Guy I know is serial liar about his running-uses it to get jobs, awards, free stuff, etc.

Are you the OP wrote:

mystery fish wrote:

...Although this might not be the most pressing issue on the boards, it is a smack in the face to those people who have trained hard and ran those times...

I am not saying you are lying, but I think you are the OP because you continue to use the incorrect tense. That said, half the people on this board get run/ran wrong on a regular basis, so you two might just both be getting it wrong.

But just out of curiosity, since you seem to know a lot about this guy, why wouldn't you ask where he ran his 2:20 or what year he placed top three at NYC? I mean, it seems like you could just have a quick conversation and get some things cleared up in a rather definitive manner.

"I heard you tell that customer that you ran 2:20 at NYC and placed top three. That is awesome! What year was that? I want to see who you raced. Good stuff, bro!"

WhatShouldIDo wrote:

There's this guy in my town who flat out lies about his running times to everyone in the area.

I've met people like this before and usually just brush them off, but he's used these lies to get jobs, get free stuff from shoe companies, and other sort of special privileges.

I'm 100% positive that he has never ran these times and is overall just a kind of weird guy so I'm not really sure how to approach the situation.

It's also worth mentioning that he says he cannot hit these times anymore because of a medical condition that I am also very skeptical about (claimed over a year ago that he has a very serious condition that is progressive and incurable, but continues to run races and his health/demeanor/appearance has not changed at all) I think a lot of people, including myself, are hesitant to call him out on this because if he actually does have it, it would seem very insensitive. But based on his other lies it seems very unlikely that it's true.

Regardless of that part, the running part is absolutely lies. I don't want another Frank Meza situation but the guy is really taking advantage of a lot of people's good will.

What would you do in this situation?

mystery fish wrote:

Knowing the OP, I can confirm that all of this is true. He has used his running "exploits" to get free gear from brands (shoes, apparel, etc...), sell more products, and has even duped his way into being a co-owner of another local running shop. We both used to work with this guy in run-specialty and he consistently lied about his times to customers, giving them bad advice as well as just outright deceiving them. He was honored with an award in our running community based off of his sickness and his running feats. Some of these feats include a 2:20 marathon, a 1:06 half, being a "world champion," and even claims to have a top-three finish at the NYC half. He has lied about training with the mammoth track club, as well as even going as far as saying he was in NOP for a few years before ducking out due to the drug speculation. Although this might not be the most pressing issue on the boards, it is a smack in the face to those people who have trained hard and ran those times. It is deceiving to the customers who put their faith in him and form relationships purely based on the lies he has told. He has even conned some elite runners and as I said, has snaked his way into becoming a co-owner at another local shop. This is far more than your average guy spotting himself a couple of seconds on his PR or saying he used to be elite in a passing conversation. He is blatantly lying about many different things in order to make himself look better and to make personal gains.

mystery fish wrote:

Knowing the OP, I can confirm that all of this is true. He has used his running "exploits" to get free gear from brands (shoes, apparel, etc...), sell more products, and has even duped his way into being a co-owner of another local running shop. We both used to work with this guy in run-specialty and he consistently lied about his times to customers, giving them bad advice as well as just outright deceiving them. He was honored with an award in our running community based off of his sickness and his running feats. Some of these feats include a 2:20 marathon, a 1:06 half, being a "world champion," and even claims to have a top-three finish at the NYC half. He has lied about training with the mammoth track club, as well as even going as far as saying he was in NOP for a few years before ducking out due to the drug speculation. Although this might not be the most pressing issue on the boards, it is a smack in the face to those people who have trained hard and ran those times. It is deceiving to the customers who put their faith in him and form relationships purely based on the lies he has told. He has even conned some elite runners and as I said, has snaked his way into becoming a co-owner at another local shop. This is far more than your average guy spotting himself a couple of seconds on his PR or saying he used to be elite in a passing conversation. He is blatantly lying about many different things in order to make himself look better and to make personal gains.