Why I'm looking to leave Strava, the app that made me an elevation millionaire in 2015.

Long before I ever downloaded Strava, I lived with bilateral Meniere's disease.  Learning to manage the symptoms of this disease have provided lessons in humility, hardship and sacrafice.  My first period of extended remission began in 2014 when I had tubes inserted into my ears and began treatment with the Meniette device.  Soon thereafter, I had a Nissen Fundoplication done.  As I turned 50, I was introduced to Strava and an epic transformation began.  

Clubs and trophies provided ample amounts of weekly and monthly motivation to get on my bike and pedal, pedal and pedal some more.  By the end of 2015, I was an elevation millionaire.  The memory of that accomplishment is one of the primary driving forces behind my current quest for 500,000 ft of elevation in 2018.

Soon after completing the million foot quest, my health tanked.  I experienced sever drop attacks frequently and lost sight of 2015.  Recently, I have had several more surgical interventions to get me on my feet again.  Seeing this window open inspired the memories of 2015 as I searched for a new goal.

With cycling out of the question for the remainder of the year, I decided to replicate my 2015 biking season on foot.  Having half the year available, I set the goals of 500,000 feet of elevation and 2018 miles.  With Strava as my tracking partner, I was sure that success was inevitable.

My enthusiasm led me to updgrade from my cellphone app to wearable technology.  I purchased a Coros Pace based on battery life, access to satellite tracking, having a barometric altimiter for $270.  Unfortunately, that's where my problems began.  

Strava began losing chunks of data on a recurring basis.  After sending in multiple tickets to resolve the issue with absolutely zero help from customer support, I was furious.  I wrote an email to Coros explaining my problems with Strava and why I was returning the Pace.  The response I received was enlightening.  In summary, Strava mandates that all external data be processed through Strava.  This has led to a loss of approximately 13,000 feet of elevation.   

To date, none of my lost data has been recovered.  Strava closed my ticket stating that I was counting non-qualifying events.  To the agent who wote that, I am a dsabled athlete who is doing eveything I can to save my life and inspire others in the process.  Your feedback is some of the most disrespectful feedback I have ever received.  My current ticket has now been sitting for 3 days with no response.  This time they have lost 1312 feet and 4.63 miles after my first run on Monday.

The monthly competitions that were once my primary motivators are rife with cheating.  It is so bad that Strava has done nothing to address this problem.  The same agent that accused me of cheating told me that it is up to the membership to police each other.  So I ask the question, what value am I receiving for my annual dues?  When the answer is nothing, it is time to remove the barrier to reaching my climbing and distance goals.  Saying good-bye to Strava will be a welcome relief.