Public Challenge
- Make the challenge visible to a wider group
- Choose whether ordinary joining needs approval
- Set an optional participant limit
- Share clear dates and scoring rules
Challenges guideA step challenge
A step challenge
app that brings
your friends
along.
StepClash makes it easy to run a step challenge with friends, family, coworkers, or your community. Create a competition, invite your group, and keep each other motivated from start to finish.
👥Bring friends
together🏆Flexible challenge
formats♟Simple setup
in minutes▥Real progress
and leaderboards
together🏆Flexible challenge
formats♟Simple setup
in minutes▥Real progress
and leaderboards
What you’ll learn in this guide
A complete walkthrough to help you create, run, and enjoy a successful step challenge.
Choose who can join
Visibility and joining controls are separate from the scoring format.
Private Challenge
- Control access for your intended group
- Generate invitations in Manage participants
- Valid invitations can authorize direct joining
- Capacity limits still apply; standings remain visible to participants
Which step challenge should you start?
For a small group, use the friends setup guide. For coworkers, start with workplace rules and team scoring. If you want to join a race today, explore the Weekly Sprint.
Before choosing a personal target, use the step goal calculator with your current average. The calculator suggests a target; save your chosen daily goal in Settings.
From group chat to shared goal
Give your next seven days a name.
You bring the people. StepClash gives you dates, personal goals, and standings to check together.
Illustrative setup · real product options
The Lunch Break Crew
Four friends want a reason to leave their desks. They choose a private, seven-day individual challenge and agree to check in after lunch.
They have different starting points, so they choose Energy Score. Each person works toward their own daily goal rather than trying to match the strongest walker’s raw total.
A sample plan, not a customer story or a live challenge.- Format
- Individual challenge · Energy Score
- Joining
- Private · ordinary requests need approval
- Daily task
- Log or sync steps, check the total, cheer on a friend
- At the end
- Review the standings and decide whether to play again
Choose the right challenge format
A personal step goal and the challenge’s ranking formula do different jobs. Choose the formula before you invite people.
Keep showing up
Custom individual challenges use Energy Score: goal days contribute 50%, logging days 30%, and steps toward your personal goal across the full challenge 20%.
Good for: friends who want to build a habit and have different daily step goals.
Add your steps together
Choose total team steps or average steps per assigned member across the challenge dates. Total-step races benefit from comparable team sizes; averages include every assigned member, even with no recorded steps.
Good for: a group that likes working together toward a shared total.
See a team-scoring example →Join a ready-made race
The Sprint runs Monday–Sunday in America/Regina time, with up to 25 people per wave. Highest total weekly steps comes first.
Good for: getting into a step race without organizing one.
Read the Sprint guide →Energy Score measures activity over the full challenge window. Joining late does not restart that window. Check the challenge’s rules for scoring and tie-breakers.
Set it up. Share it. Start walking.
Make the first invitation easy to say yes to: a clear format, a short window, and a group people know.
- Choose your format and dates
Open Create a Challenge. Give it a name, choose individual or team competition, and set the start and end dates. Explain scoring in the description; the motivational target does not replace the ranking formula.
- Choose who can join
Set public or private visibility, an optional participant limit, and whether joining needs approval. For teams, add team names. Review the setup before launching.
- Invite your group
After launch, open Manage participants → Invitations to generate a link. Friends need a StepClash account. Generated invitation links can authorize joining directly, including private or approval-required challenges; capacity limits still apply. Share them only with intended friends. A normal challenge URL alone does not grant private access.
- Make the daily check-in easy
Each person chooses manual step entry or a supported connection. Check dates and totals, follow the standings, and use messages or a shared update to keep the conversation going.
Different trackers. One group.
A new fitness device is optional. Start with the step source you already use.
- Manual entry
- Enter your daily total with the correct date from your phone, pedometer, or tracker. Review existing entries before filling a gap after a delayed sync.
- Garmin & Fitbit
- Connect a supported provider from Settings. Provider sync timing varies, so a new total may not appear immediately.
- Android options
- The Android app includes Health Connect and Samsung source options, depending on device permissions and setup. Read the setup FAQ.
Different ways to keep it fun
Add variety and keep participants engaged with these ideas.
Use a theme
Choose a shared theme, like a lunch-break walking week or a fresh-start challenge.
Add milestones
Celebrate progress with small goals and encouraging check-ins along the way.
Share updates
Use messages or shared posts to cheer each other on and keep the energy high.
Offer friendly prizes
Keep rewards simple and explain who provides them. Prizes are organizer-managed unless authorized otherwise.
A reminder to keep things fair and fun
A few simple guidelines help everyone enjoy the challenge.
- Record your own steps with the correct date, and avoid duplicate entries after syncing.
- Respect others and keep the competition friendly.
- Agree on goals, scoring, and any organization or community rules before you start.
- Remember: it’s about progress, not perfection.
A few details worth agreeing on.
Clear expectations keep a friendly competition friendly.
Can we start for free?
You can create a free StepClash account and record steps. Choose a challenge format and review its joining rules before inviting your group.
Can friends with different fitness levels compete?
Custom individual challenges use Energy Score and each participant’s own daily goal. That offers a different comparison from raw steps. Agree on sensible goals together; it does not automatically make every group equally matched. Set your goal in Settings; an unset goal uses 10,000 steps.
What counts if someone joins halfway through?
Eligible activity recorded within the full challenge dates counts, including records from before joining. The challenge clock does not restart for each participant.
Is a private challenge anonymous?
No. Private visibility controls joining access. Participants still see challenge standings. Profile and messaging settings are separate; review the privacy policy before sharing.
How long does an invitation link work?
Generated links expire after seven days and allow up to 50 uses. Organizers can revoke links in Manage participants. Valid invitations can authorize direct joining, including when ordinary joining requires approval. Capacity limits still apply.
Can we offer a prize?
Describe the prize and who is responsible for it clearly. Advertised prizes are organizer-managed unless automatic SCBucks payout is explicitly authorized by an administrator. Writing a prize in the description does not arrange payment.
Take the setup guide with you.
Work through the dates, scoring, and invitations with a sample brief and a message you can adapt for your group.
Read: How to run a step challenge with friends →Looking for a personal routine? Plan your first walking week. Organizing coworkers? Use the workplace launch checklist.