Cheaters in Running Shoes

ekevosu

Interesting article (from 2004) on how some people have been found cheating at marathons:

http://www.runworks.com/about76.html

With all the recent attention on drug doping athletes, it's easy to forget about the more mundane kinds of cheating that occur in the sport. While race route shortcuts and other kinds of blatant cheating are rare among the leaders, they do still occur among those back in the pack. Overworked race directors may not have time to investigate every allegation of cheating, further exacerbating the problem. In a sport that still relies primarily on the honor system, cheating runners may be more common than you think.

Running's best-known cheater is undoubtedly Rosie Ruiz. At the 1980 Boston Marathon, the totally unknown Ruiz emerged as if from nowhere in the final miles to win the women's race. A now infamous photograph shows Ruiz standing atop the winner's podium with men's champion Alberto Salazar. Oddly, Ruiz did not appear in any of the photographs of the race leaders along the course. Eventually a few people came forward to say they had seen her jump into the race during its final half-mile and then sprint to the finish line. Later investigation showed that she had also cheated in the New York marathon by riding the subway along part of the course.

More recently, 1991 Brussels Marathon winner Abbes Tehami was disqualified after it was revealed his coach had started the race for him, and he had only finished it. And just last month, the master's division winner at the Richmond Marathon was disqualified for cheating. Tipped off by another runner suspicious of his 2:45:12 finish time, the athlete coordinator discovered that James Rhyne's half marathon split was 1:59 and he did not record a 20-mile split time.

Cheaters among mid-pack runners generally fail to make the headlines. One exception is the case of Chandra Bozelko, whose cheating was exposed thanks to an extensive online research project in the Runner's World Online discussion forums. Investigation showed that she had run only the last mile of a half dozen marathons in 2002, often finishing near the leaders. Bozelko was eventually disqualified from most of the events, but she is still listed in 2nd place in the 35-39 age group on the Hartford Marathon's web site.

More common are those who take only minor shortcuts, so as to avoid drawing too much suspicion. During a recent Pittsburgh marathon, runners complained about cheaters who jumped across the median before the turn-around point on an out-and-back stretch of the course. Sometimes runners give in to the temptation to cut across lawns and parking lots to shave a few dozen yards here and there. Most races take no action against these types of cheaters.

The increasing popularity and expense of road racing has also resulted in more bib-swap cheating. Popular races may reach their registration limits well before race day, creating a demand for gray-market race number bibs sold by those registrants who must drop out due to injury or who see an opportunity to make a quick profit. While many may view this activity as harmless, it can create an unfair playing field for those vying for top age group spots. For example, the winner of the women's 60-65 age group at the 2002 Chicago marathon was actually a 37 year old man using his mother's race number bib.

What motivates runners to cheat in a sport that's primarily a competition against oneself is an interesting question. For some, the lure of a Boston qualifying time or an age group award is enough to compromise their principles. For others, cheating may be an attempt to win respect from peers, or may be completely inadvertent. Whatever the reasons, though, it's unfortunate when cheaters tarnish the experiences of honest runners and drive them from the sport.

plodder

There was a good thread on this before . Some good anecdotes.

eliwallach

I was seriously tempted (:rolleyes:) to cut down Inchagaggin lane 1/2 mile into the final relay leg on the CCM on Monday, I would have emerged on the Straight rd. with 2 miles shaved off my distance :eek:.
But moral integrity is my achilles heel .

My mothers words still ring loud in my ears "cheaters never prosper".

shels4ever

I'd say half the field in teh Belfast marathon would have been gone after the first bend, got to the turn and was pushed up onto the path myself and had to shout at a few folk, after that ever turn was been cut my someone...

Slogger Jogger

Some routes play into the hands of people who might be willing to take a chance more than others I suppose. In Edinburgh for instance there were various stretches of out and back, separated by a few cones, so it would have been easy enough to have done the dishonest thing. When a course is a loop its pretty difficult to do so.

Stark

I'd say in most cases (unless there's prize money involved or whatever), you're only fooling yourself. How do you know what time you're actually capable of when you go and cheat in the race. Better off not entering at all.

eliwallach

Was talking to a guy who was stewarding on the Marathon last Monday. He told me that the leading Relay team runner neglected to circumnavigate The Lough (seemingly he hust followed the Garda motorbike) thereby shaving up to 3/4 mile off their marathon distance.
He (the steward) wasn't sure what sanction (if any) had been/will be taken.
Don't think there was any malice involved.

aburke

eliwallach wrote: »

Was talking to a guy who was stewarding on the Marathon last Monday. He told me that the leading Relay team runner neglected to circumnavigate The Lough (seemingly he hust followed the Garda motorbike) thereby shaving up to 3/4 mile off their marathon distance.
He (the steward) wasn't sure what sanction (if any) had been/will be taken.
Don't think there was any malice involved.

3/4 of a mile!!!
Thats a big difference!