This Strava runner finds a new way to crush segments—but is it cheating?

For those over 45, a Strava “CR” might mean little. But for millennials and Gen Z, nabbing a course record (that little gold crown) is the hobby-running equivalent of an Olympic medal. One day of basking in kudos-soaked glory makes all those early morning runs worth it.

Ryan Cunliffe, a British fitness influencer and 2:58 marathoner, has made a name for himself on Instagram by chasing Strava segments around the world. In episode 17 of his challenge, Cunliffe set his sights on one of the steepest hill segments he could find: “Rawsons Rake Climb” in Bury, U.K.—an 11 per cent gradient beast with a coveted crown.

He says he went for the crown once before, but came up a couple of seconds short. But this time, he brought a little help. Cunliffe strapped on a pair of HyperShell X robot legs, an exoskeleton device designed to give users 40 per cent more leg strength for walking, hiking, or running. The result? He beat his own previous time by 11 seconds and clocked in five seconds faster than the segment’s existing record.

When he uploaded the video to Instagram, critics flooded the comment section (which quickly hit a million views), with some calling for a lifetime ban from Strava. “How do you sleep at night? Or do you have a robot for that, too?” one commenter asked. One commenter even tagged Strava directly with: “Please give this guy a lifetime ban.”

Cunliffe posted a poll to his video, asking followers if his robot-fuelled segment effort should count. More than 15,000 accounts voted, with 90 per cent of users selecting “absolutely not, it’s cheating.”

Three days later, Cunliffe posted an apology video from a rubber duck floatation device in Portugal. “Sincere apologies to anyone who was offended,” he said, clarifying that his video was simply an experiment to see how much the robot legs could help.

He’s since deleted the activity from Strava and says the segment has returned to its “rightful owner,” local runner Andy Mellor.