It began as a short-lived partnership between Strava and Chipotle. Now it’s quickly becoming a global phenomenon.
For 2 years, Chipotle offered a lifetime supply of burritos for Strava runners in 25 North American cities. All they had to do was run a short Strava segment in their city more times than anyone else (during the month of January). But after complaints that many participants were resorting to questionable tactics, Chipotle has likely ended its commitment to the event, according to Canadian Running Magazine.
Yet the thrill of running for free burritos could not be stopped.
Two ultrarunners — Connor Dyer and Jamil Coury — co-founded the Burrito League, kicking off a new version of the challenge in Tempe, Ariz.
The event immediately sparked tons of attention on social media, so the co-founders made a website explaining how running clubs could create their own Burrito League challenges in other cities. It’s only grown since then.
As of Monday, Jan. 12, the site listed 62 challenges spread across dozens of cities and multiple continents. Though most races are in Canada and the U.S., they’ve also started popping up in other countries, including Mexico, Chile, Australia, and New Zealand.
There’s even a live stream that’s tracking runners at multiple cities hosting challenges as part of the Burrito League.
Running Brands Get Involved
The new Burrito Challenge closely resembles the original one from Chipotle, requiring runners to lap the same Strava route over and over, a practice called “segmenting.” However, there’s one important difference from the original version: all runs must be uploaded publicly to Strava in real time instead of being added retroactively. That’s meant to discourage the controversial tactics that marred the original version of this challenge.
With the rapid expansion of the challenge across so many cities, the exact prizes differ depending on location and the brands involved. But there’s already a major new prize offered in at least six cities: entries to the Cocodona 250 ultramarathon. That’s thanks to Chinese running brand Mount to Coast, which just announced a partnership with the nascent Burrito League.
The men and women who earn the most mileage in those six cities will get a gift certificate worth $850 for the burrito-selling business of their choice — as well as free entry to the Cocodona 250 and a pair of Mount to Coast shoes.
So far, those prizes are for runners in Denver, New York City, Tempe and Flagstaff in Arizona, and Redlands and San Francisco in California. There are also additional prizes for second- and third-place winners.
“What started as a national phenomenon has grown into a global movement, and this thing is spreading like wildfire,” co-founder Connor Dyer said in a social media post about the challenge’s rapid growth Sunday.
Other brands are still hopping on board with challenges popping up in other cities, and offering prizes to the winners. That includes Altra for Boulder, Colo., and Janji for Bozeman, Mont., among others.
Only January?
Currently, all the challenges are aimed at January alone. However, given the lightspeed growth of the Burrito League, it’s possible that more challenges could happen in other months this year. Mount to Coast has announced a special-edition shoe for the runner who logs the most mileage across all challenges.
“We don’t even know what the special edition is going to look like yet. It’s developing so quickly,” a Mount to Coast spokesperson told GearJunkie. “With the reception of how this has run, I have to imagine they’re thinking about doing it again other months this year.”
The momentum doesn’t stop with online organizing, either. Dyer and Coury have also already opened a brick-and-mortar headquarters for the growing movement in Tempe, Ariz. Learn more about how to participate on the Burrito League website.
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