Runtastic now runs as Adidas Running, and the community features survived the rename largely intact. They are the part of the product people actually use: groups, challenges, a live cheering function and leaderboards that are cooperative more often than competitive. That emphasis is the reason its population looks different from the segment-driven apps.
Groups and why small ones work better
A group is a persistent set of people whose activities you see and whose totals you contribute to. The useful ones are small and real: a running club, a workplace, a handful of friends. Large public groups produce a feed nobody reads and totals nobody feels responsible for. Eight people you know beats eight thousand you do not.
The mechanism is straightforward accountability. Knowing that eight people will see whether you ran this week is a mild but genuine pressure, and mild persistent pressure is what sustains a habit. Anonymity in a group of twenty thousand removes exactly the thing that makes it work. Accountability needs a face attached to it or it is not accountability.
Challenges and leaderboards
Challenges set a target over a period, either distance, frequency or a specific event. The design is mostly cumulative rather than head-to-head, which matters: a challenge you contribute to is motivating for slow runners, whereas a ranking that puts them last reliably is not. A challenge everyone can contribute to keeps the slowest member participating.
This is a real design distinction between platforms. Competitive leaderboards suit the already-fast and discourage everyone else. Cooperative totals suit beginners and mixed-ability groups, and that choice explains much of why this app retains a different population from the segment-focused ones. Neither design is better; they select for different people.
| Feature | What it does | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Groups | Shared feed and cumulative totals | Clubs, workplaces, friend groups |
| Challenges | A target over a fixed period | Mixed-ability motivation |
| Live cheering | Audio cheers during a run | Events and long runs |
| Leaderboards | Ranking within a group | Competitive subgroups |
Live cheering
When a run is shared live, followers can send a cheer that plays as a sound during the activity. It reads as a gimmick and is surprisingly effective late in a long run or a race, largely because it arrives at the moment when motivation is lowest and interruption is welcome.
Does the social layer actually change behaviour
The research on exercise adherence consistently finds that social accountability improves it, and that the effect comes from specific commitments to identifiable people instead of from general encouragement. Features that mimic that structure inherit some benefit; those that broadcast to strangers do not. The effect lives in the specificity of the commitment, not the size of the audience.
Practically, that means the value you get depends almost entirely on whether you join a group of people you know. The same app produces a strong habit for someone in a six-person club group and nothing at all for someone scrolling a global feed. Join a real group first, and judge the app afterwards.
Runtastic community questions
Is Runtastic the same as Adidas Running?
Yes. Runtastic was acquired by Adidas and the running app was renamed Adidas Running, keeping the same accounts, history and community features. Older articles and links use the original name, which is why both are still in circulation. Nothing was lost in the transition; only the branding changed, and existing accounts carried straight across.
Do I need a subscription for the community features?
The core social functions, groups, challenges and cheering, are available without paying. The paid tier adds training plans and deeper statistics. For someone using the app primarily for accountability, not analysis, the free tier covers everything that matters. Pay only once you want structured training plans and the deeper statistics behind them.
Can I use groups with people on other apps?
No. Groups are internal to the platform, so everyone you want in a group has to be using the same app. This is the practical reason clubs tend to standardise on one, and the main friction when part of a group prefers something else. Agreeing on one app is usually easier than bridging two.
Does a challenge work better than a training plan?
They solve different problems. A plan tells you what to do; a challenge makes you want to do it. Beginners usually need the second more than the first, which is why cumulative group challenges tend to outperform carefully structured schedules for building an initial habit. Motivation first, structure second, in that order.
More app guides in tracking apps.