Enter “joki Strava”: runners for hire who offer their services to help others rack up kilometers for clout on Strava, the popular social network app and workout tracker.

The unusual yet uniquely Jakarta phenomenon led Achmad Rizki, a 27-year-old freelance graphic designer, to earn extra income by offering his services as a joki Strava.

Rizki first floated the idea on social media as a joke about the concept of joki Strava, also known as “mules” or “surrogates”, which had already become a trending topic. But the joke fell flat when users reached out, eager to earn running kudos without having to lace up themselves or leave their beds.

Within a week of posting his ad on Instagram and X, Rizki landed four clients and earned Rp 800,000 (US$49). One particularly enthusiastic client even paid him Rp 500,000 to run 50 kilometers over the course of a month.

"At the start of an agreement, I don’t immediately set a price. I first ask about their goals. If they follow my running activity, I charge a standard rate of Rp 10,000 per kilometer. But if they have specific requests, like a certain pace or route, I raise the price," Rizki said.

On Wednesday morning, he ran 11 kilometers for a client at the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) sports complex in Central Jakarta and logged the activity on the client’s Strava account. The client later thanked him via direct messaging on Instagram for exceeding the agreed target.

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