This Running Coach Has Millions of Views and Hundreds of Thousands of Followers—But Does He Exist?

“You should not run with your legs; you should run with your hips,” says a nameless man in an Instagram video that has 6 million views. “When I was 15, my coach stopped me after one minute. He said: ‘You are pushing the ground behind you, stop pushing.’”This is the kind of advice you’ll find on the account The Running Week. It’s seemingly doled out by a Kenyan man, who often appears either standing in front of the iconic “Home of Champions” sign in Iten (a Kenyan town where some of the world’s best runners train), or sitting on an off-white chair in front of a tin-roofed house.“This is why the runners in Iten look like they’re floating,” he continues in a flat rhythm, pronouncing the name of the town as “eye-ten” instead of “ee-ten.” “They are not working harder than you; they run from a different place in the body,” he adds, before directing followers to the link in his bio, where the account sells “the full Kenyan method,” a running book made of “tips and training secrets from the home of champions” and another with four 12-week training plans. In the comment section, many followers appreciate the advice; several bring up that without a demo, this post isn’t very helpful—the format of these videos is always a talking head.But what’s the real issue with the video? The person in it may not be real.The stories are presented as running advice and lessons gleaned from a life spent living and training in Kenya. But a closer look at the static background, cycling through the same actions (notice the repeatedly approaching car in the background) and odd movements, suggests that the “coach” may be an AI-generated persona. The account was founded by Matteo Sargenti, a self-described digital entrepreneur who has also established The Cycling Week and The Vegan Week. Instagram’s “About this account” information, which is based on a user’s IP address and regional activity, lists its location as Spain.As of August 31, 2026, Instagram asks accounts to use the “AI-generated profile” label, stating that “creators who don’t appropriately label their AI-generated profiles may see limits to their profile’s reach.” Outside of the stated consequences, the disclosure is currently voluntary—and none of these accounts were using it when this story was reported. Sargenti didn’t reply to queries about whether the personas in his account are AI-generated.Regarding the “AI-generated person,” Instagram further states that “The label applies to the account as a whole—it's different from the AI content label, which appears on individual posts when AI tools were used to create or modify the content.” During the reporting of this story, The Running Week added the AI content label to older videos but has not included it on its most recent posts. The AI content label does not clarify to what degree AI was used, as it applies to any AI tool used to enhance the content.“In running, anyone with a nice Instagram page can call himself a coach,” The Running Week’s purported expert says in a video from September that, ironically, has since been labeled “AI content.” At this point, the account has more than 400,000 followers on Instagram, and more than 80,000 on TikTok. It’s one of a growing number of accounts using what appear to be AI-generated personas to dispense running advice, supposedly based on lived experience. How much of this experience is real? If it isn’t real, where did it come from? And could following the advice turn harmful?Some of the Advice May Be Reasonable—But That’s Not the PointAlthough there are people who question The Running Week’s authenticity, commenting on the odd background movements or straight-up questioning if it’s AI (“Thanks for AIsplaining that to me bot!” one user commented), thousands of followers interact with it as with a real person, leaving comments like “I love your videos” or “You are truly inspiring.” The account’s followers include coaches and experienced runners such as Kathrine Switzer and Eliud Kipchoge. In one of the videos with over 5 million views, the nameless man says: “Don’t want to run today? In Kenya, we have a rule for days like this: put on your shoes, go outside, run for five minutes—only five. Then you are free to stop. No guilt.” Olympic runner Colleen Quigley commented, “This is so true!”This specific advice may be harmless, but the general risk remains that following guidance from an AI coach without credentials or actual experience, getting information from unknown sources, could lead to a plethora of issues, such as overuse injuries, aggressive mileage increases, or the spread of health misinformation.Hugo van den Broek, a Dutch coach who’s been in Iten for almost two decades, who has an MS in Human Movement Sciences and has competed at the Olympic Games, has started making his own videos in response to the surge of AI-manufactured ones, and in one of them, reacted to the five-minute rule. “It’s a good tip for amateur runners,” he says in his video. But whether Kenyans indeed use it—“not at all,” adds van Den Broek, who has lived in Iten for almost two decades. “Here in Iten, Kenyans run to change their life. Motivation is never an issue…except when they feel sick or are injured.”Mireille Sine, a USATF-certified running coach based in Los Angeles, who holds a BS in Exercise Science and a Master’s in Public Health, came across The Running Week when a friend reposted one of its videos. She messaged the friend: “Hey, just so you know, this is actually AI.” When she kept seeing the videos shared on others’ stories, she