Take a pic from futher back right now I can’t even figure out what I am looking at . I will tell that the only way to fix this is to strip the finish off , sand the wood and then actually stain the wood to match the floors there is no easy fix.

I would skip the "runner" and have the stairs completely covered in carpet. It would probably be the easiest solution at this time. There are many stairs that are completely covered in carpet yet the rest of the home is hardwood. It isn't ideal....but it is fast and much cheaper than the alternative = full sand and refinish.

That looks more like a coat of paint was applied over the wood. I can't see any wood color or grain through it. It's not exactly a great picture so I could be wrong. If the whole thing is as splotchy as the picture you posted, you should be able to purchase a dark brown paint and glaze the areas before the runner goes in. To hone your technique you can practice on the areas that will be covered by the runner.

For a bandaid I’d consider a “colored varnish”, something like Minwax Polyshades.

socalgal, Polyshades is rather transparent. I don't think it would work in this case.

Polyshades will work, but only if you use the dark brown or black colors and do 3 coats. It will look almost like a painted surface though when you are done. Also, I always poly over the Polyshades because it's not very durable by itself.

After quite a bit of experimentation (luckily I had lots of room in to-be-covered areas), Minwax gel stain proved to be the best option. Varathane brand gel stain didn't seem to adhere as well, and Polyshades couldn't achieve a dark enough colour even in several coats. The key was to apply a reasonably healthy coat (or several) ONLY to the peeled areas, carefully wiping any excess off the surrounding areas to avoid darkening the existing stain and leaving a ring. The end result is far from pristine but it does a satisfactory job of camouflaging small imperfections until a full refinish can be done some years down the road.