While Nike features strongly with its Nike+ offering and online community, fellow fitness brand Adidas’ miCoach always seemed a distant second. Now Adidas is getting a boost of note with the purchase of Runtastic, one of the better fitness tracking apps available.

According to Adidas, with this €220 million shopping spree, it “has found a perfect partner that fully understands the potential of the convergence of sport, digital and data in an always connected and always on-demand world.”

Speaking on the Runtastic blog, Runtastic CEO and co-founder, Florian Gschwandtner noted, “We will continue deliver further optimisations, unique content and a highly-anticipated new app by the end of the year.”

What this might mean for users of the app (us included), is not quite known just yet. While no new products or features were revealed, it was interesting to note that a recent new update on the Runtastic Android app provided better voice coaching abilities. Whether this will be integrated with Adidas’ miCoach real-time voice coaching functionality remains to be seen.

A comment from Herbert Hainer, CEO of the Adidas Group, can perhaps shed some more light on Adidas’ reason for purchase. On the Adidas Group webpage, Hainer notes, “Therefore, I am very happy to welcome Runtastic’s passionate employees and their 70 million active athletes and sports lovers to the Adidas Group family.”

70 million active athletes – about 140 million feet that would need new shoes sooner or later, and if Adidas can become the brand of choice by offering some Runtastic-linked deals, well, that might just make the accountants in Herzogenaurach jump for joy.