’s available in Strava. If they desire live coaching, that’s on Runna, while Strava has superior technology for recording runs on mobile devices.”
The rise of AI-generated training plans provides important context for this acquisition. Industry analysts note that by 2025, apps offering AI-generated training plans will be a dime a dozen. Running’s relatively simple algorithmic training requirements make the core technology less unique than before. Strava’s acquisition focuses less on technology and more on acquiring an established team, loyal user base, and refined user experience.
The deal enables Strava to quickly address a platform weakness without having to build from scratch, while providing Runna with access to Strava’s vast community and resources.
