Strava's New Gemini Link Pulls Your Data Fast but Coaches Poorly

Strava subscribers in the U.S. can now connect their accounts to Google Gemini, Google's AI chatbot, and ask questions about their own workouts. A Lifehacker writer tried it and found it fast at pulling data but weak as a coach. At one point Gemini said she had run one marathon since 2019. She had logged at least eight.

What changed

Strava announced the Gemini link this week. It follows the company's recent launch with Claude, another AI chatbot. Once connected, you can ask things like whether you are getting faster at the same heart rate, how you did in your last race, or how strength training affects your running. Answers draw on your own activity history.

How to connect

In Gemini, open Personal Intelligence, choose Strava under connected apps, sign in and authorize. The link is optional and read-only, and you can disconnect anytime from Connected Apps in Gemini. The consent screen is worth reading. Gemini can see workouts, performance metrics, training plans, gear, clubs and profile info. Parts of your conversation, plus your name and email, may be shared with Strava under its Privacy Policy.

What the test found

• Asked if she was getting faster at the same heart rate, Gemini said yes. It skipped heat until she raised it. September runs were in 75 to 84 degree weather.
• It said she had one marathon since 2019. It blamed pagination, a limit on how many past activities come back at once, and said it saw roughly summer 2026 onward.
• Yet it cited her 2025 NYC Marathon and 2024 Philadelphia race, so its reach into older data looked uneven.
• Its advice was sound but generic: more speed work, and slow easy runs from about 9:43 per mile to roughly 10:30 to 11:15.

The follow-up prompts did help. They suggested comparisons she had not thought of, such as weekly mileage and long-run frequency before different races. She also noted that Strava's earlier Athlete Intelligence feature, which writes text responses to workouts, mostly repeated what was already in the workout description, sometimes with errors.

What to do

Use Gemini for quick data pulls, not as a personal coach. Ask about specific dates and places, because vague or older requests may come back incomplete. Check any number that matters. Bring up context like weather yourself, since the chatbot may not. The tester also suggests that many people can skip AI summaries and rely on raw data such as training load, sleep duration and heart rate trends.