A viral post on X warns: “Believe nothing. Not even people’s runs.” The post features a video showing a program that lets users create running or cycling routes. These routes can be uploaded to exercise-tracking apps like Strava and Maprunner—without actually running or cycling. One user commented, “Insane, I hate it and I love it. Great work.”
The website behind this program is called Fake My Run. Its creator, 26-year-old Arthur Bouffard, described the tool in an interview with The New York Times as “a milestone in lazy technology innovation.” On the site, users can draw or pick a route on a map, choose a pace, date, and start time, and even add heart rate data. They then enter a name and description before downloading a fake workout summary—for just 42 cents per file.
If this sounds surprising, that is exactly the point. One X user compared it to “cheating at solitaire.” Bouffard, who is a runner himself, said he made Fake My Run because he felt disappointed by how running culture is changing.
“Running used to be a personal sport,” he explained on X. “People ran to challenge themselves, improve health, stay fit, compete, or explore new places. But in recent years, running has become more about social status and showing off a lifestyle.”
Running is growing in popularity. Running USA reports a 25% increase in running club memberships in the U.S. over the past five years. Some runners even list their marathon times on job résumés. Today, if you don’t share your 5km personal best on Instagram or Strava, did it really happen? Bouffard asks whether people would still run marathons if they could never post about them.
Bouffard also points to a more extreme trend: “Strava mules” — people who get paid $10 to $20 to upload fake runs for others who want online praise without the effort. “Like social media, running posts can be faked. That’s partly why I created Fake My Run — to challenge the shift in running culture,” he said.
Though Bouffard says the app is only for fun and education, fitness platforms are not happy. A Strava spokesperson told The New York Times that the company has “taken steps to delete activities and ban accounts using Fake My Run.”
Since its launch, the website has had over 200,000 visitors. About 500 people have bought tokens to create fake runs.
So next time someone on Strava suddenly beats their personal best by 10 minutes, it might be wise to be skeptical.
