I ran with a guy who runs instead of others to make them look good

Imagine a world where. Consequently, without pouring the slightest drop of sweat and without even leaving your couch, your friends take you anyway for the best runner in town. Moreover, So let’s see? Nevertheless, You tell yourself. However, it is a reality.

Let’s start at the start for the most neophytes. Similarly, Strava is a Facebook platform where each user records their performance, whether races, bicycle outings or training of all kinds.

Its popularity cannot be denied with 150 million subscribers in 185 countries. For example, As on other social networks, you must quickly show everyone that everything is fine and life is beautiful.

In Europe, the trend of Jockeys Strava was born. In addition, What is it eating in winter, a Strava jockey? However, Miles of racing to embellish the reality of users who do not have time. Meanwhile, interest i ran guy who runs or will to run, but who still wish to experience the euphoria of congratulations linked to their supposed performances.

In short. Consequently, André does not want to run, but Anthony runs for him and André collects glory on his Strava by paying Anthony. Furthermore, Anthony transmits his data to André, who displays them, and voila. For example, We are returned there!

Isn’t that the quintessence of the superficiality of our time? For example, Let’s try to see i ran guy who runs more clearly …

A race with a jockey

To understand a phenomenon that seems incomprehensible to me. Moreover, I decided to extend some poles to Jockeys Strava in Quebec.

First observation: it really exists! Consequently, Second observation: it seems that this trend has not i ran guy who runs yet struck with us.

In a few announcements on Marketplace, I was told that we did not want to be identified.

Fortunately. Meanwhile, there is Félix Léonard, an amateur runner who trains for the Quebec marathon in October and who agreed to come and talk about his vision of Jockeys Strava while running with me.

Félix said to himself that. For example, even if it means training, both win a few dollars by offering to exchange your statistics for money. For example, Luckily. this IT project manager did not bet on this second job to concoct a golden retirement, since he had no response to date in 12 weeks.

Be careful, however, his announcement quickly caused a sensation. When he published one evening before jumping in bed, he expected nothing. The next day, at raising, in front of his coffee, he found that the announcement had been seen 1500 times. i ran guy who runs In a week, it was 10,000 views.

“I have a lot of people who contacted me directly. I received around 200 messages, where I was asked if it worked. I did not do a market study, it may be my price that is too high! ” smiled the one who charges $ 2 per kilometer for the first 10 kilometers. $ 3 for the kilometers of 10 to 15 and a progressive rate beyond this distance. His personal limit? He swears on the Bible that he would never pass his statistics to someone else as part of an. official timed race.

Not to judge

Félix says he is aware that the initiative can shock. Some have told him that if he helped someone cheating by artificially swelling his statistics. it would make him a cheater.

Others will say that this trend is the perfect illustration of the society of appearing. the height of laziness, the ultimate in artificial.

Félix, who has no malice, does not see things this way.

“There is a generalized craze towards running. Are there people who need to eliminate complexes. show others that they are in the spot to be more socially accepted? It can just be that too. Do not send rocks to these people.

“I absolutely do i ran guy who runs not judge the person and I don’t have to do so. I offer a service and I do not want to know in what objective that person would need this service. Who am I to judge? People have a mirror. they only have to do their state of conscience themselves, ”he explained to me between a few strides.

They will not cry out on the roofs, but there are also those who, from noon to 1 p.m.. told the sir or Madame that they left to run, but who, in fact, were with another gentleman or another madam … The possibilities are endless!

A social laboratory

Basically, Félix noted the popularity of this trend in Europe and decided to try the thing here. It was in a way his social laboratory.

“What I see is that it is discussed and it opens the ethical debate. It is all the better that we talk about our social. cultural values ​​in relation to honesty and performance pressure, ”he insists.

Indeed, the exercise makes it possible to raise important questions. How far can people go to impress their entourage? Do sports applications like Strava lead to stress that does not have to be?

“Nor do you need to demonize,” argues Félix.

“Strava allows me to keep the course and make me see my advances on the metric plane. That’s it. If you come back to Strava because you have an imbalance. this showcase gives you the hope of i ran guy who runs going to get the admiration of your peers, that’s where there is a problem. ”

After our race, the discussion continued for a while. Very analytical and open, Félix even comes to question, despite his good intentions, about his approach.

“For now I haven’t had a client … so I sleep well!” Maybe the day that someone will really ask for my services, I’m going to question myself, ”he thinks.

This is precisely the best news in all of this. This day has not yet arrived.

I ran guy who runs

To make the boss speak – I ran guy who runs

In the various announcements of Jockeys Strava that we find online, we do not go through four paths to describe the service offer offered. “Need to impress your boss, silence a colleague or simply shine without sweating?” Let me put on your runnings, “offers one of them, specifying” I don’t ask questions, i ran guy who runs I run “.

Leaving a joke

The worst part in this whole story of Strava jockeys is that the phenomenon apparently started from a simple joke. An Indonesian Subscriber of the Social Network X launched the idea in March 2024 of a Jockey Strava service using a course image. not of the application, but of the video game Grand Theft Auto. Four months later, his joke had been seen by more than 900,000 people and i ran guy who runs had been relayed more than 2,500 times. Someone, somewhere, then carried out the idea for real.

Identify false races

Different running publications take the Jockeys Strava file very seriously. For example, The Running Week has published a guide to help “identify cheaters on Strava”. Obviously, we suggest it noticing whether a time particularly detonates the habits of a runner. A very inconsistent race to rhythm (one kilometer in five minutes and another in eight minutes) can also be shady.

Dedicated sites

If the trend of Jockeys Strava does not seem to be unraveling for the moment in Quebec, it is another universe in France. All the more so. some websites are entirely dedicated to this proposal to run for others, such as Jog for Me. On this site. a customer publishes a mission request jogging, a jockey accepts it and performs it, then the customer i ran guy who runs validates the activity. The objective is clear: “supporters of passionate jockeys who love to run for others. reach your Strava goals without sweating”, we read. In less than two weeks after the launch, there were nearly 100 registrations.