Samsung Electronics is strengthening its strategy to target running users. By utilizing the Galaxy Watch and Samsung Health, the company supports systematic training by providing user physical fitness level diagnosis, heart rate-based training programs, and running posture analysis.
On the 14th, Samsung Electronics held a media briefing at the Taepyeongno Building in Jung-gu, Seoul, and introduced running features based on the Galaxy Watch and Samsung Health.
Samsung Health records daily health data such as exercise, sleep, diet, and medication, and analyzes the user's health status in connection with the Galaxy Watch.
Both the running participation rate and smartwatch usage rate in Korea are increasing. According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's 2025 National Sports Participation Survey, the domestic running participation rate increased from 4.8% in 2024 to 7.7% in 2025. According to a Gallup Korea survey, the smartwatch usage rate among adults also rose from 12% in 2020 to 33% in 2024 and 2025.
Samsung Health works with the Galaxy Watch to provide running posture, exercise intensity, and recovery indicators. It measures six items: left-right asymmetry, ground contact time, flight time, regularity, vertical amplitude, and stiffness. It also provides VO2 max, sweat loss, and race goals so that users can check their exercise status numerically.
The “Running Coach,” a customized training feature, was also introduced as a key function. Running Coach measures a user's endurance and pace through a 12-minute running test. Afterward, it assigns a running level from 1 to 10 and suggests a training course suitable for the individual's level among approximately 160 programs.
“Running Coach is a service we have prepared for about two years,” said Choi Jun-il, Samsung Electronics MX Business digital health team senior vice president. Choi explained, “Level 10 is a level that can only be achieved by running continuously for 12 minutes at a speed of 11 to 12 on a treadmill.”
Director Kwon Eun-ju, a former national marathoner, participated in the program development to enhance its completeness. “There are many people who do not know how to prepare for a race or their running posture well,” Kwon explained. “We created it based on standards that everyone can easily accept so that people can prepare for races safely and enjoyably just by utilizing the Galaxy Watch Running Coach well.”
“We do not view running in isolation, but as part of comprehensive health management,” Choi said. He added, “Measuring and providing data on sleep, diet, and mental health is our point of differentiation compared to other companies.”
