The Audio Long Read From the archive: Kudos, leaderboards, QOMs: how fitness app Strava became a religion
Jan 14, 2026
Explore how Strava transformed from a cycling app to a running community powerhouse, offering motivation and community support. Discover the gamified thrill of leaderboards and the competition for segments, which can sometimes lead to risky behaviors. Hear personal stories about the addiction to performance data and the toll it can take. Delve into the app's global reach, its monetization strategies, and the debate over constant tracking, while balancing community connection with the desire for freedom from data.
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Social Data Transforms Solo Exercise
- Strava turns solitary exercise into a social, data-driven experience that rewards sharing and comparison.
- Its segments, leaderboards and kudos create a feedback loop that increases activity and engagement.
Runner Obsessed By His Logged Data
- Ben Mounsey became obsessed after tracking runs and immediately analysed his data and habits.
- He manually uploaded missing runs when his phone broke, showing data's grip on him.
Gamification Applied To Real-World Sport
- Strava borrowed gamification from online gaming and applied it to real-world athletic performance.
- Transient rewards like KOMs/QOMs amplify addictiveness and repeat engagement.
