A viral TikTok that appeared to show a woman rejecting a marriage proposal during a marathon sparked widespread discussion online, but the story it told was entirely fabricated.
The first video in the chain was posted by TikTok user @loulouorange on March 22, 2025.
@loulouorange When I first told him I was training for a marathon, he called me “unfulfilled corporate millennial final boss.” At the time I thought it was funny, but now I think it was a subtle attempt to downplay my accomplishment before I’d even achieved it 😐 #running #marathon #toxic #boyfriend #proposal #publicproposal ♬ original sound – Louisa Melcher
In it, she appears on camera recounting a personal anecdote about a boyfriend who once called her an “unfulfilled corporate millennial final boss” when she told him she was training for a marathon. The implication of the video is that the same man later proposed to her during the race, and that she ended the relationship as a result.
The story gained traction after another creator, @gyf.hhg, used TikTok’s green screen feature to add video footage of a man kneeling at a marathon with a ring while the narrator talks. That visual implied it was real footage of the breakup story being described.
@gyf.hhg When I first told him I was training for a marathon, he called me “unfulfilled corporate millennial final boss.” At the time I thought it was funny, but now I think it was a subtle attempt to downplay my accomplishment before I’d even achieved it 😐 #running #marathon #toxic #boyfriend #proposal #publicproposal#fyp#foryoupage #viral #TikTok #greenscreen ♬ original sound – gyf hhg
But that marathon footage wasn’t related to either storyteller at all.
It originated from a separate video posted by @mileswithmaddie on March 28, 2025.
@gyf.hhg When I first told him I was training for a marathon, he called me “unfulfilled corporate millennial final boss.” At the time I thought it was funny, but now I think it was a subtle attempt to downplay my accomplishment before I’d even achieved it 😐 #running #marathon #toxic #boyfriend #proposal #publicproposal#fyp#foryoupage #viral #TikTok #greenscreen ♬ original sound – gyf hhg
In her post, Maddie confirms that the video shows her real-life proposal during a marathon — one she was happy to receive.
“This happened in 2022 and we’re happily married with a kid now,” she wrote in the caption. “Yes I loved this proposal! It was one of the best days of my life.”
Maddie’s original video was used without her consent or context in the green-screened version that helped the fictional breakup narrative go viral. The couple in her video is not connected to either of the other TikTok creators.
The situation prompted some users on platforms like LetsRun to point out the mismatch and flag the story as false.
While the original storytelling post by @loulouorange does not name anyone or claim that the footage is hers, the green-screen version made it appear as though the clip of the proposal was part of the same story, leading many viewers to believe it was a real event.
As of June 5, all three videos remain online. Maddie’s original post continues to show what it was always meant to: a personal and positive memory of a marathon proposal.
