Hello Zwifters! I’m new to Zwift and using it just for running, not biking. The graphics are phenomenal, really cool, and are a great way to pass the time on the treadmill. I’m a bit confused on one point, however. Are there any routes on Zwift dedicated to runners only, and if so how do I find them? The routes I’ve tried so far are fun, but with bikers constantly whizzing by it might be nice to occasionally be just in the company of other runners. A related question is how do I find running races on Zwift? Thanks for the help!
Bill Sheehan
Hit the button that says “-C +R”
There are both “Run Only” routes that share the same roads as standard bike routes, as well as a few routes that bikes cannot get to (Mayfield, 5k loop), this list has them both listed as “Run Only”.
A lot of the run clubs will host events on standard routes, but with the event set to only show the runners you don’t even know there are bikes out there. As for running races on Zwift, I doubt that they will ever really exist (although, with the events having a set start/finish, the front end does get “spicy”) since most treadmills are not really calibrated to the level that would be needed for real-virtual racing.
Bryan, thanks for the reply. I looked at the list you referenced, and I see, as you indicated, a number of routes listed as “run only.” But when I look for them on my current version of Zwift Companion, I can’t find almost all of them (for example, Couch to Sky K, Flat Irons, Hudson Roll, and Park to Peak in New York and 11.1 Ocean Blvd, 5K loop, and Chili Pepper Reverse in Watopia). Do these not exist anymore? And let me be quick to say I’m not complaining, just trying to figure out how it all works. As for my question about running races, I see what you’re saying. I probably was using the wrong terminology; I think “events” was more what I meant and should have said.
Bill Sheehan
You will discover that ZCA is useless for running routes, since it only lists routes that can be rode. Your best bet with ZCA is to select Events, then switch it to “running” and join one, or use the main Zwift program to find a route to run solo. Depending on your timezone, ZLDR has a lot of events throughout the day.
Aha, thanks, now it’s starting to make sense. Very helpful! Maybe I’ll try one of those events tomorrow. Much appreciated!
1 Like
You can also go into Running mode and in the home screen, you can select a workout. After doing this, you can select any route from any world. The running routes with badges will appear with a badge icon on the left. Choose one and enter the world.
At this point, you can continue the workout OR just exit out of the workout and do a free run. This is a great hack for going badge hunting on your free runs!
To make it easier to see which routes have run badges, sort by Route Completion to have the run routes with badges at the top.
Great, thanks for the info. I’m finally starting to get an idea of how things work.