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Suspicious VMLM results...
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<div class="QuoteAuthor"><a href="/profile/Nessie">Nessie</a> said:</div>
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<div><a rel="nofollow">vixstar1</a> said:</div>
<div>I've just spotted a friend of a friend on Facebook posing with his medal so being a nosy type checked his results. His number doesn't match his name and is a dns, but I searched his name and he got an excellent resultsl with a different number. Checked out the photos and it's not him who ran the time which would have got him a gfa (and a massive show off on Facebook!) Am guessing it was a number swap to ensure a gfa? I wouldn't mind but he runs for a club which came out very, very well from London this year!
Not important really but annoying as I had to work vvvvv hard to cling on to my gfa this year. Grrr.</div>
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I'm confused.
If the photos of the person running in his name are of someone else, perhaps the other person just happens to share his name and got a legitimate GFA for himself. I mean, why would you run a marathon in a GFA time to give someone else the credit?
If his number is a DNS, presumably that means it was never collected. But then how would he have got a medal? Maybe his chip didn't work at all, so didn't register at the start line (hence the DNS). But then, if his number is in someone else's name, perhaps he printed it himself.....
All very odd.
This is what I'm struggling to understand myself. The man in the photo bragging (will call him Derek) is actually wearing the number belonging to someone else (will call him John). Johns number comes up with no stats at all so looks like his chip wasn't worn. I searched for Derek's name and his is there, but the man in Derek's photos is not actually the Derek I know. I agree they could all have the same name but all 3 live very close to each other and Derek and John are both part of the same running club. I have no idea what they are all doing, it's very odd!
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Don't think this is the same thing at all.
As I understand the rules of course measurement, the measurer is responsible for noting where it may be possible to run shorter than the measured course (the measured course being 30cm from the apex of bends). If it's possible to take a short cut (e.g. running on the pavement) then either the course should be measured on the pavement or there should be barriers to stop them doing so.
Don't confuse the measured course with the blue line at VLM. The course is measured by an accredited measurer with calibrated equipment. The blue line is painted by a bloke hanging out of the back of a hatchback the night before the race.
> .... Don't confuse the measured course with the blue line at VLM. The course is measured by an accredited measurer with calibrated equipment. The blue line is painted by a bloke hanging out of the back of a hatchback the night before the race.
I think they will be the same. Either there will be a precisely mapped optimum route, which both the course measurer and blue line painter will follow. Or the bloke hanging out of the hatchback is going to be being accompanied by / directed by the course measurer - precisely to make sure he puts the blue line down as close to the measured course as possible. Otherwise the measurement doesn't make any sense.
I agree that its a complete red herring... the very small gains to be had are more than offset by other factors like other runners being in your way, moving to the side to avoid water bottles at drinks stations etc... and to try and conflate with course cutting is a bit daft imo.
I'm happy to run on the pavement to do the racing line in London - you don't go out of your way to do it - you'd be cutting up dozens of people if you did - but if you're at the edge and there's a pavement there - people are running over it.
Not sure a huge amount of distance can be saved by cutting corners. I worked out that if you did a circular parkrun but ran 6 feet wide on all of the route you'd only do an extra 12 meters over the route.
I mounted the pavement several times in the first mile or 2 (I think that's pretty much the only time it is possible) to simply break through crowds as I couldn't get in the pen early enough due to toilet queueing. I think if it's accessible it forms the measured route.
As a solicitor myself who has got plenty of publicity for my firm and own professional profile via running London for charity (in previous years), seeing another lawyer cheat and then no doubt lie about it all is irritating. I note his result is no longer on the vlm site though. I also see that his chosen charity was his firms charity of the year and so being relatively new to the firm he probably did this to endear himself to his new employer.
http://results-2017.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com/2017/?content=detail&fpid=search&pid=search&idp=9999990F5ECC85000024DA31&lang=EN_CAP&event=MAS&search[name]=Lawson&search[firstname]=Ben&search[sex]=%&search[nation]=%&search_sort=name&search_event=MAS
Never trust a lawyer!
If you look at where the line goes on the day it clearly isn't following the measured course in a lot of places - I've seen it going round the middle of a bend rather than close to the apex, for example. They don't paint it as precisely as you'd like to think.
PS Cheerful Dave - got picture stuck in my head now of man with paintbrush, thank you!
I was never very good at physics type stuff
plus there aren't that many 90 degree turns where you can completely cut the corner on the VLM route anyway?
In fact I can't even name one?
Yes I was on the green start (which was chaos this year) and ended up behind the 3.15 pacer when I wanted to be behind the 3 hour pacer. There were 2/3 opportunities in the first 2 miles to cut some of a bend but my main rationale was simply to find space to get around the crowds.
This article, amongst other points, does explain that the blue line is not the quickest line as rules state that it has to be a distance from pavement.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-athletics-marathon-breaking-idUSKBN17Y11H
26.6 miles for me.