1. Acceptance of the Covenant
These Terms of Service ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you and Cult of Running ("Cult of Running," "we," "us," or "our"). By visiting our website (cultofrunning.com), taking the pledge, inscribing in the Member Ledger, linking a wearable device account, or participating in community events and athletic challenges, you agree to be bound by these Terms, our Privacy Policy, and our Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy.
If you do not agree with these Terms in their entirety, you must not access our platform or use our services.
2. Membership, The Ledger, and Account Termination
- Eligibility: You must be at least 16 years of age to register an account, take the pledge, or participate in the Ledger.
- Account Security: We authenticate accounts using single-use sign-in links sent to your registered email address. You are responsible for maintaining the security of your email account and for all activities that occur under your Cult of Running session.
- Voluntary Departure: Membership is voluntary. You may depart the congregation or delete your account at any time through your account settings or by contacting the Ministry.
- Right to Suspend or Terminate: We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to suspend, restrict, or terminate your account, remove your Ledger entry, or revoke your access to all or part of our platform at any time, with or without prior notice, for any conduct that we believe violates these Terms, compromises the integrity of the Ledger, or is harmful to other members or to Cult of Running. Sections 6 through 12 survive any termination or deletion of your account.
3. Health, Editorial Content, and Physical Activity Disclaimer
Running and endurance athletics carry inherent physiological risks. Please read this section carefully before applying any information on this site or participating in any event.
- Not Medical or Clinical Advice: Cult of Running is an athletic collective, publisher, and digital community. We are not medical practitioners, licensed physicians, physical therapists, or clinical exercise physiologists. None of the articles, telemetry, recovery signals, heart rate zone classifications, HRV indicators, fitness age estimates, or event goals published on this platform constitute medical advice, clinical diagnosis, or personalized medical care.
- Editorial Content, Running Tips, and Sports Science References: Our website and newsletters publish essays, running tips, training frameworks, pacing strategies, hydration and fueling discussions, biomechanical breakdowns, and references to exercise physiology and sports science literature. All such content is provided strictly for general informational, educational, and cultural purposes. Scientific findings and training methodologies evolve continuously and do not account for your individual health history, anatomy, fitness level, or injury risk. Reading or applying any training tip or scientific reference on our site does not create a coach-athlete, clinical, or professional advisory relationship, and you rely upon such information solely at your own risk.
- Voluntary Assumption of Risk: Any running, training, or challenge you undertake is performed at your own voluntary risk. Running outdoors, on trails, on tracks, or in adverse weather involves hazards including physical injury, overtraining, dehydration, hyponatremia, cardiac distress, vehicular traffic, and environmental dangers. You assume full and exclusive responsibility for your physical well-being and route selection.
- Consultation with Healthcare Professionals: Always consult a qualified physician before undertaking strenuous physical exercise, adopting a new training or fueling regimen, or altering your training volume. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking care because of articles, metrics, or rankings displayed on this platform.
- In-Person Event Waivers: If Cult of Running organizes or hosts any in-person group run, race, or physical event, participation will be conditioned upon your execution of a separate, standalone written liability waiver and release of claims prior to taking part.
4. Wearable Integrations and Workout Uploads
Cult of Running allows members to sync workout telemetry, recovery statistics, and route data from Garmin Connect or via direct workout file uploads (such as .FIT or .GPX archives).
- Independent Operation: Cult of Running is an independent entity. We are not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Garmin Ltd. or any other hardware manufacturer or platform provider. Garmin and Garmin Connect are trademarks of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries.
- User Representation and Separate Consent: By connecting your Garmin Connect account or uploading workout files, you affirm that you are the lawful owner of that account and have the legal right to transmit that data to Cult of Running. Collection of health and physiological telemetry occurs only after you grant separate, affirmative consent through the consent screen presented when you connect a wearable account or upload workout files, as described in our Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy.
- Compliance with Third-Party Rules: You agree to comply with the terms of use of any external platform you link or reference on your profile. External links you place in your profile's "Elsewhere" section are merely outbound links and do not constitute an API integration.
