Apple Watch marks Global Running Day with a limited edition award — here’s how to earn it
Global Running Day comes but once a year, and today is that day. There’s really only one way to celebrate the occasion, and that’s to go for a run. If you use one of the best Apple Watch models, then you have an extra incentive to do so.
That incentive is the chance to earn a limited-edition activity award to celebrate Global Running Day 2025, which is only available today.
If you’re someone who loves to collect as many of Apple’s awards as possible, or just need some extra motivation to move right now, you’re going to want to know how to earn it.
How to get the Apple Watch Global Running Day award
The short answer is to go for a run! The longer answer is to go for a run that’s at least 3.1miles/5K long and record it on your Apple Watch.
Once you’re done, you’ll earn the activity award, which is styled like a running track with colorful rings surrounding ‘2025’. It’s almost exactly the same as last year’s award, in fact, just with a different date and colors in the rings.
You can earn the award using any of the best Apple Watch apps that sync workouts to the Health app, so you’re not confined to using the native Workout app on the watch.
My personal favorite Apple Watch running app is WorkOutDoors, which replicates the experience of the best sports watches with how much you can customize the data you see during runs. Also, Maps is built into the app, so you can see this while you run.
That said, the native Workout app has been improving rapidly in recent years and has several nifty features you can use to enhance your run, like Pacer mode. Why not give this a go and attempt a fast 5K to celebrate Global Running Day?
If you’re new to running but still want to earn the badge, then you can use a run/walk strategy to hit the distance requirement — maybe run for one minute and walk for one or two, and repeat until you reach 5K.
Whatever app you use, just make sure you’re logging your activity as a run so it counts towards the award requirements.
