Strava is a popular app and website used by runners, cyclists, and other athletes to track their workouts. It provides detailed analysis of activities, allows you to compete against your own past performances or other athletes on “segments”, and more. However, sometimes the recorded distance on Strava doesn’t match the actual distance you traveled. Here’s how to edit and change the distance for your activities in Strava.
Table of Contents
Why The Distance Might Be Wrong
There are a few reasons why the distance Strava records could be incorrect:
- GPS inaccuracy: GPS isn’t 100% accurate, especially when signal is weak near buildings/trees. The recorded route may be off from the actual route.
- Sensor or device error: If you use a footpod or speed/cadence sensor, errors in those devices can lead to incorrect distance.
- Failed to properly start/stop activity: For example, you forgot to hit stop after finishing a run. The extra time gets included, making the distance longer.
So don’t be surprised if you finish what your treadmill says is a 5K run but Strava shows 4.97 km. Minor discrepancies are normal.
Editing Options in Strava
Strava provides two main options for modifying the distance of an existing activity:
Crop
The crop tool allows you to trim off the beginning or end of an activity. This is useful for removing any extra time before you started moving or after you finished.
To crop an activity:
- Open the activity in Strava and click the “…” icon in the top left.
- Choose “Crop” from the dropdown menu.
- Use the sliders to select the new start and/or end points.
- The distance will update automatically based on the new range.
Correct Distance
If the entire activity distance is inaccurate, you can override it with a manual correction:
To correct distance:
- Open the activity and click the “…” icon in the top left.
- Choose “Correct Distance” from the dropdown.
- Enter the accurate distance you traveled.
Strava will adjust the activity’s elapsed time accordingly based on the new distance.
Manually Adding Distance
If Strava failed to record a portion of your activity, cropping and correcting won’t help add back missing miles/kilometers. Your only option there is to manually create a new activity:
To manually add distance:
- Tap the “+” button to add an activity and select “Manual Entry”
- Enter the missing distance and time data
- Make sure to mark the activity as private so it doesn’t affect leaderboards
The manual entry won’t include heart rate, pace, or other sensor data but it will contribute to your fitness totals.
Segment Matching with Edited Activities
When you modify an activity’s distance, that can affect whether Strava matches or creates segments for that activity.
- Cropping: Generally won’t impact segments since you’re just removing extra time at the beginning/end.
- Correcting: Can cause existing segment efforts to disappear or new ones to appear if GPS points move enough to match new route sections.
- Manual entries: Won’t match any segments since there’s no GPS data.
So be aware that editing distance can change your segment results for that activity.
Best Practices for Accurate Distances
While Strava provides editing tools to fix issues in retrospect, there are some best practices that can help avoid inaccurate distances in the first place:
- Wait for GPS before starting activity: Give your device time to lock onto satellites so it records the full route.
- Bring phone if watch has poor GPS: Phones tend to have stronger antennas for more reliable signals.
- Calibrate footpod before running on treadmill: This helps improve accuracy of stride-based distance calculations.
- Manually enter distance for indoor workouts: Use treadmill/machine distance rather than rely on sensors indoors.
- Double check total at the end of workout: End the activity soon after finishing your workout to avoid tacking on extra distance.
Following those tips will minimize the need to edit activity data later. But Strava’s crop, correct distance, and manual entry features still make it easy to override the distance when needed to ensure your fitness stats reflect your actual effort.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you edit distance on mobile?
Yes, the crop, correct distance, and add manual entry options are all available in the Strava mobile apps. Just view the activity and tap the “…” icon.
Does editing distance affect calories?
No, modifying an activity’s distance does not recalculate the calorie estimate. That is based on the original time, heart rate, power, etc. Only the elapsed time will change to match the new distance.
Why doesn’t Strava match my treadmill distance?
Strava relies on GPS data to calculate distance. On a treadmill it uses accelerometer data as a rough estimate but that is often inaccurate. Manually entering the treadmill distance is more reliable.
What’s the best way to fix a partially recorded run?
If Strava failed to record your whole run, crop off the incomplete portion then manually add an entry for the missing segment. Combining crop & manual entry lets you reconstruct the full workout.
Can I edit activities from other users?
No, you can only modify activities from your own Strava account. Contact the user if one of their activities needs to be updated. Or flag it to Strava for review if it looks intentionally manipulated.
Summary
Having accurate distances is crucial for tracking running and cycling fitness gains over time. While GPS and sensors provide good estimates, it’s common to need to manually adjust activity data in Strava to reflect the true distance traveled. Using the crop tool, distance correction, and ability to add manual entries gives you the control to fine tune activities as needed.
Paying attention to distances on training devices before uploading to Strava can minimize discrepancies. But Strava’s editing capabilities ensure you can still fix things post-workout if needed. Just be aware that changing the distance can impact segment results for that particular activity.
