Spartans vs. Athenians, Coke vs. Pepsi, Lamborghini vs. Ferrari, Marvel vs. DC, Cowboys vs. Indians. What do all these things have in common? Well their rivalries command a certain place in our hearts. From bloody Peloponnesian conflict to good old fashion western shootouts each of these rivalries have been balanced for centuries as if Justice herself has blindly held the scale. What rivalry do we not see among the pantheon of great debates? Oh, that’s right, Running2Win vs. Strava! Usually I take the high road citing my favorite author Samuel Clemens “Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.” But I find in this extreme circumstance I can no longer stand by while an oppressive regime seeks to dilute the sacrosanct weekly email in favor of a Running2Win agenda. Put plainly Strava’s superiority is unmatched by any of its peers. According to a source close to the company “They [Strava] have the best interns!” My source also stated that “They [Strava] have a public facing API that any runner can work with and make their own cool stats.” While I am but a lowly dual degree even I can fathom that a public facing API as presented by Strava vastly out does the complicated and distorted product presented by Running2Win. But maybe you don’t mind! Perhaps you can wade through the disgusting soup that congregates upon your internet explorer browser window. So instead of citing the cold hard facts, as many of my fake news counterparts might do, let me present instead a personal anecdote. Last year as a young and eager Freshman I signed up on Running2Win. I then connected the abomination to my Strava therefore allowing both runs and bike rides to be automatically uploaded. While I will spare the gruesome details I, through no fault of my own, ended up on the leaderboards of Running2Win. Some might claim I was cheating hastily pointing out the suspicious patterns of my mercurial fitness. All I can say is the amount of disgusting and upsetting hate mail I received was downright overwhelming. All 2 messages as well as the forum post about myself were thoroughly disheartening. But fear not for I found solace in a community of Cyclists, Triathletes, Skiers, and Runners on a beautiful platform known as Strava. So where do you fit in? Maybe you’re a perspective member, wily alumni, seasoned vet, auspicious newcomer, or curious parent. Your social status does not matter in so far as I have already provided a universal answer. This is not a question of Coke Vs. Pepsi or Marvel vs. DC the debate over Running2Win vs. Strava is nonexistent. Strava is the answer. And so, I challenge you to ask not what Strava can do for you! But what you can do for Strava!

Sincerely your favorite Virginian and former esteemed treasurer of treasuring,
Rylan Flint

Link to the University Of Maryland Club Running Strava Group: www.strava.com/clubs/umdclubrunning
Link to the Sign-Up page on Strava: www.strava.com

Acknowledgements
I would like to acknowledge Danny Schofield who wholeheartedly pledged his support for Strava while also acknowledging he secretly likes Running2Win. I’d also like to make note that Mark Twain is the smartest man to ever live and John F. Kennedy is a time traveler who plagiarized from me, not the other way around.