The only way this made any sense to me was if she was scamming donation money to pocket. Otherwise, there seems to be little point. No one aside from other runners really cares much about your races and times. You might get some congratulatory posts on FB/IG, but more attention would come from pretending you've been victimized in some way (eg fat-shamed by skinny employee in Whataburger). That's why I firmly believe it's all an elaborate ruse to steal money.