Once every four years Smashrun users have a chance to try for one of the rarest and most challenging Smashrun badges – the Leap Year Sweep. To earn it you’ll need to run on every one of the 366 days in 2024.
It’s an opportunity to transform your health and your relationship with running, but in order to pull it off you’ll need to schedule carefully, make many small sacrifices, and exercise incredible discipline.
The rules are simple. Starting on January 1st, 2024 and continuing everyday until December 31st, 2024 you’ll need to log at least one run on Smashrun. A run of any length will count, but in the past most recipients have aimed for at least 1mi or 2km a day.
If you’ve done a streak before, than you probably know that running streaks are a little bit magic. The big reason for this is that you never know when the truly wonderful runs are going to making an appearance. You can feel 100% sure that going for a run sounds like the worst idea, and then just be completely, utterly wrong.
The point of running everyday for a year, is that despite your best intuition, the opportunities for great runs are going to be scattered roughly randomly throughout your year. You just have no idea of where they’re going to be.
Sometimes they come after a completely exhausting day at work. Or sometimes you set a PR outrunning an approaching storm. And sometimes you’re just feeling down and overwhelmed and the last thing in the world that you want to do is get off the couch, but then you do, because you have to, because you’re on a streak, and you have no choice, and somehow you come back from that run a completely different person. Just like magic.
So this year open yourself up for a little magic. Go for the streak. If you succeed you’ll earn at least at least 5 badges and if you don’t you can always try again in another 4 years.
Note: Pro users can choose to reearn their badges. If you’ve already earned the Leap Year Sweep in 2020 (or 2016!) you can attempt it again by going to Settings > Pro Configuration and choosing “Reearn badges” on or before January 1st.
Hey Smashrun,
I’m down with the challenge!!! My only concern is I travel a lot for my job. Last November, I missed an entire Saturday because I was flying to Australia. I have 1-2 trips to Australia planned for 2024. If so, maybe I could do a few laps around the plane to keep the streak alive. Just thinking ahead…
Regardless, love Smashrun and the iSmoothRun app!!!
Andrew
Hey Andrew,
Like time travel into the future, streaks are tricky when traveling eastward 🙂
Idea: If your trip includes a layover, no matter how short, jog/walk from/to your terminals; that’s what I did in a 25h trip last month.
Good luck!
I tried RED May once and gave up on the 29th 😂 Worth a try I guess 😎💪🏼
Wish I could. I have 3 days to finish 2023 streak. I’m 70 with foot, knee, and hip arthritis. Did every day since Oct 8, 2022 and got that badge. Figured I may as well finish this year for one more badge, but the hip is locking up on me now and the full 2024 year is not going to be possible for me, though I will continue as long as I can. Good luck to all who go for the leap year streak. (I still think you should have another demographic for those over 70. Like I say, a lot can happen in 10 years – and arthritis is what happened to me. I’ll never be what I was in my early 60’s again. I’ll never again be able to accomplish what I did this last year; would like to be able to see where I stand in comparison to those over 70)
I second the proposal of 70+ male/female demographic groups 🙂
How many users do you already have?
What number do you need for reliable stats?
Just so I’m sure I understand how this works…I earned the medal in 2020. If I try again this year, I’d have to reset all of the medals I’ve made progress towards? Some of them wouldn’t be so hard to work on again, but I’ve got 3/4 of the “Four Corners” badge and don’t get that many chances to run in the Southern Hemisphere!
Yeah…that 4 Corners badge. Was going to make it every badge but that one, but then there’s also the International Super Runner, and Pack Leader, and…it becomes a slippery slope. I reset mine a few years back and the fun of earning new badges again outweighed my remorse at being so close to the Four Corners, but not getting it.
Got it! Think I’ll try to earn Four Corners before 2028, then. 😀
I always feel a bit ambigious about the streak badges. Most sports science is pretty clear on the point that at least one day a week of full rest and recovery is crucial for most people – both mentally and physically. Chasing long streaks seems like an invitation to injury, but I’d be pretty curious to hear from people that have done it without getting hurt.
I did it in 2020, and I’m one run away from another yearly streak (day 425 overall). Running every day doesn’t mean getting out and going at Zone 5 every day. There are days when I only do 1 mile. A lot of them in fact. But for me, the consistency of running every, single, day just works. It’s really easy for me to find an excuse to skip a day, which can become 2, and before I know it I’m only running 2 or 3 times a week. The streak avoids that temptation. Give it a try, listen to your body, and remember that a 12m mile is the same distance as a 10m mile, as an 8m mile, or a 6m mile.
The important thing about a streak is that there’s no minimum. Even when I was injured I think I always benefited from some minimum amount of active recovery. Streaks are powerful because they build a habit. Listening to your body once you start running is the key. In my experience I always feel better after an easy short run than after a day or more off. In fact one of the things I’ve heard from more than one streaker, is that after breaking a multiyear streak they expect to feel great from their first day off, but in reality usually feel pretty crummy.
As others have said the trick is to listen to your body. Is that niggle something to keep an eye on? Is that ache superficial or does it have the potential to be more?
I am currently on day 1226 and have days where I felt like I could have a potential injury. On those days I slow down, change the distance and, if needed, change my running style.
I follow some runners on the International Streak Registry that carry out seemingly impossible feats of endurance and dedication.
The body is a very resilient and adaptable thing if you just listen to it properly.
Streaking is more a state of mind than a physical thing for me.
I’m not keen on the idea, which would mean I don’t taper before races or take some R & R afterwards.
10 days @ 10 K a day is more my style.
Happy and prosperous New Year guys!
I guess what I’d love to see would be an alternative way to reward consistency besides just daily streaks. For example, this year I’ve run 4 days a week just about every week (apart from after my 2 marathons, where I did 2 or 3 days instead). That’s just how my training plans are structured, and I’d imagine most people training for an event have blocks that look similar (maybe with 3 days or 5-6 days instead). I also decided to “run the year” by finishing at exactly 2023 km this year. Would love a badge for something like that, or for 1000 miles in a year, etc. That kind of annual mileage requires just as much dedication, consistency, and habit – but is a safer and more advisable approach for a lot of people.
It’s not safer, it’s just different.
If on the days you don’t go running, you do a strengthening sequence and run a mile on the treadmill, you’ve already run, without risks, without excesses… that’s about it.
I have my running training sheet and on days without training, I run a very easy 2km. As Chris said in the other comment, I feel better now than I did on rest days with no activity.
That said, I believe your idea for new medals is very interesting and valid.
I have committed to run the 366 Day Leap Year Sweep. I want to lose weight, gain fitness and ultimately run for health and relaxation. It will not be easy, but I am going to try.
I failed like on day 3.
Would love if the leap year badge had a stat on the badge for how many people are still on track for it this year.
I’m still on board 👍
That would be great, I would love if the badge said X number of people remain for this year.
I’m still on track, and it’s been a good motivator to keep from missing a day.
Yeah! How many of us are still on track? I am!
I’m still on track. Anyone else?