An intent-aware AI layer that changes how Strava treats a run, based on what it was actually for.

TL;DR

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Strava treats every run- easy jog or race effort the same way: public, comparable, competitive. This concept adds a one-tap "intent" tag before a run (Easy / Workout / Push) that quietly changes how the app treats the result afterward: notifications, leaderboard visibility, and feed framing. Nothing changes while running; only how the app reacts once it's over.

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The Problem

Strava only sees pace and distance. It never asks why you ran. That gap has a real cost. Runner feedback and an independent university study on Strava both point to the same pattern:

Runners feel pressure to perform even on runs meant to be easy, because the app treats every activity as public by default
Some hide runs or write explanatory captions ("felt sick") just to manage how a slower pace looks to others
The study found genuine anxiety, driven mainly by the app applying the same competitive framing to every run, regardless of intent

"Strava's existing AI (Athlete Intelligence, AI routes, leaderboard cleanup) doesn't touch this, none of it asks what a run was supposed to be.

What I Considered and Cut

1. AI chatbot to talk through feelings about a run

2. A setting to hide leaderboards entirely

3. Live coaching during the run (hydration, pacing tips)

The Concept: An Intent-Aware Layer

Ask what the run is for, once, before it starts. Let that one answer decide how the app treats the result.

• Before the run

One tap: Easy, Workout, or Push from the watch complication or the Record screen. One option pre-suggested based on recent training. Skip the tap and the AI infers it automatically from pace and heart rate.