Runkeeper app sets pace

Far more than just duration and distance with this great running tool for your smart phone

Product

RunKeeper app for iPhone and Android

Promise

Track duration, distance, pace, speed, elevation, calories burned and of course your mapped route for multiple outdoor activities all using your phone's built-in GPS.

Performance

An app for those less-marathon-minded. If you're curious about your minute miles, but not curious enough to splash the cash on expensive kit, then RunKeeper is for you. It's totally free (unless you go Pro), and surprisingly accurate. In fact, pressing start, pause and stop is about the extent of technical skill required. Activities are then uploaded onto the website where graphs display your weekly and monthly efforts.

Doing my best to find fault, I opted for a favored hour-long, off-road coastal run as a first test. To its credit, the website neatly mapped my speed and elevation in correlation with Google Maps by simply hovering over any given point on the graph. Zooming in to compare the return leg showed only minor in-discrepancies so it far exceeded my expectations.

Verdict

As a winner of the open web awards and a top 10 iPhone app in the Times's 'top ten of everything' for 2009 list, it's a great little freebie and a new personal favorite that's sure to motivate anyone.