Virtual · anywhere
Quick answer: you do not need an app to do a Running Mad virtual challenge. Track your distance however you like, with Strava, a Garmin or Fitbit watch, your phone, a treadmill readout or a paper diary, then log the miles on your challenge page on the website. Manual logging works for everyone; automatic syncing from trackers is being added.
No app required
Some virtual challenge companies are built around their own app, which is fine if you like it and annoying if you already use something else. We took the other route. Your challenge lives on the Running Mad website under My Running Mad, and logging a distance is a short form: how far, and when. Any device with a browser will do.
What counts as a logged activity?
Any distance you covered on foot, in a chair or on a bike, whether that was outside, on a treadmill or round the park. We do not ask you to upload a GPS file or a screenshot for a standard challenge. It is an honour system, and it works because the medal only means something if you actually did the miles.
Using Strava, Garmin or Fitbit
Keep using them. Record your run or walk as normal, read the distance off the activity, and enter it on your challenge page. Most people log once a day or once a week rather than after every single outing. Automatic syncing from Garmin and Fitbit is on our roadmap and will appear as a connect option on your challenge card when it is ready; until then, manual input is the way.
Live events and the leaderboard
Our seasonal live events, such as Miles of Terror at Halloween and Sleigh the Miles at Christmas, run on a live leaderboard during the event window. Every distance you log during the event counts towards your position, and the totals update as people log. It is the closest thing to race-day atmosphere a virtual event gets.
Tips for keeping it simple
Decide when you will log, for example every Sunday evening, and stick to it. Round to a sensible number rather than agonising over decimals. If you miss a week, add it in when you remember; there is no penalty for logging late as long as it is inside the challenge window.
Next step
Read how it works for the full four-step journey, or pick a virtual running challenge and start logging.
Next step: No app needed: choose a virtual challenge, log your miles in My Running Mad, and see how it works.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an app for a virtual challenge?
No. Your challenge lives on the Running Mad website under My Running Mad, and logging a distance is a short form that works on any device with a browser.
Does Running Mad sync with Strava, Garmin or Fitbit?
Keep using them to record activities and enter the distance on your challenge page. Automatic syncing from Garmin and Fitbit is on the roadmap; manual input works now.
What counts as proof for a virtual challenge?
Standard challenges run on an honour system. You do not need to upload a GPS file or screenshot; log the distance you covered.
How does the live leaderboard work?
During seasonal live events every distance you log inside the event window counts towards your position, and totals update as people log.