Does sports app Strava encourage cyclists and runners to push too hard?
App enables healthy competition between cyclists and runners. But does it encourage them to push too hard, asks Rachel Jacqueline
Close to midnight on the night before the Macau marathon last year, Matt Moroz ran frantically around his hotel block. He should have been resting; instead he was trying to reach the top of Hong Kong's running leader boards on the fitness-tracking app Strava.
His late night sprint brought his month's mileage to 381.2km, winning him the December title for most kilometres run, but no prize - except bragging rights.
His tale is just one of thousands like it from Strava's rapidly growing fan base, motivated by the app's engineering: users can record, share, analyse and compare workouts, making it the Facebook of fitness.
Strava does what most GPS-enabled tracking apps do: maps activities and measures, among other things, distance, moving time, average speed, pace and total calories burned for 28 types of activities.
But Strava stands apart in cycling and running. The app tracks speed and pace over particular "segments" - ranging from a few hundred metres to several kilometres - and ranks an individual's efforts. The fastest in each segment gains the accolade of "king [or queen)]of the mountain" (KOM/QOM) in cycling, or holding the "course record" (CR) in running.
Weekly activities and mileage are tallied and are viewable, unless they are hidden, by anyone wishing to see them. Athletes are able to give each other "kudos" and comment on each other's efforts, connecting athletes around the world.
If you use Strava you'll know what effect this has on your daily run or ride. Your solitary plod is thrust on to a global platform and becomes part of a collective experience with a highly competitive twist.