Home > The Scene

Joshua Cheptegei posts biggest flex in Strava history with 5,000m world record

Everyone saw him stop his watch at the finish line in Monaco, and now we finally get to see Cheptegei's Strava file

Photo by: Photo:Instagram/joshuacheptegei

Joshua Cheptegei recently lit the track world on fire when he broke the 5,000m world record in Monaco with a time of 12:35.36. Many people noted that he took a second to stop his watch after crossing the finish line before celebrating his result. This was funny enough, but it just got funnier, because Cheptegei actually posted the run on Strava, officially earning him the award for the biggest flex in the history of the app. He now has just three activities posted on Strava, and one is the fastest 5,000m ever run. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CEXSTnmntYT/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Do it for Strava

After his amazing run and surprising watch-stop, Twitter blew up. Sports Illustrated‘s Chris Chavez tweeted a picture of a fake Strava file from Cheptegei’s account with the title “Afternoon run.” This was funny, but no one thought Cheptegei would actually post the result. At least when he did post it he didn’t play it off like no big deal (although it would’ve been hilarious if he had), instead titling it “World Record 5,000 metres.” He earned six “Best Efforts” on the app for the run, including PBs from 400m up to, not surprisingly, 5K. 

RELATED: The best reactions to Joshua Cheptegei’s world record watch-pause

Not only did he post it on Strava, but he also notified the world with an Instagram photo with the caption “Just uploaded my run on Strava,” which makes us think he knows just how funny a move this is. 

Make this the norm

Maybe (hopefully) Cheptegei will make this the norm in elite running. It would be great to see elites posting their world records and big wins to Strava on a regular basis. Imagine if Eliud Kipchoge had posted his sub-two-hour marathon to the app with a caption like, “Legs felt good this morning.” Cheptegei should have started this last year after winning the World Athletics Cross-Country Championships. He could have followed it up with his 10,000m world championships gold from Doha and his 10K and 5K road world records. Rumour has it he might be eyeing the 10,000m world record next, so we’ll keep our fingers crossed that Cheptegei lines up with his Garmin and graces Strava with another ridiculously quick file whenever he gives that race a shot.  

RELATED: The five Strava users who make a mute button absolutely necessary

Check out the latest buyer's guide:

The best trainers in Canada under $150

We curated the best performance trainers under $150 to meet your 2024 running goals, while staying on budget