Cheating at races has been a hot topic lately, especially with Boston Marathon barely in the rear view mirror. Every year there are accusations (and findings) of people cutting courses, wearing counterfeit bibs, or getting someone to run a race wearing their bib. Today on Tuesdays on the Run, we are talking about these cheaters. What’s your opinion?
Personally, I don’t understand cheating on a race. ( I don’t really understand cheating at all, but at least in other areas, there seems to be something out there to be gained.
But it’s a race. What exactly do you gain? If you are fast and cheating helps you win, how likely is it that you won’t be found out? Many races have cameras and mats in place to prevent cheating and they are likely to figure out that things aren’t adding up.
And if you aren’t wining there race, seriously what.is.the.point? No one but you really cares about your time. And are they really bragging rights when you didn’t actually do what you are bragging about?
I do think that race directors could cut down on some of the abuse by allowing bib transfers up until right before a race. I’m pretty sure that one of the most common forms of cheating is allowing a friend to run using your bib (or selling it outright) or you using someone else’s bib. If every race allowed last minute changes to who was running, there would be a lot less of the using of a bib that you didn’t register for. (And the defense that races are planning for a certain percentage of runners to not compete seems like just plain poor planning on the races fault.)
I do think that there are things a race can do crack down on cheaters, but I don’t know if it needs to be a huge focus. There have always been cheaters and there likely always will. Karma knows who they are and eventually they’ll pay.
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I totally agree. I just don’t understand why people cheat in races. If they are cheating to win, they will probably get caught. And like you said, no one really cares about other runners’ times! Its much more of a personal thing so if you didnt actually earn it how can it be something you are proud of?
The thing I love about running is that it’s such an individual sport. For each race, my friends and I start together, and wish each other luck, knowing that our finishing times will be vastly different. But the excitement we all have at the end for having finished the race is the same. So why cheat? It just boggles my mind. Disgusting behaviour.
I agree wholeheartedly with this post. I think you summed it up nicely, what is the point? What do you actually gain?
I personally don’t understand the point. I run for recreation and to challenge myself. What do I have to gain by cheating anything?
YESSS. I dont get it either for that same reason. Are they just all lying to themselves more than us?
I agree with you 100% on bib transfers. Wouldn’t that be helpful?
I totally agree on bib transfers. It seems like it’s a win-win all around & don’t understand why more races don’t do it.
I don’t get it either! I hate that if they get away with it that it DOES effect other runners who care about their placement (I don’t know many who do, but i’m just sayin).
I think races could help lessen the number of cheaters by allowing bib transfers but I understand the amount of work that would involve. One of my favorite races here in Florida, Celebration, allows transfers. It sells out a few weeks early but there are always people who are willing to transfer their bib. I believe the race director also allows for last minute downgrading from the full to half. Unfortunately don’t get me started on this topic…it was a sore point in Boston for me. I think it was a great topic to bring up. It is all about just doing the right thing.
At least elites are tested, and those same samples stored for years afterwards to keep testing. It’s hard not to be cynical right now with elites being busted, and then the everyday runners getting busted too. I get the competition side, but I don’t understand cheating.
Cheating in any aspect of life, whether its sports, academics, or anything else, doesn’t get you anywhere. In the long run, the main person that you’re hurting is yourself.
I agree about allowing bib transfers. I think it will help the issue of friends using other friends bibs for sure.
YES to race transfers! It baffles me how runDisney doesn’t have a transfer policy. Not only would they make a little through fees, (personally, I’d pay $50 to transfer,) but this would also motivate more runners to register if they knew they’d have some way to back out. Maybe then they’d have more sell outs!
As for the cheaters … sigh. Do they not fear bad running karma?
Race cheating is awful, but I do think a lot of people online take it too far with their vigilante justice. At the end of the day, it’s just a race…seriously! I do think that doping is a huge problem for elites and I wish people could just play fair.
I don’t understand what anyone would gain by cheating… seems like they would be cheating themselves.
That someone would go to these lengths to fraudulently “win” something in order to influence what others think of them blows my mind. Seriously, who cares???
Good point about the race transfers. I don’t see why they can’t allow it up to at least 48 hours before.
It really doesn’t gain you anything at all! I’m with you 100%, karma will catch up to these people who choose to cheat.
I just don’t get it …I won’t even wear a tshirt from a race that I didn’t run! I have a cool tshirt from a race in NYC that I didn’t make due to icy weather and I can’t even bring myself to wear it other than around the house.
I talked to a race director recently about last minute Bib transfers and the biggest hurdle is getting the contact information in case there is an emergency. That said, with our technology today, if a race wanted to provide the means to do it legally and properly, Bib transfers can easily be accomplished. But that leads to the second problem, Race Directors want to make extra money on such things, (often charging the original race fee to the person the Bib is transferred to) which means the payment process adds time. That said, it should be possible to allow Bib Transfers up to one day prior to the race, at the very least.