A strange phenomenon has sprung up around the world this January, with thousands of runners across the U.S. — as well as some in Australia, New Zealand, and Chile — repeating short Strava segments as many times as they can over the course of the month. Entering its third week, the Burrito League has become a bit of a phenomenon in ultrarunning.
What originated as a challenge in 2024 and 2025, put forward by the Mexican restaurant Chipotle and the fitness tracking app Strava, has quickly developed a life of its own. For those two years, Chipotle and Strava teamed up to challenge runners to run specific segments as often as possible in January, with the winner earning a year’s worth of burritos. In 2024, runners across the country took on the challenge, racking up hundreds of miles, with a few reaching nearly 450. Then, in 2025, two athletes, Kevin Russ and Jamil Coury, battled for over 750 miles on a small 0.2-mile stretch of sidewalk in Tempe, Arizona. The running world became intrigued, and when the dust settled at midnight on January 31, Coury was declared the victor.
Jamil Coury, 2025 Chipotle Challenge winner and 2026 Burrito League instigator, runs with his son during the 2026 Tempe Burrito Challenge. Photo: Andrew Bottiglieri
Popular Pedestrianism
Long before ultrarunning, in the late 18th and 19th centuries, long-distance pedestrianism — what would later evolve into competitive racewalking — was a popular spectator sport in the U.K. In 1809, Captain Robert Barclay Allardice of Scotland, one of the most famous pedestrians of the time, walked one mile every hour for 1,000 hours. Pedestrianism grew and spread to the U.S., with many of the long-distance events requiring competitors to complete short loops on tracks and in arenas for up to 600 miles, or six days, often with thousands of spectators in attendance. Some of the most famous of these events took place in New York City’s Madison Square Garden and included wagering on the competitors and various other forms of chicanery. These early pedestrians became international celebrities, often enjoying hefty paydays and tremendous publicity.
As the 20th century dawned, interest in pedestrianism waned as the invention of the safety bicycle created a new form of transportation for the masses, and spectators found other forms of sports entertainment. Multiday races have continued to exist, but not nearly at the level of popularity as before 1900.
The 2026 Burrito League became a popular activity throughout the U.S. this January. Photo: Andrew Bottiglieri
Return of the Burrito
Many assumed, as 2026 dawned, that the Chipotle Burrito Challenge on Mill Avenue in Arizona would once again heat up as a handful of runners and walkers from around the country found their way to Tempe to compete. But alas, a few days into January, everyone realized that Chipotle and Strava were not hosting the competition this year. Perhaps Coury had eaten too far into Chipotle’s profits with his 2025 prize.
At that point, Coury, Russ, and a team of volunteers quickly sprang into action to create the Burrito League. Prizes — such as a year’s worth of burritos, entry into the Cocodona 250 Mile, and Mount to Coast shoes — were quickly offered, and at midnight on January 6, 2026, the Tempe Burrito League launched.
Mountain Outpost took to livestreaming the 2026 Tempe Burrito League. Photo: Andrew Bottiglieri
What followed was fascinating, as Burrito League “chapters” quickly sprang up across the country and around the world. The Mountain Outpost YouTube channel launched 24-hour wall-to-wall video coverage of the Tempe segment. To date, thousands of runners and walkers have completed segments, and there is still more than a week left at the time this article was published. According to Strava, as of January 21, 244 athletes have completed 27,429 runs on the Tempe segment alone, accounting for over 5,317 miles.
Of course, in the Burrito League, there are no massive 19th-century crowds watching and placing bets on the runners. Nonetheless, the movement has struck a nerve in the long-distance running community, and along the way, the league has brought people together in ways none could have imagined. As the month nears its end and this phenomenon winds down, I can’t help but wonder: What does Burrito League mean for pedestrianism? We shall see.
Spectators take in the 2026 Tempe Burrito League scene. Photo: Andrew Bottiglieri
Bottoms up!
AJW’s Beer of the Week
This week’s Beer of the Week comes from Goldwater Brewing Company in Tempe, Arizona. Machine Gun Teddy is a deliciously smooth brown ale with a hint of caramel that goes down perfectly after a long day of “segmenting.”
Call for Comments
- Are you participating in the Burrito League this January?
- What other fun running challenges have you been a part of?
Even Rachel Entrekin (right) got in 67 Burrito League miles before winning the 2026 Coldwater Rumble 100 Mile this past weekend. Photo courtesy of Troy Croxdale (left).
