Strava can host a step-style challenge, but it does not count steps the way a pedometer does. Its private Group Challenges score time, distance, or elevation from activities people record, so the usual workaround is a walking-distance challenge limited to walks and hikes. That works well for a small group already on Strava. If your group uses a mix of devices and wants every step of the day to count, a cross-device competition app is the better fit.
How Strava handles step-style challenges
Strava has two kinds of challenge, and knowing which one you are joining changes what you should expect.
Strava Challenges are public. Strava and its partners run them, anyone can opt in, and finishers usually earn a badge.
Group Challenges are private. You create one for your own circle, invite up to 199 athletes who follow you, and only participants can see it. There are a few catches:
- Group Challenges only work in the Strava mobile app, not on the website.
- Creating or joining one needs a Strava subscription or a free trial.
- The goal types are Most Activity (time, distance, or elevation), Fastest Effort, Longest Single Activity, and Group Goal. None of them count steps.
- Activities set to Everyone or Followers count toward the challenge. Only activities set to Only You are left out.
So a "step challenge" on Strava is really a walking challenge scored by distance or time. Steps you take without recording an activity never reach the leaderboard, even if your watch counted every one.
Setting up a walking Group Challenge in the app
Here is the flow, using the steps from Strava's own help center:
- Open the Strava app, tap Groups, then Active, then Create a Group Challenge.
- Choose Most Activity and set it to distance, the closest stand-in for steps. Choose Group Goal instead if you would rather chase one shared total.
- Pick a timeframe, a week for a quick sprint or a month for a longer push.
- Limit the sports to Walk and Hike, plus any others you want to allow.
- Invite athletes who follow you. Everyone who joins needs a subscription or a free trial.
- Remind people that activities set to Only You will not count.
- Check the leaderboard during the challenge to confirm activities are showing up.
If someone's walks are missing, check that the activity type matches the sports you allowed, and that the activity is not set to Only You.
Why Strava isn't a dedicated step tracker
Strava was built to log sport sessions, not to capture every step between them. The walking you do around the house, at the office, or running errands goes uncounted unless you start a recorded activity.
That creates real gaps for a step challenge:
- People who record every dog walk will beat people who walk just as much without pressing start.
- A treadmill walk logged by hand can look very different from an outdoor hike tracked by GPS, and both land on the same leaderboard.
- Manual entries are hard to verify, which opens the door to disputes.
To reduce friction, ask everyone to record walks automatically where they can, say exactly which activity types count, and set a cutoff for manual entries so late edits do not reshuffle a settled leaderboard.
Building a step challenge people actually finish
A good challenge feels fair from day one, and that starts with the goal. A small, close group might enjoy a straight total race. A bigger or more mixed-fitness group often does better with daily averages or a team format that spreads the load.
Once the format is set, lock in the rules:
- Decide which apps and devices are allowed before invites go out, not after a dispute starts.
- Set a policy for missed syncs, such as a grace period or leaving that day out.
- Share standings every week so momentum does not fade halfway through.
- Add a small incentive, like a shoutout or a modest prize.
- Encourage people to share milestones so the group feels its progress.
Our workplace fitness challenge ideas roundup covers more formats worth testing, and our monthly fitness challenge ideas piece has goal structures you can borrow directly.
When a cross-device app fits mixed-wearable groups better
Strava works well when everyone already uses it and records activities the same way. Once a group spans Apple Watch, Garmin, Fitbit, and phones, that consistency breaks down, and that is the gap MoveTogether was built to close.
On iPhone, MoveTogether reads from Apple Health, where Garmin, Fitbit, WHOOP, Oura, and other trackers send their data. On Android it reads from Health Connect. Instead of hoping everyone records a formal activity, it uses what each device already tracks all day.
- Every competition mode scores the same three numbers: Move, Exercise, and Steps.
- Those numbers arrive the same way from every device, so nobody's watch brand gives them an edge.
- You can run a private competition for friends or family, or join a public one.
One thing to know if Strava is part of your setup: Strava sends workouts to Apple Health, not all-day steps, so your steps still come from your watch or phone.
For a closer look at how scoring stays fair across devices, see our step challenge app guide.
Nine steps before you launch your challenge
A quick checklist keeps setup mistakes from turning into leaderboard disputes later.
- Choose your goal type: total, daily average, or team.
- Set a clear duration, a week or a month.
- Decide which devices and apps are allowed.
- Confirm every participant's tracker is syncing before day one.
- Set a policy for missed syncs or gaps in data.
- Decide how manual entries are handled, if they are allowed at all.
- Schedule regular leaderboard updates.
- Plan a small reward partway through.
- Check privacy settings so everyone's progress actually counts.
Missed syncs are the most common headache, so build in a short grace window rather than disqualifying someone outright. Treat manual entries the same way for everyone.
When to stick with Strava, and when to switch
For a small group that already lives in Strava and is happy counting walks by distance, Group Challenges work fine. Once devices are mixed, or you want every step of the day to count, a cross-device app closes that gap.
Try MoveTogether for a fairer group challenge
If your group has an Apple Watch, a Garmin, and a Fitbit on one leaderboard, MoveTogether turns that mismatch into a level playing field. Everyone is scored on the same Move, Exercise, and Steps numbers, with live leaderboards and syncing that takes the manual policing out of organizing.
Check whether your device works with MoveTogether, then set up your group's first competition.
FAQ
Can you track steps with Strava?
Not as an all-day count. Strava measures the activities you record, and its Group Challenges score time, distance, or elevation rather than steps.
How do I set up a step challenge on Strava?
In the mobile app, go to Groups, then Active, then Create a Group Challenge. Choose Most Activity by distance, limit the sports to Walk and Hike, pick a timeframe, and invite athletes who follow you.
Do I need a Strava subscription for a Group Challenge?
Yes. Creating or joining a Group Challenge needs a Strava subscription or a free trial.
Do private activities count in a Strava Group Challenge?
Activities set to Everyone or Followers count. Activities set to Only You do not.
What's a fair way to run a step challenge across different devices?
Use an app that scores everyone on the same numbers from every device, rather than comparing whatever each app happens to record. MoveTogether scores every competition mode on Move, Exercise, and Steps, whichever tracker they came from.
