MapMyFitness Offers Gear Tracker Powered by Zappos.com

Gear Tracker, powered by Zappos.com, became available across the MapMyFitness mobile apps. App users can add athletic shoes to their MapMyFitness account, record mileage from walks, runs and hikes and receive notifications when it’s time for a new pair of shoes.

The average athletic shoe has a suggested lifespan of 300-500 miles, at which point common injuries like shin splints and runner’s knee become more likely, reports MayMyFitness in an Aug. 14 blog entry. When adding shoes to Gear Tracker, users can adjust the gear lifespan and set the start date to retroactively add miles from past workouts.

Zappos.com powers the shoe search engine, and with more than 8,500 athletic shoes in the company’s catalog, members can add multiple gear items, based on activity type. Once shoes are added, users will receive updates when they reach major milestones at 50 percent, 75 percent and 100 percent (based on the lifespan selected, typically 400 miles). Members can “retire” old gear once maximum miles are reached and create a virtual trophy room to showcase accomplishments and highlight your best workouts. For the first time ever, in depth gear usage patterns can be overlaid with workout history and current performance to give our members insights into how they can perform better.

An integrated e-commerce partnership is another integral part of this new feature. After a pair of shoes has reached its threshold, members can shop and purchase directly within the app through Zappos.com. Buy the same pair, or try out something new. The complete Zappos catalog will be available for purchase, and recommendations will be provided based on your preferences.

At launch Gear Tracker only included athletic shoes, but the two companies will add apparel and more footwear in future versions. This feature will be coming soon to Android.