The Funniest thing you've seen on the start line of a race

TheRoadRunner

Was chatting with a friend today and ththe topic of the weirdest/funniest thing we had ever seen in a race came up. For me

1) Standing on start line of Dublin marathon a few years back. Had spent the Summer training with a work colleague. I never knew he smoked until he sparked up a cigarette 5 minutes before the off. Just to settle his nerves. Apparently he smokes 20 a day :eek:

2) Same day, about 2 minutes later an auld fellah in front of me pisses into a bottle, puts a lid on it and attempts to throw it over the side railings (we were front centre). Didn't give it enough ooomph and clocked a well known RTE producer who was running in the head. I couldn't stop laughing.

nerraw1111

Declan Moffitt, from Glenamaddy at the start of the Southampton marathon.

Lined up at the very front alongside the elites, wearing a Saw Doctor's t-shirt. Took off at the start before falling into a ditch exhausted after two miles.

gerard65

TheRoadRunner wrote: »

I never knew he smoked until he sparked up a cigarette 5 minutes before the off. Just to settle his nerves. Apparently he smokes 20 a day :eek:

What time did he do?

jeffontour

I saw a guy wearing golf wet gear at the start of an ultra once. Turned out to be a mate of mine, I tore strips off him. He beat me, so I guess he laughed last!

(and was dry)

TheRoadRunner

gerard65 wrote: »

What time did he do?

I'm not sure if it was 3.10 or 3.20.

liamo123

In Barca earlier this year saw fella going 4 a sh!te just before start of marathon in full view of numerous fellow runners.... Looking back I can laugh...at the time I nearly puked :mad:

jprender

TheRoadRunner wrote: »

gerard65 wrote: »

What time did he do?

I'm not sure if it was 3.10 or 3.20.

Including or excluding smoke breaks ?

belle2e

Mod: This includes TV personalities

[*]Don't slag someone else's performance. We all strive to improve our times and hopefully this forum will help people do that. If you scoff at someone who is proud of running 50 mins for a 10k, keep it to yourself. It doesn't matter if someone took 10 hours to cover 26.2 miles or used stabilisers to do a triathlon. They are talking about their achievements and please do not undermine that.

DublinDilbert

At the start of the 5 miler in the park there was a few people with the wrong colour number on (eg for the 10mile or half). And there's always someone with it on upside down. Oh yea the camel back on upside down was another one i saw at a race in the park, that did make me laugh.

I've seen a few funny strange ones and not funny ha-ha, at the 10km in park-west last summer a guy showed very very drunk. In his own mind he thought he was incredibly funny and even started messing with the other runners etc.

elvis jones

DublinDilbert wrote: »

At the start of the 5 miler in the park there was a few people with the wrong colour number on (eg for the 10mile or half). And there's always someone with it on upside down. Oh yea the camel back on upside down was another one i saw at a race in the park, that did make me laugh.

I've seen a few funny strange ones and not funny ha-ha, at the 10km in park-west last summer a guy showed very very drunk. In his own mind he thought he was incredibly funny and even started messing with the other runners etc.

I remember that, i think he did cause a few problems on the course.

shels4ever

Seen a guy years ago at the start line pissed and in shoes. He managed to get a pair of runners and went on to win the race locked :eek:

Timmaay

Hmm, this wasn't at the startline, but by far the funnest thing I ever saw during a race. Some local 2/3mile race few years back, about a mile into the race, from behind I hear two runners coming flatout up towards me, I was thinking what the **** are they at, its only a mile in, they can't be sprinting like that!! I take a quick glance back, only to see a massive horse coming flatout up behind me (4hoofs sounded like 2 runners), it passed me out, and kept on going up the road, a few travellers running after it also, shouting and roaring at us to try to stop it. From talking to a few of my friends, the horse made it up to 2nd place in the race before it darted off a different road! I definitely lost a few secs that race from laughing at the whole incident!

Bugsy2000

At a 6k race last November this fella turned up head to toe in the latest compression gear, gel belt, gps watch, ipod, wrap around headphones......you name it he had it on him. It was like he was modelling the latest wares for a sports gear shop. He had about 8 gel packets sticking out of the belt which was what caught everyones eye, it was only a 6k race after all.

I can only assume he was trying to get used to wearing the gear for a different race but he looked completely over the top that morning.

AJCOT

Timmaay wrote: »

Hmm, this wasn't at the startline, but by far the funnest thing I ever saw during a race. Some local 2/3mile race few years back, about a mile into the race, from behind I hear two runners coming flatout up towards me, I was thinking what the **** are they at, its only a mile in, they can't be sprinting like that!! I take a quick glance back, only to see a massive horse coming flatout up behind me (4hoofs sounded like 2 runners), it passed me out, and kept on going up the road, a few travellers running after it also, shouting and roaring at us to try to stop it. From talking to a few of my friends, the horse made it up to 2nd place in the race before it darted off a different road! I definitely lost a few secs that race from laughing at the whole incident!

