People are buying stats on Strava, proving social media virtue signalling has finally gone too far

All the gear, no idea

In a world where run clubs have reached cult status and clocking kms has become top priority (‘If it’s not on Strava, did it even happen?’)  – just how far are people willing to go for kudos? 

In case you’ve been living under a rock, or far from any decent run route, you’ll have noticed that social run clubs have boomed over the last year as thousands of runners across the country chase mates and good times. 

But while the focus may be more on getting fit with friends and post-run coffees on a Sunday, there’s one church we all subscribe to: the Gospel of Strava.

When running is your entire personality – and I say this as the co-founder of one of Sydney’s biggest run cults, the Coogee Run Club – it’s all about the social media cred, and the fitness tracking app that doubles as a social media platform is one of the easiest ways to achieve it.

Which is why I’m horrified to learn that some people are faking it. 

The Strava surrogate

Ok, yes. Do runners have an unhealthy obsession with Strava? Possibly yes. And are we a little competitive to the point where it might be considered toxic, but like in a super positive and friendly way? Guilty. 

But why for the love of kudos would anyone want to just PRETEND to go for a run? And that's precisely what is going on – people are paying others to pound the kilometres for them. 

Enter, a TikToker called Velljko who’s got something sinister to admit. 

“This is a hard video to make but I have to confess that for over a year now I have been a Strava mule,” he tells his almost 957,000 followers. “So basically somebody will pay me to run a race with their Strava account on my phone. I did this with the Brooklyn Mile last year and that was my Mule PR.”

@velljko

It’s time to be honest with you and tell you that I have been a Strava mule/surrogate for over a year now. I figured I needed to come clean eventually. #strava #runtok #runningcommunity #runninghumor

♬ original sound - Veljko

I’m sorry, what? 

“I track my stats on my watch and then they get the results on the phone,” he explains. “Today I am actually triple muling. I have somebody’s Strava account on my phone, this is a mule phone and then this is actually a mule watch. “

Because he doesn’t just run for them. Oh no. He goes the extra mile to convince people that his client actually went for a run. 

“Certain clients prefer to give me their phone and they want me to go the extra distance of even like messaging their spouse, send them a picture of Central Park, send them a screenshot of the run and be like, ‘Be home soon honey’.”

Fancy running faster? Try hiring a Strava mule. Image: Adidas.

Glory for one day

As someone who is actually training for their second marathon in two months (and still unable to walk without a limp after Sunday’s 38K), I find this whole concept deeply offensive. 

I also don’t get why anyone would ever get someone to run for them, no matter how many times I rewatch Velljko’s video.

“Today’s actually a slow mule day,” he says. “This is a guy who’s probably gonna run a 2.40 marathon [which is actually crazy fast for all those non-runners] but he keeps posting slow times so then when he does run the marathon his friends will be like, “What, no way, that’s impossible!”.

“A common misconception is that everyone wants a fast mule and I would say a good chunk of my clients want a slow mule and then the majority of the clients are just one-off muling experiences they just want the glory for one day. One Instagram story.”

@sophjfitness

what on earth is a strava jockey / strava mule?? this news popped up on my feed this morning, 1 of a guy in the US whos being paid to be multiple peoples mules 2. A news story from indonesia of strava jockeys / surrogates?! No hate to the people earning money from this!! get your bag!!!🤝🏼😌 #strava #run #running #runner #applewatch

♬ original sound - Soph

I am stunned. Has society reached such a level of vanity and narcissism that people are willing to fake a run in order to flex their stats online and rack up some Strava kudos? Are people so desperate to nab a spot on the run club bandwagon to boost their popularity points and persona that they’re willing to lie?

I’m not the only one left scratching my head. 

“I had no idea [that] there’s a black market for Strava,” one person commented on the TikTok video. “It’s the saddest thing I can imagine but I also see it happening,” said another. “Running is for your health, your self esteem… do the real work so that you get the real confidence in yourself!” wrote someone else. “We are cooked as a society,” another added. 

While others congratulated Velljko on his unique work. “Never had so much respect for someone else’s side hustle,” one person commented. “I’m unemployed and run every day,” another said. “I would love to do this.” 

Of course, it’s all about the money for the peachy keen runner who can’t get enough of the kays. “If I’m being honest, I’m willing to do anything for the right price,” Velljko says. “And I’m not making this video out of guilt. I am making this to say that my service is now available to the public, so if you’re interested let me know.” 

It’s ok, we won’t tell anyone...

Originally published as People are buying stats on Strava, proving social media virtue signalling has finally gone too far