Jog on! Lazy Strava users are using a secret app to FAKE their runs - as furious joggers compare it to 'cheating at Solitaire'

Daily Mail​

23-05-2025

It's the go-to running app for millions of people around the world.
But if you spot one of your friends posting impressive runs on Strava, all may not be as it seems.
Some lazy users are using a secret app to fake their runs.
The app, aptly named 'Fake My Run', lets users create custom running routes that look realistic on fitness tracking platforms like Strava.
Across social media, the app has received mixed reviews, with some users delighted at the ability to con their friends.
'insane, i hate it and i love it. great work,' one user tweeted, while another said: 'I hate this so much….but I also love that this is possible.'
However, others were less accepting - with one furious user comparing the con to 'cheating on Solitaire'.
'Who would care, really? It's like cheating at solitaire. You run/bike/workout for yourself, in the first place, right? To feel good, to stay healthy and to enjoy your rides/run,' they vented.
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A post shared by Arthur Bouffard (@arthurbfrd)
Some lazy users are using a secret app to fake their runs. The app, aptly named 'Fake My Run', lets users create custom running routes that look realistic on fitness tracking platforms like Strava
Fake My Run is the brainchild of Amsterdam-based developer, Arthur Bouffard, who was inspired after seeing a surge in Strava users paying 'mules' to run for them.
'Strava mules have gone viral recently for charging 10-20$ to run for other people and improve their stats, which made me think there has to be an easier way,' he explained on X.
'There is. And after a bit of clever engineering, I built Fake My Run.'
To create a fake run, users can visit fakemy.run and draw a custom route anywhere in the world.
To make the runs more believable, Mr Bouffard has even included the option to align the path to the roads.
'Your perfectly drawn path is going to follow curvature of the streets and make it look as realistic as possible,' he explained in a video.
You can also adjust the run details - with the option to select your own pace, date, start time, and a description.
'You can create really realistic runs or really insane and impossible runs. You want to go run in Mongolia? No problem,' the developer said.
Once you're happy with your fake run, you can download the file and upload it directly to your chosen fitness app.
'And boom, the activity has been added to your Strava account,' Mr Bouffard added.
Mr Bouffard is a runner himself, but became frustrated with the way the 'culture around running has shifted.'
'Running used to be a very personal sport that was mainly practised to challenge yourself, to improve your physical and mental health, to stay in shape, to compete with others, to discover new parts of the world, etc,' he explained.
'In the last couple of years, I've seen running increasingly shift towards becoming a social status and way of signalling a lifestyle.
'Every activity can be turned into an Instagram story, every marathon can become a TikTok video. And social running apps are the spine, the solid, irrefutable proof of those very achievements.
'Like social media though, running posts can be faked. Which is in part why I made Fake My Run. As a way to challenge the culture shift around running.
'To also prove the good old saying that you shouldn't trust what you see on the internet. But also because it was technically doable and entertaining.'
'Who would care, really? It's like cheating at solitaire. You run/bike/workout for yourself, in the first place, right? To feel good, to stay healthy and to enjoy your rides/run,' one user vented
'The digital world is a mess can't trust anything or anyone. In a few years or decades, most of the people will leave the internet and go back to the real world where real things happen,' one user tweeted
The app has garnered huge attention across social media, with a very mixed response.
'The digital world is a mess can't trust anything or anyone. In a few years or decades, most of the people will leave the internet and go back to the real world where real things happen,' one user tweeted.
Another added: 'Why would anyone be jealous how much somebody ran? This workout culture is getting out of hand.'
And one wrote: 'Surely people aren't using this, you're only cheating yourself.'