Hard to beat Kilcoole & Fit4Life for thrills though I thought it was a panto horse.:D

robinph

shels4ever wrote: »

Seen a guy years ago at the start line pissed and in shoes. He managed to get a pair of runners and went on to win the race locked :eek:

There was a couple of pissed up lads did a 5 mile race in bare feet with us earlier in the year. I think it was actually a stag do as there were a load of their mates at a nearby bar on the route all wearing the same t-shirts and cheering them on. They had obviously see the rest of us all warming up before hand and then drunkenness got the better of them and they had to enter as well.

He did finish and was happily cheering everyone else going the oposite way throughout the race.

Bugsy2000 wrote: »

At a 6k race last November this fella turned up head to toe in the latest compression gear, gel belt, gps watch, ipod, wrap around headphones......you name it he had it on him. It was like he was modelling the latest wares for a sports gear shop. He had about 8 gel packets sticking out of the belt which was what caught everyones eye, it was only a 6k race after all.

I can only assume he was trying to get used to wearing the gear for a different race but he looked completely over the top that morning.

The same race as the stag above we were joined by an even more over dressed guy. He was wearing one of those rhino suits you see in the London Marathon and so was using the race as a test of wearing the suit. It's not exactly something you could just run your normal training circuit wearing I guess.

Timmaay

Completing a 5mile while locked is very impressive! I remember doing an 800 race on the trinity grasstrack a few years ago, a few trinners students drinking dutch saw the races, run up and ask what can they run in! The 800 was the only opened race, and 3 of them signed up for it. None of them had any gear on for it, one chap ran it in his jeans and socks, I think another did it in just his jocks ha! Was probably my own competitive 800 ever back then, I was in rubbish shape, but thankfully the competition was also rubbish! I won the race in an embarrassing 2.17, with one of the chaps who was locked in 3rd place, ahead of one or 2 other actual runners. The other drunks dropped out after a lap! Funny stuff, thank god I've come along way from 2.17 tho ha!

ecoli

Timmaay wrote: »

Completing a 5mile while locked is very impressive! I remember doing an 800 race on the trinity grasstrack a few years ago, a few trinners students drinking dutch saw the races, run up and ask what can they run in! The 800 was the only opened race, and 3 of them signed up for it. None of them had any gear on for it, one chap ran it in his jeans and socks, I think another did it in just his jocks ha! Was probably my own competitive 800 ever back then, I was in rubbish shape, but thankfully the competition was also rubbish! I won the race in an embarrassing 2.17, with one of the chaps who was locked in 3rd place, ahead of one or 2 other actual runners. The other drunks dropped out after a lap! Funny stuff, thank god I've come along way from 2.17 tho ha!

Maybe they were training for the Beer mile?:D (will have to make an appearance this year myself)

sideswipe

Before the 5mile in the park I saw a guy putting his runners on, but he had his L sock on his R foot and his R sock on his L foot:D;)

TheRoadRunner

sideswipe wrote: »

Before the 5mile in the park I saw a guy putting his runners on, but he had his L sock on his R foot and his R sock on his L foot:D

I never pay any heed to those socks and at this moment in time have two left socks on my feet. One on each obviously.

ecoli

TheRoadRunner wrote: »

I never pay any heed to those socks and at this moment in time have two left socks on my feet. One on each obviously.

Could be worse least your shoes match;)

sanbrafyffe

you know the sport where they cycle racer bikes around a track on timber flooring at an angle and the wheels have no spokes,there normally just all covered in.i seen a guy at a line gettin ready for the hooter.he was trying to break a world record.the commenator was saying;;;he breaths heavily,he has preparing for this for years,,he is so determined to reach his goal etc...next time hooter went.he didnt even get 10 foot.his front wheel gave way and he ended up on the floor.so funny:D

Toblerone1978

Not something saw during during the race per se, but a friend of a buddy ran the marathon. He put in a lot of work, done a decent time and was quite rightly proud of his achievement, especially being his first marathon.

However when he went to look at the photos of himself, for the finishing photo, there was a guy in a large banana costume that just came in before him! Now the guy in the costume probably only ran 100 yds, but it does definitely take the gloss of the poor man's finishing picture!! After all his work, both on the day and leading up to it.

I don't think he brought the photo in the end.

YFlyer

A banana skin :pac:

ecoli

Was discussing this with few of the lads here recently. I know of a certain boardsie who was dressed in a costume (elephant I believe) and decided he was going to win a marathon (wont name the race). Lead car thought it was someone taking the piss and didnt realise he was participating so decided not to follow. Low and behold ended up getting lost and taking a detour which cost him the race.

Declan Mofitt eat your heart out:p

Gandalph

Funniest thing at a starting line...."I DID NOT MOVE!!"