How-To Guides·7 min read

How to Automatically Add Stats to Your Strava Activity Description

Stop writing Strava descriptions by hand. Learn how to automatically add pace, power zones, elevation, cadence, and fun stats to every activity in 5 minutes.

Your Strava activity descriptions are where your training story lives. But most people leave them blank, or write the same generic phrase every time. What if your descriptions automatically showed your pace, power zones, elevation, and all the metrics that mattered — without you typing a word? Here's how to make that happen in 5 minutes.

What You'll Learn

  • •How to set up ActivityStat in 5 minutes (free)
  • •Which stats to show in your descriptions
  • •How to customize the look and feel
  • •What to do if something goes wrong
  • •How to see your stats in your Strava feed every time you look

Why Enhance Your Strava Descriptions?

Here's the thing: Strava already has all your workout data. Pace, power, heart rate zones, elevation, cadence — it's all there. But it's buried three screens deep, where you almost never look at it.

When you add stats to your descriptions, something magical happens:

  • You see your metrics constantly. Every time you look at an activity, the stats are right there.
  • Your followers see them too. Your running buddies can instantly see what you did — pace, power, elevation.
  • You create an actual training log. A year from now, you can look back and see exactly what every workout was.
  • It takes zero extra effort. ActivityStat does it automatically.

Before You Start — What You Need

Setup takes 5 minutes total. You just need:

  • ✅ A Strava account (obviously)
  • ✅ An internet connection
  • ✅ 5 minutes
  • ✅ Optionally: a device that synced cadence/power data to Strava (for those stats to show)

You don't need a paid plan yet — the free tier (3 activities/month) is enough to test it out.

Step-by-Step: Set Up ActivityStat in 5 Minutes

1

Create Your Free ActivityStat Account

Go to activitystat.com and click "Sign Up Free" (top right).

You'll see three options:

  • • Sign up with Google
  • • Sign up with email
  • • Sign in with Strava

Pro tip: Use "Sign in with Strava" — it's the fastest and most secure.

2

Authorize ActivityStat to Access Strava

You'll see a Strava permission screen. It'll ask for permission to:

  • Read your activities
  • Update activity descriptions

That's it. ActivityStat never asks for your Strava password. Strava handles the auth, and your login credentials stay private.

Click "Authorize" and you're in.

3

Choose Your Stat Preferences

You'll land on your ActivityStat dashboard. On the left, you'll see "Stat Preferences" or "Dashboard Settings."

Here's where you decide which stats show in your descriptions. Common choices:

For Runners:

  • ✓ Distance & Time
  • ✓ Average Pace
  • ✓ Elevation Gain
  • ✓ Average Heart Rate (if you have a watch)
  • ✓ Cadence (if your watch tracked it)

For Cyclists:

  • ✓ Distance & Time
  • ✓ Average Speed
  • ✓ Elevation Gain
  • ✓ Power Zones (if you have a power meter)
  • ✓ Normalized Power

Toggle on the ones you want. You can always change this later — no commitment.

4

Watch Your Next Activity Get Enhanced

That's it. You're done setting up.

Here's what happens next: You go for a run or ride. You sync it to Strava (either from your watch or the Strava app). ActivityStat automatically pulls your data and adds stats to your activity description.

Example for a runner:

Before: "Had a great run today 🏃"

After: "Had a great run today 🏃

📊 5.2 mi | 9:15 avg pace | 48 min | 614 cal | 📈 Cadence 176 spm"

Your followers see it. You see it. Done.

5

Optional: Customize Further

If you want to get fancy, ActivityStat has advanced features:

  • Custom templates: Choose how your stats are formatted and ordered
  • Activity-type rules: Different stats for runs vs. rides
  • Fun stats: "Beers burned," "Coffee equivalent," etc.
  • Timezone settings: If you travel across zones

But for most people, the defaults work great. Come back to this if you want to tweak later.

Real Examples: What Your Stats Will Look Like

Here's what different athletes see once they set it up:

🏃 Runner Training for a Marathon

18-miler in the bank! 💪

📊 18.2 mi | 8:45 avg pace | 2:38 elapsed | 🔥 2,240 cal | 📈 Cadence 174 spm

Why this matters: In one glance, they can see they hit their long-run distance, kept a solid pace, and maintained good cadence. A year from now, they'll have a complete record of their marathon training.

