London Marathon Doctored Numbers

I've been made aware of people running this years London marathon using previous years numbers. The evidence is there! Looking at a photo of runners with same number, one is legit with the boost logo, the other has the number missing from below. Very disturbing that this is happening. Not only spoiling it for legit runners, but a potential security and health risk. Anybody else witnessed this? As a world major, the organisers need to take note.
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Comments

  • Never seen it but always wondered if people did it as friends joke about it all the time. Err.... hope this thread does not give people the idea?!

    Last year's says "adidas" with the 3 stripes, this year says #boost

    So they did different design this year which might have helped prevent this.  Could even have a smart-chip in the race which has to be scanned upon entry to the start zone to ensure it's an active/valid number.  Still, might still stop people coming out of pubs/loos and joining along the way, pretending they have had a pit stop.

    Berlin does wrist bands which go on at the Expo and stay on until after the finish.

    Hope there were enough medals for the legit runners at the end if bandits tried to take one ;(

  • Berlin was so tight last year due to what happened in Boston, you were not allowed to the start or to get your medal with out the wrist band. VMLM as Dennis said is a world major and something needs to be done about this now.
  • Unfortunately the numbers were to similar. Also, the fraudster could claim your bag from the bag drop. I like what they did in Berlin. The wristband was a great idea. Would is also a concern, is what if one of these fraudsters collapses on course? A lot of confusion trying to inform and or deal with medical records. I've heard somebody organises a coach and openly runs on old numbers.
  • You might have a bib but you wouldn't have timing chip. Given that some people do lose them how often would it need to happen for someone removing them at the finish to become suspicious?

  • Dennis Cartwright wrote (see)
    . Would is also a concern, is what if one of these fraudsters collapses on course? A lot of confusion trying to inform and or deal with medical records.


    Who cares ? If they knowingly run on a false number, they should accept that if they get taken ill they may die cos no one knows who they are !!!

    I wouldn't waste a lot of sleep over it

  • They also get to enter the supposedly secure start area!! I think that is a massive concern.
  • Hell.. I hadn't thought of that,  Access to the gents urinal  and all the gels you can scrounge

  • So wrong on many reasons, they havnt entered through the ballot, neither have they earned a GFA, they have not paid to enter and they get to collect the t shirt, medal and goody bag at the finish.  Makes a mockery of the whole system and is so wrong for the masses of us that try hard year after year one way or another to get in.

     

  • Precisely!! Those queues are big enough as it is.
  • Joking aside, Dave, surely London don't want to have anything happen that sadly happened in Boston this time last year. The main reason why at Berlin, we had a wrist band put on when collecting our numbers.
  • Can people check their official race photos as there are instances of other runners appearing on your photos under your race no.  A perfect example of someone running with a previous years 'doctored' race no.

  • Dave the ex spartan if someone is running with a doctored number and becomes ill the real runners emergency contact would probably be contacted too! Imagine that! Being told **** has collapsed and been taken to hospital then finding out its no one you know!
  • Just imagine....

    So what are you going to do ? barbed wire down the whole of the route ?

    very obvious number changes so that fraudsters can be swooped on my member's of the SAS ?

    or just carry on as it is, and not lose any sleep over it

  • Why bother replying if you're going to be a prat?
  • A simple change of colour on the bib no would suffice.  This years is the same as last year apart from the boost underneath.  Dave, how do you get your place?....ballot, GFA?

     

  • Perhaps you could have trap doors in the mall and if the chip on your number wasn't current, the door would open and you could fall into a large pit under Green Park...

  • Club place once, ballot twice, But haven't done it in 5 years

  • Dennis Cartwright wrote (see)
    Joking aside, Dave, surely London don't want to have anything happen that sadly happened in Boston this time last year. The main reason why at Berlin, we had a wrist band put on when collecting our numbers.

    I agree with you up to a point but, if you remember, what happened at Boston was carried out by people pretending to be spectators. There's really not much anyone can do to stop a repeat of that in any large city marathon.

     

  • and you clearly haven't run Paris, Where last year we had cyclists weaving in and out of the runners, a little old lady crossing the road with her dogs and an old guy with his shopping trolley full of baguettes crossing the road

  • Dave The Ex- Spartan wrote (see)

    and you clearly haven't run Paris, Where last year we had cyclists weaving in and out of the runners, a little old lady crossing the road with her dogs and an old guy with his shopping trolley full of baguettes crossing the road

    The same sort of thing happened in Rome where you had tourists "wandering" across the road near the Spanish Steps as the runners were coming through...

  • andyp wrote (see)
    Dave The Ex- Spartan wrote (see)

    and you clearly haven't run Paris, Where last year we had cyclists weaving in and out of the runners, a little old lady crossing the road with her dogs and an old guy with his shopping trolley full of baguettes crossing the road

    The same sort of thing happened in Rome where you had tourists "wandering" across the road near the Spanish Steps as the runners were coming through...

    Perish the thought of a tourist getting a medal

  • The wrist band seems like a very easy way to stop this. 

  • Did the cyclists have berets and onions round their necks? If not it can't have been Paris image

  • Screamapillar wrote (see)

    Did the cyclists have berets and onions round their necks? If not it can't have been Paris image

    Muppet, Those are onion salesmen who come to England to sell onions and ravish your daughters, In Paris they are Italian counterfeit cigarette salesmen

  • Dave The Ex- Spartan wrote (see)

    and you clearly haven't run Paris, Where last year we had cyclists weaving in and out of the runners, a little old lady crossing the road with her dogs and an old guy with his shopping trolley full of baguettes crossing the road

     

    Dave The Ex- Spartan wrote (see)
    andyp wrote (see)
    Dave The Ex- Spartan wrote (see)

    and you clearly haven't run Paris, Where last year we had cyclists weaving in and out of the runners, a little old lady crossing the road with her dogs and an old guy with his shopping trolley full of baguettes crossing the road

    The same sort of thing happened in Rome where you had tourists "wandering" across the road near the Spanish Steps as the runners were coming through...

    Perish the thought of a tourist getting a medal

    Some people would say that my marathon-running style and speed is akin to that of a wandering tourist!!

  • bigeater wrote (see)

    The wrist band seems like a very easy way to stop this. 

    What would stop people using last years wrist bands ????

  • YEP I too saw some of these people bragging .. They are jeopardising the safety of the real runners ,putting pressure on emergency services as well as leaving the race potentially short of water and gels. In this `technical` age surely the Organisers could find a foolproof way round these cheats .. eg using wrist bands as per Berlin with absol no `ifs/buts` if you lose/misplace your band before / during or after the race ..  

  • Fiona Turton wrote (see)

    ` age surely the Organisers could find a foolproof way round these cheats ..


    Who are they cheating ?  They don't get a time as they haven't got a chip ? They don't affect the placings in the race as they haven't got a chip. They didn't stop you enjoying yourself or prevent you getting your medal and T shirt...

    So who did they cheat ?

  • Surely it is pretty obvious who the culprit is, just ban (or threaten to ban) anyone doing this for life like they supposedly do for anyone passing their place on to another runner.

     

  • What if we all decide to run it like that. Hey I don't need to go through the ballot, I don't need to run my arse off to get a GFA, hey I'll just use a previous years race no, I'll have the full race experience, drinks, gels, water, ill even get the medal t shirt and goody bag, I won't even have to traipse to the expo with my ID (hahaha) to get my no. Oh and one other thing I won't even have to pay hahaha.....simples. The only thing I won't get is an official time, but that's a joke anyway as my cat rankings will be all to cock as there are loads running on other numbers. 

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