Cheats pay teenage “Strava jockeys” to boost their running stats

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The idea seemingly started off a gag on social media, but it’s rapidly growing into a big business

strava app on a phone

Strava can be used on your desktop and mobile phone

 (Image credit: Getty)

You’ve no doubt heard the motto, “If it’s not on Strava, it didn’t happen.” It appears that's not always the case in Indonesia, where teenagers have found a new way to make a fast buck (or rupiah). 

Cheating Strava users are paying surrogate runners and cyclists to clock up their stats for them. These teens are being called “Strava Jockeys”, and the trend is rapidly becoming the rage in a social media-driven environment where appearance is everything, and that includes how your fitness tracker stats appear.

According to Channel News Asia , Jakarta teenager Wahyu Wicaksono Wahyu charges 10,000 rupiah (US$0.64) per kilometer to run at “Pace 4” (1km in four minutes) or 5,000 rupiah (US$0.32) per kilometer to run at “Pace 8” (1km in eight minutes), he charges 5,000 rupiah. 

“I am active on X and it is booming there,” said Wahyu, 17, of the Strava Jockey trend. He says he gained eight clients in his first six days, with his most lucrative job so far earning him 100,000 rupiah (US$6.35).

And he’s far from the only one offering such a service, which apparently was triggered by a joke post on X at the start of July.

“I’m opening a Strava jockey service!!” posted @hahahiheho posted, along with an image from a route from Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. “But the person who will run is my brother/family member who is a great runner. The price is dependent on the pace, km, etc. DM (direct message) me.”

That text certainly inspired Satria, 17, who admitted to Channel News Asia that he started the Strava jockey account @Satzzyy on X “just for fun” after seeing @hahahiheho’s post.

But who’s using the service and why? Wahyu says, “I don’t know their exact age, but they are all older than me. They have day jobs and are unable to run.”

And it seems that they’re doing it simply to maintain good-looking stats and bragging rights in a social media age where self-image is all important. Strava “races” which encourage users to compete for top spots on leaderboards, may also be a reason to employ cheating tactics. Some people are just addicted to Likes.

And there’s the possibility that as well as being immoral, it could in some cases be illegal, for the cheaters. Mr Glenn Wijaya, a Jakarta-based corporate lawyer at Christian Teo and Partners, tells Channel News Asia that the the cheats might be entering a legal minefield if they’ve secured sponsorship based on their Strava stats or following, but it still might be difficult for the sponsor to prove they’ve actually lost money. He suggests sponsors should draw up contracts with clear anti-fraud clauses and strict sanctions for violations to avoid risks.

At the moment it seems the phenomenon hasn't spread much beyond Indonesia. But we wouldn’t be surprised if it gradually travels elsewhere. There are fit, cash-strapped students and busy businessmen with an image to maintain and expensive sneakers gathering dust in the wardrobe across the globe.

Dave Golder