Strava Data Reveals London Marathon Runners Manipulatively Getting Faster – Surrogates Logging Runs for Others Spark Controversy
A new and somewhat controversial trend is sweeping through the global running community, as data from the popular fitness app Strava reveals that some London Marathon participants are artificially boosting their stats by hiring others to run on their behalf. Known as “Strava surrogates,” these runners are paid to log runs for others, creating a booming underground market that is now catching the attention of fitness enthusiasts and app developers alike.
In Indonesia, 17-year-old Wahyu Wicaksono has become a sensation as one of the country’s most popular “Strava jockeys.” Wahyu logs running achievements for clients at different paces for a fee. Charging 10,000 rupiah (approximately 62 cents) per kilometer for a speedy “Pace 4” (one kilometer in four minutes) and half that for a slower “Pace 8,” he’s tapping into a new way to make money by simply doing what he loves—running.
Wahyu, active on social media platform X, told Channel News Asia (CNA) that this business is booming. Clients pay him upfront, and he logs into their Strava accounts to complete runs, allowing them to display faster times or greater distances without doing the work.
Fellow Indonesian runner Satria, also 17, is part of the trend. Charging 5,000 rupiah per kilometer, he told CNA, “I have taken part in marathons before, so running is my hobby. I’ve got nothing to lose.” But with Strava’s terms of service explicitly prohibiting the sharing of accounts or credentials, there may be more at stake than just money.
Strava, with over 100 million subscribers worldwide, has responded to this trend. Linh Le, the company’s director of corporate communications, emphasized that Strava’s magic lies in the authenticity of its community. “Part of the platform’s magic comes from the authenticity of our global community in uploading an activity, giving kudos, or engaging in a club,” Le stated. She added that this new practice is a violation of Strava’s terms, saying it compromises the progress and hard work of athletes around the world.
While the trend seems isolated to Indonesia for now, its growing popularity highlights the increasing pressures for online validation and the lengths some will go to earn recognition. As the saying goes, “If it’s not on Strava, it didn’t happen.”
But as this manipulation becomes more widespread, Strava may be forced to implement stricter regulations to ensure the integrity of its platform and protect the efforts of real runners who lace up and put in the work every day.