made her own in response to explain why it’s AI and to encourage people to share the content of actual professionals.It’s Not If AI Was Used—But HowThe problem isn’t necessarily the use of an avatar—infomercials have been using paid testimony for years—but that a fictional character is presented as having lived experience or expertise it doesn’t possess, says Sam Gregory, a researcher who specializes in generative AI and media ethics.If any avatar is borrowing Kenyan identity and culture to create a shortcut to credibility, this presents its own issues. At that point, it doesn’t even matter if the training advice itself is sound, Gregory says; good information doesn’t retroactively justify claiming unearned trust.The Running Week is one of several accounts perceived as being AI-generated. An account with a handle @coachkiprono, purporting to be a coach named Kevin Kiprono, who asks followers to download the Stryde app in nearly every post, was created in May 2026, is based in the U.S., and recently tagged all its videos as “AI content” (although it’s not using the “AI-generated person” label). Another one, Eric Kipto, who goes by @thekenyanrunnerr and offers “daily running tips and elite kenyan habits” in its bio, is based in Italy, sells running e-books, and also recently labeled its content as AI.Racialized personas on social media concern Sine. She has noticed AI-generated Black personas on accounts selling health products and supplements. If viewers see a persona who seems to represent them sharing seemingly authentic advice, the viewer may give that a try, Sine says. It’s another example of a shortcut to credibility.The experience of Augustus Kiprono, a Kenyan coach and elite pacer best known for pacing the likes of Mary Keitany, the former women-only marathon world-record holder, illustrates the kind of lived expertise the fictional persona claims to possess. “For me, I ran marathons and raced in many places across the world. I know this sport,” he says. “I know when someone is talented. I know when someone has potential. You cannot compare me with somebody who has never been in this sport for many years.”What to Look for Before Trusting a Social Media AccountVerify the Source, Not Just the VideoFirst, look closely at the video. Nick Tiller, author of The Health and Wellness Lie and exercise physiologist who studies AI and misinformation, says viewers should look for subtle inconsistencies in backgrounds, clothing, voices, and movement. AI videos reuse certain visual assets, like backgrounds, to remain consistent. “On real accounts, the locations will change, or, if in the same location, the lighting or time of day will vary,” adds Tiller.But Tiller also cautions that these clues are becoming less reliable. AI-generated video is improving quickly, and “we’re rapidly approaching a time when it’ll be impossible to distinguish AI-generated videos from real ones with the human eye,” he says.If the video seems real, investigate the account. Tiller advises clicking through to its details and looking at its location and credentials. He notes that AI accounts are often relatively new and may lack the personal history you’d expect from someone claiming years of professional experience.Follow the Money These accounts often direct followers toward a program or app they sell or offer a subscription to. “It’s usually not expensive,” says Sine. “So it’s like an easy buy-in for folks.”On its own, this would not be a problem—real coaches who have a book or app often do that as well. But monetization using manufactured credibility is central to the problem, says Gregory. “All these avatars online—from doctors, to business gurus, to fitness gurus—are driving people to buy content online; that’s their primary purpose, to monetize attention,” he says. “When the attention is bought with stolen trust and deception about the source, people should beware.”Don’t Rely on the “AI” Label AloneThe Running Week added Instagram’s “AI content” label in the past, after initially not having it, then abandoned it, then recently added it back to the majority (though not all) of its videos. But even disclosing a video was AI-generated doesn’t answer the questions that matter most: Who is the person offering advice? Is the man who never introduces himself to us by name truly a Kenyan coach? And does he actually have the experiences he’s describing? Not being able to find answers to these questions can be a red flag.Check the Coach’s CredentialsMost coaches will be forthcoming about the skills and experience they’ve picked up over the years, along with the studies they’ve done to gain the knowledge needed to address coaching scenarios that come up during the course of their work. In the U.S., look for a coach who is RRCA or USATF certified; both organizations have directories on their websites where you can double-check who is listed. Look for testimonials from athletes who have worked with them before. Sine also recommends interacting with the coaching account online to see whether the person is able to answer your questions.The Bottom LineTo Sine, it all comes down to the value of human connection. “I think as humans, we always come back to that, because running can already feel so mechanical, right?” she says. “Talking to a human who can share in that lived experience, and they know what it feels like to cross the finish line of a marathon. They know what it feels like to be injured.”For Kiprono, the difference between genuine experience and a manufactured version of it is simple. “It’s like a photocopy. There is the real paper, and there is the photocopy.”