diff --git a/backend/app/api/activities.py b/backend/app/api/activities.py
index c68c5ee..bc1f732 100644
--- a/backend/app/api/activities.py
+++ b/backend/app/api/activities.py
@@ -423,17 +423,21 @@ async def get_route_leaderboard(
     if not act.named_route_id:
         return None
 
+    # Rank by moving time (pauses excluded), falling back to elapsed for
+    # activities without it — consistent with avg pace being moving-time based.
+    effort_s = func.coalesce(Activity.moving_time_s, Activity.duration_s)
     rows = (await db.execute(
         select(
             Activity.id, Activity.name, Activity.start_time,
-            Activity.duration_s, Activity.distance_m, Activity.avg_heart_rate,
+            effort_s.label("duration_s"),
+            Activity.distance_m, Activity.avg_heart_rate,
         )
         .where(
             Activity.named_route_id == act.named_route_id,
             Activity.user_id == current_user.id,
             Activity.duration_s.isnot(None),
         )
-        .order_by(Activity.duration_s)
+        .order_by(effort_s)
     )).all()
     if not rows:
         return None
diff --git a/backend/app/api/routes.py b/backend/app/api/routes.py
index aeed46a..121c883 100644
--- a/backend/app/api/routes.py
+++ b/backend/app/api/routes.py
@@ -195,11 +195,13 @@ async def route_activities(
     db: AsyncSession = Depends(get_db),
     current_user: User = Depends(get_current_user),
 ):
+    # Rank by moving time (pauses excluded), falling back to elapsed for
+    # activities without it — consistent with avg pace being moving-time based.
     result = await db.execute(
         select(Activity).where(
             Activity.named_route_id == route_id,
             Activity.user_id == current_user.id,
-        ).order_by(Activity.duration_s)
+        ).order_by(func.coalesce(Activity.moving_time_s, Activity.duration_s))
     )
     activities = result.scalars().all()
     return [
@@ -207,7 +209,7 @@ async def route_activities(
             "id": a.id,
             "name": a.name,
             "start_time": a.start_time,
-            "duration_s": a.duration_s,
+            "duration_s": a.moving_time_s or a.duration_s,
             "distance_m": a.distance_m,
             "avg_heart_rate": a.avg_heart_rate,
             "avg_speed_ms": a.avg_speed_ms,