Distance Brings Strava’s ‘Shadow Runners’ Behind the Online Likes Out of the Dark

With ‘Shadow Runners’, Distance has decided to shine a light on those who run in the shadows of others - Strava Jockeys - to finally give them the compensation and recognition they deserve.

Since 2025, a phenomenon has been gaining traction on running apps: Strava Jockeys. Behind this stylish name lies a real scandal. Young runners, often from disadvantaged backgrounds, are recruited and paid a few euros to run on behalf of wealthier users, hungry for likes and digital fame.

These are real performances, achieved by real athletes, but attributed to fake runners. It's a symptom of a society obsessed with appearances, which is now contaminating the world of running.

Nike has its major stars. Distance has Oscar, Clara, Ousmane, Howard, and Eva. 

With ‘Shadow Runners’, Distance has made five Strava Jockeys the faces of its new ad campaign. A real contract, real pay, a real photo and video shoot, equivalent with the standards of the biggest sports brands.

“From the beginning, our mission has been to highlight real athletes. Those who run for real. Not those who run after likes... ”, explained Guillaume Pontier, co-founder of Distance.

Portraits of Oscar, Clara, Ousmane, Howard, and Eva will be displayed starting in February on billboards in the streets of Paris and in store windows throughout Distance stores in France (Paris, Lyon) and internationally in Copenhagen (Denmark) and Iten (Kenya). They will also be visible on all of the brand's touchpoints around the world.

Furthermore, the Shadow Runners’ remuneration doesn't stop at a simple photo shoot. Throughout the campaign, Distance has pledged to donate 10% of the profits made on a wide selection of products.

The entire campaign, across print and video, was created by Ojoz Yutaka, conceived by the agency BETC, and produced by POP, the in-house production unit of the HAVAS group’s agencies.