Why do some people blatantly lie about how fast they are?

Though I have never experienced this first hand, I have read about it here on the threads. It does not make sense to me that people would lie about their times as in today's times results are available at the touch of a button. Questionable.

Most people assume others will not look up their times, so feel safe exaggerating. If I told all my co-workers or even family (non who are serious runners) a time that wasn’t true, I can guarantee they are not going to question me or look up my times online. If I was with a group of runners, I probably wouldn’t do it.

I work at the same place as the op. The worst part about all the lying is that we work at a running store, with a bunch of runners...

Ask him to race

Because it's even easier than cutting the course.

I know a coach who claims to be an Olympian. He’s not.

I know an athlete who got a faster time in the results than he ran but said it was legit.

In 7th grade I has a kid tell me his PR in the mile was 4:07.

Human nature I guess.

I love talking running and like to research facts so I would ask him where and when. I don’t mind a bit of confrontation if I know that someone is lying.

compensation

You don't know the specifics so you shouldn't question the veracity of the claim. He may have just been wearing very good compression socks.

why?

because i can't handle the truth

I worked with a girl who told me she ran a 37:30 10k. I told her I didn't think she could run that fast (at the time, my pr was 37:32), but she insisted she did it. I said I wouldn't believe her until she showed me the results, and she started acting funny but refused to admit she was lying. Later, she messaged me on Facebook, told me she had lied, and sent the actual results. The time she ran wasn't even bad, I don't understand why she didn't just tell me the truth.

K3rmit wrote:

I worked with a girl who told me she ran a 37:30 10k. I told her I didn't think she could run that fast (at the time, my pr was 37:32), but she insisted she did it. I said I wouldn't believe her until she showed me the results, and she started acting funny but refused to admit she was lying. Later, she messaged me on Facebook, told me she had lied, and sent the actual results. The time she ran wasn't even bad, I don't understand why she didn't just tell me the truth.

bcuz she wants your lovin'

Same reason people (plenty on these boards) lie about how much money they make. Impressing others makes them feel good about themselves. Or if they're lying to match others it's more to fit in.

I worked with an older guy who was casually claiming that his 10K PR was “around 25”. The non-runners in the office gave him appreciative nods. By the third time he mentioned it, I couldn’t hold my tongue and let him know that he was a minute quicker than the world record. 5km, 10km what’s the difference, right?

A dad at my children’s school found out that I’d run a 2:45FM and told me he’d run a 2:28. I thought that was great and didn’t think any more of it. Then he changed the race at which he ran the 2:28 and it piqued my interest. Turns out it was a 2:58.

Not long after Kimetto set the world record, a guy I met at a party remarked that he couldn't fathom how someone could run that fast for that long. Maybe an hour and a half, but not 2 hours. Then he claimed that he used to run 20 milers in 1:30 at altitude when he used to live in Colorado. I didn't say anything at first, but something like disbelief/confusion must have registered on my face. Then he added, "Oh yeah, I used to be a sprinter".

I have this really annoying habit of telling people how incredibly good looking I am.

It doesn't usually take them very long to figure out that I am actually telling the truth.

cheers.

I've had a colleague claim he ran 34 minutes for 10 km when he was young. Nothing to back it up. There was no indication whatsoever he could be good at any sport. He didn't do any sport at the time. He was a salesman.

Another claimed he had run 8 minutes for 3000m while training seriously for basketball. He had forgotten the exact time.

I'm not sure if they lie to themselves or know perfectly well they are lying, and it matters very little: they are lying.

I see no issue confronting these people, if this is safe career-wise. If your boss makes such a claim, avoid ridiculing him in public, for instance.

grox wrote:

I've had a colleague claim he ran 34 minutes for 10 km when he was young. Nothing to back it up. There was no indication whatsoever he could be good at any sport. He didn't do any sport at the time. He was a salesman.

Another claimed he had run 8 minutes for 3000m while training seriously for basketball. He had forgotten the exact time.

I'm not sure if they lie to themselves or know perfectly well they are lying, and it matters very little: they are lying.

I see no issue confronting these people, if this is safe career-wise. If your boss makes such a claim, avoid ridiculing him in public, for instance.

34 minutes for 10k isn't all that great. Why do you assume he's lying?

My senior year of hs, this kid transferred over and claimed he ran a 4:07 mile the year before. Obviously this was a lie because I was a huge milesplit nerd and knew immediately. He joined the team and ran a 2:32 800 for his first race of outdoor (didn’t even do indoor) and ran somewhere around 5:30 for 1600. Seems like he could have run 4:07 for a 1200, if anything.