- Revocation and Disconnection: You may disconnect your Garmin Connect account at any time through your Cult of Running account settings or through Garmin Connect. Disconnecting ceases future data synchronization immediately. Workouts previously recorded in your Ledger remain preserved so you do not lose your running history when reconnecting or updating devices, unless you choose to delete your data or close your account.
5. Congregation Standards and Member Conduct
The integrity of the Cult of Running Ledger depends upon the honesty and mutual respect of all members:
- Honest Offering (No Spoofed Telemetry): The Ledger honors genuine human effort. Uploading fraudulent, digitally fabricated, vehicular-assisted, or mechanically altered activities disguised as foot running is strictly prohibited.
- Respect for Others: We do not tolerate harassment, defamation, intimidation, hate speech, or abuse directed at fellow runners or the community at large.
- System Integrity: You agree not to scrape, reverse engineer, disrupt, attack, introduce malicious payloads into, or attempt unauthorized access to our servers, databases, or infrastructure.
6. Intellectual Property Rights
- Cult of Running Property: The Cult of Running name, wordmarks, the sigil generation engine, mark nomenclature, visual motifs, custom illustrations, site code, and editorial essays are the exclusive intellectual property of Cult of Running and its founders. They may not be reproduced, mirrored, or commercially exploited without our prior written consent.
- Member Content and Data: You retain ownership of the personal workout telemetry, profile notes, and likenesses you contribute. By submitting content or syncing telemetry to the platform, you grant Cult of Running a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, parse, format, and display your data solely for the purpose of operating the site, rendering your profile, and rendering it publicly only to the extent you have separately consented through your visibility settings, as well as computing collective event totals. This license terminates when you delete your content or account, except as to de-identified aggregate community totals.
7. Disclaimer of Warranties
Cult of Running is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis, without warranties of any kind, whether express, statutory, or implied, including without limitation implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We do not warrant that our service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that telemetry recorded by third-party hardware will be accurate.
8. Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event shall Cult of Running, its founders, officers, contributors, or service providers be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for any loss of profits, data, goodwill, personal injury, physical harm, or medical expenses arising out of or in connection with:
- Your access to, reliance on, or inability to access our services, member profiles, editorial articles, running tips, or sports science references;
- Your participation in any running challenge, community event, or physical exercise logged on the platform;
- Any unauthorized access to or alteration of your account or transmissions by third parties; or
- The conduct or submissions of any third party or fellow member.
Liability Cap: To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the total cumulative liability of Cult of Running and its founders for all claims arising out of or relating to these Terms or your use of the platform, whether in contract, tort, or otherwise, shall not exceed the greater of (a) one hundred U.S. dollars ($100.00 USD) or (b) the total amount of fees, if any, paid by you to Cult of Running in the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim. Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes liability for gross negligence, willful misconduct, or any liability that cannot be limited or excluded under applicable law.
9. Indemnification
You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Cult of Running, its founders, contributors, and service providers from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, judgments, awards, losses, costs, or expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to your violation of these Terms, your misuse of the platform, or your infringement of any third-party rights.
10. Governing Law and Venue
These Terms and any dispute arising out of or related to them shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Washington and the federal laws of the United States, without giving effect to any choice or conflict of law principles. Any legal suit, action, or proceeding arising out of or related to these Terms or the platform shall be instituted exclusively in the state courts located in Clark County, Washington, or the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington, and you irrevocably submit to the personal jurisdiction and venue of such courts.
11. Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms as our platform, events, and integrations evolve. Material changes will be announced by email to registered members and by updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. Your continued use of the platform after the effective date of the revised Terms constitutes your acceptance of the changes.
12. Severability and Entire Agreement
If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, that provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable, or if modification is not possible, severed, and the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect. These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Cult of Running regarding the online platform.
13. Contact the Ministry
For formal inquiries, questions regarding these Terms, or legal notices, please contact us at:
Cult of Running
Email: ministry@cultofrunning.com
Washington, United States