🚴 Cyclist Doing Structured Training

FTP intervals completed ⚡

📊 32.4 mi | 18.2 avg speed | 1:47 elapsed | 🔌 286W avg power | Zone 4/5

Why this matters: They can quickly assess the power output, zone distribution, and work quality without diving into advanced analytics. Perfect for training log continuity.

🏃 Casual Runner (Free Tier)

Sunset run 🌅

📊 5.1 mi | 10:15 avg pace | 52 min | ☕ Equivalent: 2 espressos

Why this matters: Even casual runners love the fun stats and quick metrics. No stress about power or zones — just the essentials and a bit of personality.

Troubleshooting: What If Something Doesn't Work?

Nine times out of ten, setup is flawless. But here are the most common issues and how to fix them:

❌ Stats aren't appearing in my descriptions

Common causes: ActivityStat didn't sync yet (check back in 30 seconds), or your device didn't capture that metric (e.g., no cadence sensor).

Fix: Make sure ActivityStat has permission to update descriptions (re-authorize if needed). Check your preferences — that stat might be toggled off.

❌ Strava says "Authorize" but nothing happens

Common cause: Pop-up blocker or browser privacy setting is interfering.

Fix: Try a different browser, or disable your pop-up blocker for activitystat.com.

❌ My free tier ran out (3 activities/month)

What happens: Your next activity won't get stats added until the month resets.

Fix: Upgrade to a paid plan to continue automating descriptions all month.

❌ I don't like the stat format

You have options: Edit the description manually after ActivityStat runs, customize templates in settings, or toggle off stats you don't want.

Good news: ActivityStat never prevents you from editing — it just populates the description; you always have final say.

Why ActivityStat vs. Manual or Other Apps

You could write descriptions manually. Or use another tool. But ActivityStat wins on three fronts:

⚡ Speed: 0 Seconds of Extra Work

Manual entry? That's 30 seconds per activity. Over a year of 300 runs, that's 2.5 hours. ActivityStat does it instantly, automatically.

📊 Consistency: Every Activity, Every Time

You might skip manual descriptions on easy runs or rest days. ActivityStat doesn't skip. Every activity gets the same treatment, so you build a consistent log.

💰 Affordability: $2.99/Month (Or Free)

Other apps charge more or have subscription minimums. ActivityStat starts free (3/month) and scales up as you need it. Most runners never spend more than a coffee a month.

Ready to Stop Writing Descriptions by Hand?

Set up ActivityStat free. Automate your first 3 activities (free tier). Then decide if you want to go unlimited.

Start Free (3/Month) →See Plans

Frequently Asked Questions

Does ActivityStat modify my actual workout data?

No. ActivityStat only updates your activity description. Your distance, pace, time, power, and all other data stay exactly as Strava recorded them.

Can I turn it off for a specific activity?

Yes. You can toggle ActivityStat on/off anytime in your settings, or manually edit descriptions after the fact. Full control is always yours.

What if I don't have a power meter or cadence sensor?

That's fine. ActivityStat shows whatever Strava data is available. Most watches capture distance, pace, heart rate, and elevation — that's plenty.

Is ActivityStat safe? Do I have to give it my password?

Yes, it's safe. ActivityStat uses Strava's official OAuth authentication. You never share your password — Strava just grants ActivityStat permission to access your activities and update descriptions.

Will this work if I disconnect my watch from Strava?

Yes. ActivityStat works with any Strava data — synced from a watch, manually entered, or imported. As long as Strava has the data, ActivityStat can display it.

Can I use ActivityStat on mobile?

Setup works on any device (phone, tablet, desktop). ActivityStat works in the background — once set up, you don't need to do anything. Your descriptions update automatically after each sync.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does ActivityStat modify my actual workout data?

No. ActivityStat only updates your activity description. Your distance, pace, time, power, and all other data stay exactly as Strava recorded them.

Can I turn it off for a specific activity?

Yes. You can toggle ActivityStat on/off anytime, or manually edit descriptions after the fact. You always have full control.

Is ActivityStat safe? Do I have to give it my password?

Yes, it's safe. ActivityStat uses Strava's official OAuth authentication. You never share your password — Strava just grants permission.

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