Export guide
Export your Strava activities to get them analyzed by ChatGPT
Strava keeps your runs, but does not hand them to your AI, except through a paid connector that only works with Claude. Good news: export is free, as long as you use the website. Here is how, and what to do with the file next.
Export an activity from strava.com
Export only works on the Strava website. It is free for your own activities.
- Sign in at strava.com from a computer and open the activity.
- Click the "…" button (more actions) on the left of the activity.
- Choose to export the original file if the activity comes from a watch: you get the watch's FIT, the most complete version.
- Otherwise, choose export GPX. It contains the track, the times and, if they were recorded, heart rate, cadence and temperature.
- Drop the downloaded file into gps-digest.
If the activity was recorded with the Strava app on a phone, the GPX export does the job just fine.
Your whole history: your account archive
In your Strava settings, under My Account, request a download of your account. Strava emails you a link to an archive, usually within a few hours. Workouts are in the activities folder, often compressed as .gz: drop them as is into gps-digest. The activities.csv file gives the date of each activity number, handy to pick only the last few weeks.
One caveat: Strava pace is not Garmin pace
Strava computes pace on moving time, Garmin Connect on total time. On a city run with stops at traffic lights, the gap easily exceeds 15 seconds per kilometer. gps-digest states in the file which convention it uses, so the AI does not compare numbers that cannot be compared.
FIT, TCX or GPX: which format should you export?
| Format | What it contains | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| FIT | Everything: heart rate, laps, paired heart rate sensor, barometric elevation, pool lengths | First choice |
| TCX | Heart rate, laps, cadence; no paired sensor, no barometric elevation | Good fallback |
| GPX | Track and times, often heart rate and cadence; no laps | Last resort |
Why not paste the file straight into ChatGPT?
Because a watch file is made for software, not for reading. FIT is binary, and one hour of running as TCX is about 533,000 tokens: enough to max out a free plan with a single workout. Even when the file goes through, the AI reasons poorly over thousands of raw lines. The full explanation is here.
Next: get your workouts analyzed by an AI
- Drop the file into gps-digest as is: FIT, TCX, GPX, ZIP or .gz. Everything is computed in your browser.
- Copy the structured file it produces: a few thousand tokens per workout instead of several hundred thousand.
- Paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Vibe with your question. For week-by-week follow-up, see our AI coach guide.
Frequently asked questions
Can you export an activity from the Strava app?
No. Export only works on the strava.com website, from a computer.
Do you need a Strava subscription to export your activities?
No, exporting your own activities is free. The subscription is only needed for the official connector that links Strava to Claude.
GPX export or original file: which one should you pick?
The original file if the activity comes from a watch: it is often a FIT, more complete (laps, paired sensor, barometric elevation). GPX otherwise: it keeps the track and, most of the time, heart rate.
Sources
- Strava Support, Exporting your Data and Bulk Export. support.strava.com.