Strava Annual Best Efforts is a new metric allowing runners to track and visualize their best performances over a full year for specific segments. The feature displays your top time or distance for each segment within the past 365 days, updating dynamically as new activities are logged. If you use Garmin Connect, this will feel immediately familiar—Strava is essentially adopting one of Garmin’s most popular running tools.
Key Takeaways
- Strava Annual Best Efforts tracks your fastest yearly time on any segment, updated automatically as you run.
- A special badge appears next to segment leaderboards when you achieve or beat an annual best.
- The feature mirrors Garmin’s identical functionality, which has been available for years on Garmin Connect.
- Strava Summit subscription required; rollout complete globally across iOS, Android, and web.
- No setup needed—badges appear automatically once you complete a qualifying segment effort.
What Strava Annual Best Efforts Actually Does
The Strava Annual Best Efforts feature works automatically. Log a run, complete a segment, and if that effort ranks as your top performance for that segment in the past 365 days, a badge appears in your activity feed and segment details. The system integrates smoothly with Strava’s existing segment leaderboard, so you can see how your annual best compares to your all-time personal record. Segments must have sufficient activity data—at least one completed effort in the year—to generate an Annual Best Effort badge.
This is a smart change that Garmin users will recognize immediately. Garmin Connect has offered identical annual best tracking for years, complete with badges for top yearly segment performances, PRs, and pacing insights. For the 100 million-plus Strava users who also own Garmin watches or devices, this closes a meaningful gap. You no longer need to flip between apps to see your yearly progress on favorite running routes.
How It Compares to Garmin’s Version
Garmin’s Annual Best Efforts remain the more mature implementation, partly because Garmin integrates real-time coaching data from your watch and can factor in elevation, heart rate zones, and training load. Strava’s version emphasizes the social segment competition angle—your annual best sits directly on the leaderboard, letting you compare against other runners on the same route. Garmin users toggling between platforms will notice Strava’s focus is narrower but faster to scan.
Other apps like Zwift and TrainingPeaks offer similar yearly tracking, but Strava’s strength lies in its segment ecosystem. If you live in a city with thousands of runners logging efforts on the same routes, Strava’s leaderboard context makes annual bests feel more competitive and rewarding than a standalone yearly metric in a training app.
Pricing and Who Gets Access
Strava Annual Best Efforts requires a Strava Summit subscription, which costs $11.99 per month or $79.99 per year. The feature rolled out in early 2026 and is now available globally across iOS, Android, and web with no regional restrictions. If you already subscribe to Strava Summit for other advanced analytics, you gain access automatically—no additional setup required.
For casual runners using Strava’s free tier, this feature remains locked behind the paywall. That’s consistent with how Strava gates advanced metrics, though it does mean you cannot see your annual best efforts without upgrading. If you switch from Garmin Connect’s free annual best tracking to Strava, the subscription cost is a real consideration.
Why This Matters Right Now
Strava’s timing aligns with the 2026 running season kickoff. Runners are setting yearly goals and tracking progress on familiar routes. By adding annual best efforts, Strava gives users a reason to stay in the app rather than cross-referencing Garmin Connect or another platform. It is not revolutionary, but it fills a gap that frustrated users who wanted one unified dashboard for their running data.
The feature also signals that Strava is paying attention to what works on competing platforms. Garmin has owned the annual best efforts concept for years; Strava’s move suggests the company recognizes its users value this kind of long-term progress tracking. Whether this single feature convinces Garmin users to consolidate their running metrics into Strava remains to be seen.
Does Strava Annual Best Efforts require any setup?
No. The feature activates automatically. Once you log a run and complete a segment, Strava calculates whether that effort qualifies as your annual best and displays the badge without any user action. You do not need to enable anything or adjust settings.
Can I see annual best efforts on the free Strava plan?
No. Strava Annual Best Efforts is exclusive to Strava Summit subscribers. Free-tier users cannot access this metric or see annual best badges on their segments.
How does Strava Annual Best Efforts compare to Garmin’s version?
Both track your fastest yearly segment time and display badges. Garmin’s version integrates real-time coaching data from your watch and includes elevation and heart rate context. Strava’s version focuses on social leaderboard comparison, letting you see how your annual best stacks against other runners on the same route. Strava’s is faster to scan; Garmin’s is more data-rich.
If you run on Strava and own a Garmin watch, Strava Annual Best Efforts gives you one less reason to toggle between apps. It is not a feature that will convince Garmin-only runners to switch, but for the overlap audience, it removes friction. The real test is whether Strava users actually care about yearly segment progress enough to justify a Summit subscription—and for runners chasing personal records on familiar routes, the answer is likely yes.
Where to Buy
Garmin Forerunner 570 | Garmin Forerunner 265 | Garmin Forerunner 955
This article was written with AI assistance and editorially reviewed.
Source: T3
