Buzz
I typically run every morning on the same old neighborhood loop, but today was different. I found myself at a park, studying a map and planning the best route to capture the most tiles for my team. I was hooked on Stride and could see myself getting really into it.
Stride is a free app on iOS and Android (for basic features), where the world is divided into hexagonal tiles. Whether you’re running, walking, or using a wheelchair, you can claim a tile. If your route forms a loop, you also get the tiles in the center of it. Tiles are controlled by the person who visits them the most.
If you enjoy competing for KOM (King of the Mountain) honors on Strava, Stride offers a unique twist. In Stride, tiles are claimed through the number of visits, not speed, so even the slowest runner can claim a park trail if they visit it every day.
Here’s my experience with playing Stride. It’s a game that’s easy to get hooked on and offers a unique spin on competitive running.
The game is new in my area, and when I opened the map, I noticed most of the hexagonal tiles were still unclaimed, except for a few spots: the county park and some random neighborhoods. Everyone, including myself, was on the Red team (though you can switch teams anytime, the app said Red needed members, so here I am).
At first, I considered taking the app on my usual morning run, but it starts and ends at my house. Unlike Strava, which lets you log private or public activities, Stride focuses on the public map. So, I decided to head to the park instead.
I headed to one of my favorite spots at the park that had no owner yet. While running, I could see the tiles I was claiming, so instead of sticking to my usual loop, I focused on reaching the edge of each tile. Sometimes, I could claim an extra tile by taking a side road or opting for a longer trail. After running for two miles, I had claimed 10 new tiles.
Still not satisfied, I drove over to a large cluster of tiles owned by a teammate called Mangler. I parked in unclaimed territory and jogged toward his tiles. I grabbed a few of them, then paused at the side of the road to check the results. I had successfully captured five of Mangler’s tiles and five more of my own. Each of the stolen tiles now had a two-person leaderboard: Mangler and I had each visited them once, but I was the victor since I had visited them more recently. (Mangler might have gotten a notification, so I’ll see if they go out to reclaim them soon.)
To safeguard my newly claimed territory, I reopened the app. I had noticed before that on out-and-back routes, I only got credit for one visit per tile, even if I crossed it twice. So, I started a fresh run before heading back to my car, which allowed me to log two visits to some of the tiles. More visits meant a stronger hold on my ranking.
Ultimately, even if Mangler reclaims their tiles, at least I know I contributed to my team’s success by capturing more tiles for us.
The technical side of playing Stride
If you own a Garmin device, you're in luck: Stride can import runs tracked by Garmin. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to sync with other devices or apps (like the Apple Watch). So, when I went for a run, I had to open the Stride app and let it track me.
At first, I found the map a bit confusing—though I’m on the red team, all the colored tiles appeared blue or green. It turns out there are two map views: one for teams, where red team territory is marked red, and another for individuals, where my tiles are green and everyone else’s are blue.
You can enjoy the game without needing a subscription, but access to detailed leaderboards and team stats requires membership, which costs $8.99 per month or $44.99 per year. If the game gains traction in your area, teaming up with others to capture territory could be a fun way to plan your runs and stay connected with fellow runners.
