How to plan a running loop by distance
Want to run exactly 10 km from your front door and end up back home — without an out-and-back or a hand-drawn route? Here's how to generate a loop of the distance you want in a few taps.
Why a loop beats an out-and-back
Running out and back along the same road is the easy option, but you see the same scenery twice and it's easy to cut it short. A loop keeps the run interesting and makes the distance feel shorter. The hard part has always been finding a loop that comes out to the right length — that's exactly what a route generator does for you.
Step by step
- Set your start. Open LoopMaker and allow location access, or search an address, or tap the map. You can drag the marker to fine-tune it.
- Enter the distance. Type a target (e.g. 10 km) or use the − / + stepper, and set your pace in the field beside it. Switch between kilometres and miles with the km / mi toggle right next to those fields.
- Pick a direction (optional). Tap a compass point (N, NE, E, …) in the row under the shape to steer the loop toward a park or away from traffic, or leave it on Any and let the app choose.
- Tap Generate. LoopMaker builds a loop over real roads, paths and trails and adjusts it until the routed distance is within a few percent of your target. You'll see the actual distance, total climb and an elevation profile.
- Not quite right? Tap Variant for a different loop with the same settings, or drag any point on the route onto another street to reshape it — the distance updates as you go.
Tip: set your pace to see an estimated finish time, and on a windy day use the "start into the wind" suggestion so you finish with the wind at your back.
Choosing the right options
- Surface: Roads only sticks to paved roads and sidewalks, Mixed uses everything, and Trail prefers paths — handy for off-road running.
- Elevation: bias the loop Flat for an easy day or Hilly for climbing repeats.
- Shape: beyond a plain loop you can make an out-and-back, a point-to-point route (set a finish), or fun shapes like a star or heart traced over real streets.
Take it with you
Happy with the loop? Export it as a GPX file and send it to your watch or phone, so you can just follow the line while you run. See how to send a route to a Garmin watch or how to create a route on Strava.