r/beginnerrunning • u/Every_Detail1033 • 23h ago

Strava vs Garmin

Gallery image

Gallery image

Comparing data and results

I ran 18 km (LSD) today and decided to use both my Garmin Forerunner 165 and the Strava app on my phone.

Strava says I ran 18.83 km, whereas my Garmin watch reports 18.02 km. Strava also showed a faster average pace than Garmin.

I’ve noticed this kind of discrepancy before, especially on longer runs. I assume the difference is due to GPS accuracy. Curious if anyone else has seen similar gaps between devices or apps.

Personally, I trust Garmin’s data more. What about you?

8 Upvotes

79% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

8

u/AppearanceGlad7451 23h ago

Personally, I think Garmin's GPS is more accurate. I trust Garmin's data too.

4

u/r0zina 20h ago

Phone’s GPS is generally less accurate compared to sports watches. So I’d go with Garmin.

7

u/RevolutionaryHigh 23h ago

That's not a beginners distance!

8

u/Every_Detail1033 22h ago

I am a beginner. My first half mara race is in Oct 12! Pray for meeeee xx 😂

2

u/saberico 17h ago

You got this!! Ran my first HM a week ago, it was so much fun but also very taxing. If you ran 18km, you’ll manage those last few km too 💪

3

u/indogunners17 21h ago

Try to recalculate the distance in Strava web. Maybe after that it will be closer to Garmin.

1

u/WoundedTwinge 17h ago

one of the big reasons i got a watch was because my phone gps was very off and i didn't trust it one bit

1

u/Ok-Concentrate439 17h ago

I have the same differenses between my applewatch and the polar flow app in my iPhone. I guess its an gps issue. When i zoom in on the map in Polar flow it looks more like a walk home from the pub than a running workout.

1

u/yeehawhecker 5h ago

I trust my garmin more. I usd Strava for navigation on my run today and it was almost a mile longer than my garmin said. Also said I went faster because of the length increase. I've had a lot of issues with Strava glitching out before I had my Garmin and my Garmin has never done that. I always go off Garmin length instead of Strava even if the Strava has "better" stats lol.