Do activity sub-types no longer count towards Challenges?

Treadmill still works fine for the January Rundown. You just have to join the Challenge, and record the Treadmill Activity with a Garmin device. Manually entered  and imported activities do not count against badges.

trux said:

 imported activities do not count against badges.

To be precise, imported activities generally DO count for badges, EXCEPT challenge badges, for an unspecified reason.

tmk2 said:

To be precise, imported activities generally DO count for badges, EXCEPT challenge badges, for an unspecified reason.

Even more precisely, some imported activities may work for some badges, but it depends on the type of the imported file and whether it includes all data required. Very often it is not that case, even for non-challenge badges. The official document Garmin Connect Badge Achievements tells clearly "Activity must be recorded using a Garmin device".

In the thread Garmin Connect Badges Not Being Awarded, there are countless cases of people complaining about not receiving badges at imported activities, long before the Challenge Badges were introduced, and although I am ware of some cases where an imported activity worked, those are rather exceptional cases, where either a file from a Garmin device is being imported, or the file contains all required data. Possibly it must include also the device ID, but I cannot tell for sure, because I did no see any such file yet.

Thank you for the links, and for the added detail.  I do, however, belive that there has been a recent change.

I joined Zwift in Sept 2020, and since then have been able to earn the monthly "Rundown" badges based solely on "Virtual Running" or "Treadmill Running" activities which get recorded by Zwift.  I do connect my FR 945 to capture cadence and HR, but typically will delete the Garmin activity in favor of the Zwift activity.  (They both sync, I only need one.)

This has been my process since Sept 2020.  Now, in January, it seems that a change has been made which negates the Zwift activities from "counting" towards these challenges.

Well, it is possible they changed something, but I think it is more likely somehting changed either on the way you enter the data, or on the data from Zwift self. How exactly are you importing the files? Could you zip an older file that worked, and a recent one, and insert the zip here, that we can have a look at the data?

I use bluetooth treadmill with zwift and activities don\t count for the challenge. There's no way to record precise treadmill speed with my vivoactive watch, so please make zwift and kinomap imported activities count!

Deyan_K said:

There's no way to record precise treadmill speed with my vivoactive watch, so please make zwift and kinomap imported activities count!

We can't, we are just users like you. However, you can enter the distance from the treadmill manually in Garmin Connect, and you'll get the exact pace then too. And you can also calibrate the Treadmill Activity, so that it records the pace automatically better.

I know you can't help but I was hoping that someone from Garmin support reads this tread and fix the problem. I have garmin footpod and I know about the calibration, but data directly from treadmill is more accurate. Also don't see the point recording one activity with two different devices.

Deyan_K said:

hoping that someone from Garmin support reads this tread and fix the problem.

The support is at https://support.garmin.com - that is a much more sure way to speak to them

Deyan_K said:

data directly from treadmill is more accurate.

Then use the data and enter it to the Garmin-native activity.

Deyan_K said:

Also don't see the point recording one activity with two different devices.

Nobody forces you, but the conditions for badges clearly state you need to record the Activity with a Garmin device. That activity alone is sufficient for the challenge & badge. A 3rd party activity may sometimes work, but there is no warranty for it.

Also have a look at the other thread on this topic - there is a tip from e7andy for a possible fix.

forums.garmin.com/.../zwift-rides-no-longer-count-towards-challenges