Runna’s academic review with Loughborough University covers three areas of its training logic: how plans progress pace and distance, how they distribute intensity, and how they build in recovery. These are the same three areas WSJ named in February as the mechanism behind a wave of Runna-related injuries reported by physical therapists.
WSJ reported that physical therapists were seeing multiple Runna-related injury cases a week, with stress fractures, shin splints and Achilles tendinopathy among the most common presentations. Runna responded at the time by adding features that let users dial back the intensity of their plans.
Dr Richard Blagrove, Reader in Applied Exercise Physiology and Athlete Performance at Loughborough’s School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, will lead the new review. He has published on strength and conditioning for endurance runners, on musculoskeletal training and injury prevention, and consults for national sporting bodies.
Blagrove said the partnership would build Loughborough’s research on training load, progression and recovery into training logic that Runna’s coaches have already developed. He called the combination of sports science and coaching expertise something generic AI training plans cannot replicate.
Steph Kessell, Runna’s Head Coach and a Tokyo 2020 Olympian, said Runna’s self-reported injury rate runs 43% below a 2015 Sports Medicine benchmark, per 1000 hours of training. Runna has named that benchmark as a 2015 meta-analysis published in the journal Sports Medicine, which found a weighted injury incidence of 17.8 per 1000 hours in novice runners and 7.7 per 1000 hours in recreational runners. A 43% reduction would put Runna’s self-reported rate at roughly 10.1 per 1000 hours against the novice figure, or 4.4 against the recreational figure. Runna hasn’t said which cohort it used, and the comparison remains self-reported rather than independently measured.
Strava acquired Runna in April 2025 and continues to run it as a separate business. Strava announced its own research collaboration with Stanford Lifestyle Medicine and the Stanford FASTR programme on 30 June 2026, covering training, progression and recovery for its 195 million athletes. The Loughborough deal extends the same pattern to Runna, an academic review commissioned by a Strava-owned platform, arriving five months after the injury reporting that prompted Runna’s own intensity controls.
Quick answers
Is Runna owned by Strava?
Yes. Strava acquired Runna in April 2025 and continues to run it as a separate business.
Who is leading the Loughborough University review?
Dr Richard Blagrove, Reader in Applied Exercise Physiology and Athlete Performance at Loughborough’s School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences.
Has Runna been linked to running injuries?
WSJ reported in February 2026 that physical therapists were seeing multiple Runna-related injury cases a week, including stress fractures, shin splints and Achilles tendinopathy. No comparative peer-reviewed study has shown Runna users get injured at higher rates than runners using other training methods.
What is the source of Runna's 43% lower injury rate claim?
A 2015 meta-analysis published in the journal Sports Medicine, which found a weighted injury incidence of 17.8 per 1000 hours in novice runners and 7.7 per 1000 hours in recreational runners. Runna hasn’t specified which cohort it benchmarked against, and its own figure is self-reported.
What will the Loughborough review cover?
How Runna’s training plans progress pace and distance, distribute intensity, and build in recovery, the same three areas linked to the injury reports, checked against current academic research on training load and injury prevention.
Last Updated on 25 September 2026 by tfk the5krunner
Small things I always use
- Garmin 90-degree charging adapter: Charges your Garmin from any USB-C cable. Essential when travelling. I use one.
- Body Glide: The blue anti-chafe stick swimmers and runners carry. I use it.
- Speedo earplugs: Fewer ear infections and no cold-water dizziness. I use them.
- Dryrobe Advance: My winter changing robe for open-water swims. I use one. A cheaper option is the AONYIYI changing robe.
- Maurten: Race fuel that stays easy on the stomach. I use them.
- Garmin charging puck: The quickest way to top up before a session. I use one.
- Injinji: Toe socks that stop rubbing, so you run more. I use them.
- Ultimate toe protectors: Stop black toenails on long runs. They work. I use them.
- Compressport R2 v2 calf sleeves: My calf sleeves of choice. I use them.
- Cellucor C4: My pre-workout before hard sessions.
- TPU tubes: Schwalbe Aerothan, Tubolito and Pirelli SmarTube. Light, tiny spares. I use all three.
- G8 insoles: Adjustable insoles that are good. I use them.
- Cycplus Cube: A 97g electric pump that gets a road tyre rideable in two minutes. I carry one. 5% off with code THE5KRUNNER.
Watches and sensors
- Polar H10: My daily driver for waking HRV.
- Polar Verity Sense: My backup arm-worn HR sensor.
- Nomad bedside charger: Charges my iPhone and Apple Watch overnight. I use it, and many of their bands.
- Train.Red: The best muscle oxygen sensor I’ve used.
- Tymewear: Accurate heart rate and reliable ventilatory zones. I use it to pace endurance rides over an hour.
- Garmin Forerunner 970: A pro-grade triathlon watch. I use this.
- Apple Watch Ultra 4: My daily smartwatch. No phone needed on rides.
- Garmin Fenix 9 Pro: I’ve just bought one.
On the bike
- Continental GP5000 for everyday riding, and Aero 111 on the front for special occasions.
- Helmets: Specialized S-Works Evade 3 for road riding, and Rudy Project Wing for TT-style races. I use both.
- Ravemen FR300: A front light that mounts under your Garmin or Wahoo. I use one.
- Wahoo TRACKR Radar: I use it on one bike and Varia on the other. They perform the same.
- Garmin Varia RTL515: Radar that warns you of cars from behind. I use this model.
- Wahoo ELEMNT Roam 3: The bike computer that’s easy to use. I use mine on most rides.
- Favero Assioma Pro RS2: Accurate power pedals that swap easily between bikes. I use this model.
Home and indoor training
- NPE Runn: Makes my basic treadmill smart, sending more accurate speed and distance to my watch and Zwift. I use it.
- Google Wifi: Keeps Zwift connected in my pain cave. I use it.
- Apple TV 4K: Zwift on the big screen. I use two.
- Google Nest Doorbell (wired, 2nd gen): My video doorbell, running in both Google Home and Apple Home. I use it.
Health, recovery and sleep
- FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus: Shows how my blood sugar responds to diet.
- hDrop: Measures my sweat loss in summer and indoors.
- Fourth Frontier Zone: Checks my heart under load in hard sessions.
- Oura Ring 5: My partner’s recovery tracker of choice.
- Kineon MOVE+: Red light therapy for niggles. It works.
- Eight Sleep: A cooling mattress cover my partner and I use nightly.
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tfk is the founder and author of the5krunner, an independent endurance sports technology publication. With 20 years of hands-on testing of GPS watches and wearables, and competing in triathlons at an international age-group level, tfk provides in-depth expert analysis of fitness technology for serious athletes and endurance sport competitors. ID
