You just finished a great run. Your legs are tired, your playlist was perfect, and you’re ready to see your workout pop up on Strava. But then you open Strava and… nothing. Your Runna workout is nowhere to be found.
This sync issue is super common and usually easy to fix. In this post, you’ll learn why Runna sometimes refuses to talk to Strava and exactly what you can do to get your runs showing up where they belong.
What Does It Mean When Runna Won’t Sync With Strava?
Runna is a popular running app that creates training plans for you. Strava is where many runners like to keep all their activities in one place. When these two apps are connected properly, your Runna workouts should automatically appear on your Strava feed after you finish them.
A sync failure means that connection is broken somewhere along the way. Your run data stays stuck in Runna and never makes it over to Strava. You might notice the issue right away, or you might only realize it days later when you’re scrolling through your Strava history and see gaps.
This can be really frustrating, especially if you care about keeping a complete record of your training. Some runners use Strava to track their weekly mileage, share runs with friends, or even compete on local segments. Missing workouts mess all of that up.
Leaving this problem unfixed means you’ll keep losing data. Every run you complete in Runna will stay invisible on Strava until you sort out the connection. The longer you wait, the more workouts you might lose track of entirely.
Runna Not Syncing With Strava: Likely Causes
Before you can fix the problem, it helps to know what’s causing it. Here are the most likely reasons your Runna workouts aren’t showing up on Strava.
1. The Apps Aren’t Connected Properly
This is the most basic cause, but it catches a lot of people. You might think Runna and Strava are linked, but the connection could have dropped without you knowing.
Sometimes app updates reset permissions. Other times, changing your Strava password breaks the link. And occasionally, the initial setup just didn’t complete correctly in the first place.
If you never actually authorized Runna to send data to Strava, nothing will sync no matter what else you try.
2. Background App Refresh Is Turned Off
Your phone has a setting that lets apps update their data even when you’re not using them. If this setting is off for Runna or Strava, syncing can fail or get delayed for hours.
Both apps need permission to work in the background to communicate with each other smoothly.
3. Poor Internet Connection During Sync
Syncing requires a stable internet connection. If your phone loses Wi-Fi or cellular data right after your run, the sync might start but never finish.
This happens a lot when you finish a run in an area with weak signal, like a park or trail. The app tries to send your data, fails quietly, and then forgets to try again later.
You might not even get an error message. The sync just silently fails.
4. Outdated App Versions
Running old versions of Runna or Strava can cause all sorts of weird behavior. App developers regularly release updates that fix bugs and improve how their apps talk to other services.
If you haven’t updated in a while, there could be a known sync issue that’s already been patched.
5. Strava’s Servers Are Having Problems
Sometimes the problem isn’t on your end at all. Strava occasionally experiences server issues that prevent it from receiving data from connected apps.
When this happens, syncs from Runna and other fitness apps all fail at the same time. These outages usually get fixed within a few hours, but they can definitely cause confusion if you don’t know about them.
Runna Not Syncing With Strava: How to Fix
Now that you know what might be going wrong, let’s get your syncing working again. Try these fixes in order, and there’s a good chance one of them will solve your problem.
1. Check and Reconnect the Apps
Start by making sure Runna and Strava are actually connected. Open the Runna app and look for the settings or integrations section. You should see Strava listed there with a status showing whether it’s connected.
If the connection looks active but still isn’t working, disconnect it completely. Wait about 30 seconds, then reconnect by authorizing Runna again through Strava. This fresh connection often clears up whatever glitch was blocking the sync.
After reconnecting, do a short test workout or manually trigger a sync if Runna has that option. Check Strava to confirm the data came through.
2. Update Both Apps
Head to your phone’s app store and check for updates. Make sure you have the latest version of both Runna and Strava installed.
Updates often include fixes for sync problems that other users reported. Installing them takes just a minute and can save you a lot of frustration.
3. Enable Background App Refresh
On an iPhone, go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and make sure it’s turned on for both Runna and Strava. On Android, the setting is usually under Settings > Apps, where you can select each app and check its battery and background permissions.
Some phones have aggressive battery saving modes that block apps from running in the background. If you use one of these modes, you might need to add Runna and Strava to an exception list so they can sync freely.
This small change makes a big difference because it lets the apps finish their work even after you close them.
4. Force a Manual Sync
Some sync issues are temporary glitches that a manual push can fix. In Runna, look for an option to manually sync your recent activities. The exact location varies depending on the app version, but it’s often in settings or in the workout history section.
Tapping this button tells Runna to try sending your data to Strava again right now instead of waiting for the automatic process.
5. Check Your Internet Connection
Make sure your phone has a solid Wi-Fi or cellular connection before expecting a sync to work. If you just finished a run in a low-signal area, wait until you’re somewhere with better coverage and then open both apps to trigger the sync.
You can test your connection by loading a website or playing a short video. If that works fine, your internet isn’t the issue.
6. Wait Out a Strava Outage
If nothing else is working, Strava’s servers might be down. You can check Strava’s official social media accounts or websites like Downdetector to see if other users are reporting problems.
During an outage, there’s nothing you can do except wait. Your data won’t be lost, though. Once Strava’s servers come back online, pending syncs usually complete automatically.
Give it a few hours and check again. Most outages get resolved pretty quickly.
7. Contact Support If Nothing Works
If you’ve tried everything and your runs still won’t sync, it’s time to reach out for help. Contact Runna’s support team through their app or website. Explain what’s happening, what you’ve already tried, and include details like your phone model and app versions.
You can also contact Strava support separately. Sometimes the issue is on their end with how they receive data from third-party apps.
Support teams can often see things in your account that you can’t, and they may have specific fixes for your situation.
Wrapping Up
Sync problems between Runna and Strava are annoying, but they’re almost always fixable. Most of the time, a simple reconnection or app update gets everything flowing again. Taking a few minutes to check your settings and permissions can save you from weeks of missing workout data.
Your runs matter, and keeping a complete record of them shouldn’t be this hard. With the fixes above, you’ll have your Runna workouts showing up on Strava in no time, right where they belong.