Are Running Influencers Faking Their Miles For Views?

Going for a run? Don’t forget your ring light. If you’re on run-Tok, you’ve seen how some running influencers make even their longest runs look effortless. They’re like the Nara Smiths of the athletic realm — except instead of baking homemade sourdough in couture gowns, they’re flashing a sweat-free smile to the camera on mile nine. Even at an impressive pace, they speak to their followers with ease, holding the phone from the perfect overhead angle as picturesque scenery flies by in the background. They only ever break a socially acceptable amount of sweat — glowing, but never dripping — until they proudly report back, having completed double-digit miles in record time.

You may be familiar with the people who do this, but the question of how they film this level of athleticism in such an aesthetically pleasing way remains a mystery. In fact, some people on social media are so fed up with this phenomenon, they feel it warrants further investigation. One such user, Gabriela Galavis (or @marigabitere), is convinced these running “fitfluencers” are lying, and she’s on a mission to prove it to you.

“Since everyone seems to believe that they’re not faking, we’re going to attempt to run like a running influencer,” she says in a Jan. 20 YouTube Short. “The first mile, I’m going to take it pretty easy, I only have 10K to work on today,” she continues. Galavis updates the viewers on her pace and progress throughout her run in the exact same style as some of the most popular running influencers. Eventually, she reaches the end of her run looking virtually unscathed . . . or so we think.

“Did I do a 10K today? Absolutely, but this is what I looked like when I did it this morning,” she reveals, cutting to a much more realistic clip of herself red and sweaty after (actually) completing her run. “All I’ve done right now is walk a mile and casually record some portions of it.”

While this doesn’t definitively prove that all running influencers are faking their content for views, it does demonstrate how easy it is to do. “Don’t be fooled by these running influencers making shit look easy,” another creator adds on TikTok. “Filming and running is not easy.”

Following other infamous influencer confessions — in which several fitfluencers attributed their results to BBLs, confessed to not doing their own workouts, or admitted to being on GLP-1s — it’s understandable why people are more skeptical about who they follow online. We’re not saying all your favorite running influencers are being dishonest, but if their content feels purely performative (or so unrealistic it’s no longer motivating), there might be a reason for that. At the end of the day, accredited experts are still the best people to turn to for fitness advice. And if you’re asking us? Strava screenshots or it didn’t happen.

Chandler Plante (she/her) is an assistant health and fitness editor for PS. She has over four years of professional journalism experience, previously working as an editorial assistant for People magazine and contributing to Ladygunn, Millie, and Bustle Digital Group.