GpxFix Blog
Understanding Elapsed vs. Moving Time in Strava
By Roy Lachica on . Last updated .
If you’ve ever looked at your Strava stats and felt confused by the time metrics, you’re not alone. Two common but often misunderstood terms are Elapsed Time and Moving Time. Understanding the difference between them is key to interpreting your workout data correctly and knowing when (and why) to adjust it.
What Is Moving Time?
Moving Time is the time during which the GPS detects actual movement. If you stop to tie your shoelace or wait at a traffic light, those paused moments may not count toward your Moving Time — especially if auto-pause is enabled on your device or app.
This metric is useful when you want to analyze your pace or speed without interruptions. It's great for performance-focused athletes who care about effort while actually moving.
What Is Elapsed Time?
Elapsed Time is the raw total time from the start of your activity to the end, including any breaks, stops, or slowdowns. It reflects the real-world time it took to complete your workout.
If you go for a 1-hour run but stop for 10 minutes midway, your Moving Time might be 50 minutes, but your Elapsed Time will still be 1 hour.
Why the Difference Matters
Depending on your fitness goals, one metric may be more relevant than the other:
- Use Moving Time for analyzing pacing, running form, or cycling performance.
- Use Elapsed Time when time-on-feet or endurance is important, like in ultra training or long hikes.
The difference can also be important when sharing activities. Someone viewing your pace might assume you ran continuously, not realizing you paused halfway through. This can lead to misleading comparisons—especially in group workouts or races.
How GpxFix Helps
Sometimes, GPS devices fail to auto-pause, or you may intentionally pause and want to include that downtime in your stats. With GpxFix, you can convert Moving Time to Elapsed Time by simulating light motion or adjusting the timestamps in your GPX file. This helps you reflect the actual time spent during a session—even when GPS wasn’t tracking properly.
This feature is especially useful when:
- You go indoors during a run (e.g., into a store or bathroom).
- Your GPS fails to track movement while standing still (e.g., during stretching or drills).
- You want to reflect realistic duration of time being active.
Which Time Should You Trust?
Neither is “better”—they just serve different purposes. Moving Time is about performance, while Elapsed Time is about effort and reality. Knowing when to use each can improve the quality of your training insights and help you set more accurate goals.
How is Strava Actually Calculating Moving Time?
The Strava team has not disclosed their algorithm for calculating Moving Time but check out Moving Time, Speed, and Pace Calculations over at Strava to learn more.
GPS measurements are never 100% accurate down to the exact millisecond and millimeter, so Strava and tools like GpxFix can’t just blindly subtract time for tracking points where distance equals zero.
Conclusion
Whether you're a data-driven cyclist or a weekend hiker, understanding the difference between Moving Time and Elapsed Time is essential. Tools like GpxFix give you the power to decide which time better represents your workout. Just remember: accuracy matters, but honesty matters more.
Have questions about how to adjust or simulate time in your activity files? Reach out or try it out here at GpxFix.eu.