If you’re training for your first marathon or ultramarathon, going for your first long run can be daunting. It’s not just the distance: it’s also finding a route you’re comfortable with, and don’t have to add where you’re going to your list of worries.
Relying on Google Maps or Apple Maps could send you onto a busy impassable road or a route too steep to run down, so neither are great choices for road or trail running.
Thankfully there are now a range of mapping apps that help you to find existing routes, plan new ones and track your movements in real time. Some of them are even on our best fitness app list, like Strava and AllTrails. As long as you have a signal there should be no more getting lost on the side of a mountain or in the middle of a new city. Many of them will also sync to your best running watch, so you’ll get turn-by-turn directions as you go.
But which apps are best for planning a route and does it depend on your location and where you want to run? We’ve tested a range of mapping apps at home and abroad to bring you our top picks.
1. Outdooractive
Uniting people around the world this app is great for using overseas whether you are looking to plan a trail run or a remote alpine adventure. The free version includes summer and winter maps plus notices, closures and even avalanche reports. This potentially life-saving information (provided you have phone signal) makes this app one of the best for planning and navigating routes in unfamiliar locations.
By upgrading to the Pro subscription $34.19 / £19.99 / around AU$50 (you can unlock topographic maps detailing the terrain whilst the Pro+ subscription ($68.39 / £40.49 / around AU$99) gives access to a range of specialist maps including Harvey Maps, Kompass and Official Alpine Club maps. And if your route is weather-dependent then the animated weather maps on Pro+ detailing rain, snow cover, temperature and cloud cover are a godsend.
It’s super easy to plot a route with the tap of the finger, before downloading the GPX file to a smartwatch. You can also find routes other users have mapped. However, compared to OS Maps, there are a limited number of routes in the UK. For example, near my home in Leicestershire I found just two running / hiking routes on Outdooractive compared to dozens on OS Maps, featured below.
It also acts like a social media platform allowing you to connect to other users, save routes, share photos and complete challenges.
2. Strava Heatmap
The smart visualization map on Strava allows users to see at a glance which routes are popular with runners, walkers and cyclists. The Global Heatmap shows ‘heat’ made by activities and can be set to Everyone or Followers over the past year. It is not a live map, but is updated monthly.
There is also the Personal Heatmap option which logged-in Strava users can access to view their own runs. Both heatmaps are available to the public but only registered Strava users can zoom into street-level detail.
It is great for seeing where Strava users are running globally with hotspots including Europe, USA, Brazil and South East Asia. Naturally the routes cluster around the centre of cities but they give a useful indication of whether a road is runnable as roads heavy with traffic will have little or no heat signature.
This is invaluable information if you are in a new city, as it may not be clear from a generic map app whether a road is quiet enough to run along.
As a subscriber to Strava Premium ($11.99 / £8.99 / around AU$17) you can plot a route using the heatmap layer as a guide, setting it to your type of activity be it running, hiking, mountain biking or even riding.
3. AllTrails
With more than 400,000 curated routes All Trails is a great option for those who like to go off road. Search for routes in your location which are ranked by other users who can leave helpful advice like “extremely boggy at bottom of all hills. Wild deer and sheep in field – keep dogs on lead.” The app is more useful for following existing curated routes but you can create your own map using the app on a computer and export the file.
The routes tend to be on the shorter side, often averaging at 10km and are more geared towards hikers. The app operates more like a guidebook with suggested routes and includes maps of national parks in the UK, but it definitely leans more towards American routes. That said, there are routes all over the world.
The premium version AllTrails+ includes offline maps, 3D views and wrong-turn alerts for $34.99 / £35.99 / AU$35.99 per annum. With both the free and paid service there are also community functions so you can follow fellow users and comment on their routes.
4. Komoot
German-based Komoot has similar functions to AllTrails, but with more of a European focus. Again, it is largely based on ready-made routes for exploring the great outdoors on foot or by bike. You can plan routes on the mobile app, but it doesn’t have the same level of detail as the OS Map app below, and many UK footpaths are missing. It can be great for finding recommended routes in Europe but I have found that sometimes runs uploaded by other users go through private land (as happened to me in Mallorca).
On the plus side, it has a lot of longer running routes and it allows you to record a route and upload it for your own records, and to share with others on the app. The level of detail of each route is also impressive with elevation, types of paths, weather conditions (on the premium version which is £4.99 a month), difficulty and experience needed, all presented in detail. The premium subscription also includes live tracking and sport-specific maps, like skiing or cycling.
5. OS Maps
The app version of the UK Ordnance Survey map is well worth the annual subscription of £34.99 (around $46.50 / AU$67.50). It gives access to 607 OS Explorer and OS Landranger maps covering all of Great Britain, plus topographic maps for Northern Ireland, USA, Australia and New Zealand.
The main selling point is the mapping of UK public rights of way which cannot be found on other apps. For running offroad this is an absolute must-have and no other app comes close to this level of detail. Until I had this app I was constantly getting lost, or accidentally running onto private land. Now I can see exactly where I am with live tracking (very useful when halfway up a mountain on the Isle of Arran), select from hundreds of routes in my local area and easily and quickly plan and export my own trail route. I can also cross-check the route with satellite images to make sure the paths exist.
The only downside is not being able to have access to the same level of detail when in other European countries. However, you can still follow routes abroad and export GPX files to your watch.
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