Not too long ago you needed a single purpose peripheral to track your running, but now smartphone apps make it easier than ever. You have a lot of choices on both iPhone and Android. Some are feature rich with lots of stat tracking, and others are fun games to distract you while you work out. This week we’re going to look at the five best smartphone running apps.
Earlier in the week, we asked you which running apps were the best. You weighed in with your nominations. We tallied them up, ranked them, and picked out the top five. Here they are:
RunKeeper
RunKeeper has long been one of our favorite apps to track your running habits, and it’s clearly still one of the most popular. For a free app, it’s very feature rich and includes ways to track runs, jogs, and even cycling. When you have a time you’re particularly proud of you can share that through Facebook. RunKeeper also has a great set of stats for seeing when you’re improving, checking your pace, and getting a better understanding of how you’re doing. If tracking all that data on your phone doesn’t sound appealing, RunKeeper also stores your stat=s on their website so you can check it out from anywhere.
Endomondo
Endomondo is a very social running app. Like RunKeeper it’s easy to track your duration, distance, and speed. You can also create routes, challenge your times, and challenge friends who live in your neighborhood. It’s about as feature-rich as running apps come. You can get an audio coach, track hydration, send friends pep talks, and plenty more. One of the cooler features is the ability to see other people’s times on routes and test it against your own. For those who like to socialize over their runs, Endomondo provides all the options you need.
Nike+ Running
Much like Endomondo and RunKeeper, the Nike+ Running App provides all the stats, history, and sharing capabilities you could ask for. Nike+ has its share of tricks up its sleeve though. You can get cheered on by a real time crowd, activate a powersong to help you finish off your run, and keep track of your performance in different weather. Nike+ works with out without any of the Nike accessories as well, so if you want to just run with your phone, it won’t be a problem.
Zombies, Run!
We really liked Zombies, Run! when it was first released on iOS. Now the app is out on Android (and Windows Phone) as well and gives everyone the opportunity to run from zombies as fast as they can. What makes Zombies, Run! different is the fact it turns your morning jog into a story about survival. You’re not just tracking your run with stats and numbers—you’re building a base full of supplies, and using zombie chases as interval training. It’s clearly not the app for the stat-obsessed, but it’s a fantastic experience for anyone who hates jogging.
MapMyRun
As the name suggests, MapMyRun is all about tracking your route. On top of that, MapMyRun tracks your distance, calories, elevation, and your nutrition for the day. The nutritional info is what makes MapMyRun stand out the most. If you have a poor day where you’re lagging behind your regular times you can check in to see what you ate on other days and try to improve your overall health. It also gives you an estimate on how much you should eat, and how many glasses of water you need.
Now that you’ve seen the top five, it’s time to put them to an all out vote to decide which smartphone running app is the best.
What’s the Best Smartphone Running App?
This week’s honorable mention goes out to iSmoothRun, an iOS-only running app that uses both the accelerometer and GPS to track your distance. You can also keep all of your data and output to any other service you like, improve your running style with a metronome, and even create your own intervals.
Have something to say about one of the contenders? Want to make the case for your personal favorite, even if it wasn’t included in the list? Remember, the top five are based on your most popular nominations from the call for contenders thread from earlier in the week. Make your case for your favorite—or alternative—in the discussions below.
The Hive Five is based on reader nominations. As with most Hive Five posts, if your favorite was left out, it’s not because we hate it—it’s because it didn’t get the nominations required in the call for contenders post to make the top five. We understand it’s a bit of a popularity contest, but if you have a favorite, we want to hear about it. Have a suggestion for the Hive Five? Send us an email at tips+hivefive@lifehacker.com!
