I recently got a pb for a World 1 RTA, and I want to submit but there is one problem. I bumped into the goomba (aka fred) and paused the timer. I unpaused once I reappeared on the world map and continued normally.

I highly doubt it, but is this a legit run?

RTA stands for Real Time Attack, meaning the timer has to keep running through the entire run. As long as the video shows the entire run, it can be retimed properly.

For future attempts if you want to avoid running into him, you can start your run while he's on the top-left square as that will guarantee you can avoid him (see a no world 5 or a cannonless run as an example)

Okay, thanks for the tip.

However, I just wanted to say that I tried the goomba trick but it didn't work. I recorded so here it is:

When you say "that will guarantee you can avoid him," do you mean it just increases the chances?

If he does that you don't want to run directly into him lol. I made a diagram that might help visualize what you need to do: https://imgur.com/a/A7OJ4bi

Check World 1 RTA rules; pausing may affect run legitimacy.