London Marathon Cheaters - let's do this

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  • Perhaps they need to tell people not to jog in if they haven't completed the full course as it could incur a lifetime ban or something.  I can see why people would do that - but you'd not be posing with a medal at the finish - that's some damning evidence you've deceived people. 
  • JGavJGav ✭✭✭
    Gladrags said:
    Mrs Yolanda Visscher (18387) should remember to shave on the day of the Marathon. That said, she still looks great for her age and should be proud of her GFA place.....

    :) just looked at that one - v amusing. Like the fact they introduced 'M' and 'F' on the numbers this year - surely the next step is to print a name on the number - not sure this boy would have run if he'd been publicly labelled Yolanda??

    Also, looks like the guy carried a phone in his hand the whole way round.  That would wind me up, hate having to hold anything while running!
  • KennyMKennyM ✭✭✭
    ML84 said:
    Regarding the Liverpool Running Club member. She and the club are saying she was injured and had to pull out. They dropped her at the finish and has emailed VLM. 

    Ive never heard of someone being dropped at the finish to cross the line. 
    At first the Marshall I asked for directions told me to give him my timing chips. When I told him I was heading to the finish to collect my bag he told me to not go near any timing mats and to hand the chips in at the end. 
    You can't get near the finish line and I was directed round the back to the meet and greet where you then go in a pen and someone takes your number and collects your bag for you. Offered the bloke my timing chips but he told me to keep them.

    I reckon people drop out and think the easiest way is to get on the course and go through the finish to get their bags. 
    It depends what 'dropped at the finish' means as she has gone through the 40k timing mat, deliberately posed for the cameras running past Parliament (Photo #310175996) and then run up the Mall to finish going by the photos.
  • NessieNessie ✭✭✭

    KennyM said:
    ML84 said:
    Regarding the Liverpool Running Club member. She and the club are saying she was injured and had to pull out. They dropped her at the finish and has emailed VLM. 

    Ive never heard of someone being dropped at the finish to cross the line. 
    At first the Marshall I asked for directions told me to give him my timing chips. When I told him I was heading to the finish to collect my bag he told me to not go near any timing mats and to hand the chips in at the end. 
    You can't get near the finish line and I was directed round the back to the meet and greet where you then go in a pen and someone takes your number and collects your bag for you. Offered the bloke my timing chips but he told me to keep them.

    I reckon people drop out and think the easiest way is to get on the course and go through the finish to get their bags. 
    It depends what 'dropped at the finish' means as she has gone through the 40k timing mat, deliberately posed for the cameras running past Parliament (Photo #310175996) and then run up the Mall to finish going by the photos.
    I assume she'll be removing her time from Power of 10 too then. :)
  • Would printing a name on the running bib stop a one time only person taking part? I really dont think so, you’ve just got to accept it, people will do things that they want to do and won’t worry about the consequences!To be fair, what’s to stop somebody running next year in this years discarded bib?
  • It's a nonsense to suggest she's been dropped at the end. It just makes no sense.

    Tube to embankment and jog it from there.

    On Hamburg , sorry you had to pull out. It's a great marathon. Big enough, but not too big
  • KennyMKennyM ✭✭✭
    Would printing a name on the running bib stop a one time only person taking part? I really dont think so, you’ve just got to accept it, people will do things that they want to do and won’t worry about the consequences!To be fair, what’s to stop somebody running next year in this years discarded bib?
    I guess the numbers of cheaters are fairly small but I think they should do everything feasible to crack down.  At Berlin they check your identity at the Expo and heat-seal a cloth wristband which you can't remove until after the race.  They won't let you in the start pen without it.  I'm sure there are ways around it but it makes it more difficult.
  • tmholttmholt ✭✭✭
    edited April 2018
    KennyM said:

    It depends what 'dropped at the finish' means as she has gone through the 40k timing mat, deliberately posed for the cameras running past Parliament (Photo #310175996) and then run up the Mall to finish going by the photos.
    She joined a friend to finish. You can see her finish on https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p064st6d/london-marathon-2018-finishline-cameras at 1:19:55. She's in blue and white hoops, and crosses the line with the race clock on 3:51:40. She held hands with #873 for the run-in, a runner from another Liverpool club who ran the whole race but slowed significantly and had to tough it out (well done her). They have identical 40k splits, so presumably they got together some time before that and ran the last few km together.
  • Was that 2008 Cougie? I remember going past a large gentleman at 10k, he was walking and for the next few miles me and my mate were wondering how he beat us there. I think someone on here found him and he had run a sub 40 10k
    HH - found my cutting - Charles Egerton 2008 FLM - 46091
    5k -- 18.39
    10k --37.42  (all is fantastic so far)
    15k -1.26.13 - slowing
    20k -2.23.05
    Half - 2.32.59
    25k - 3.22.55
    30k - 4.32.15
    35k - 5.46. 53
    40k - missing
    Finish- 7.31.51


    I have to admire his flying start, but not sure it worked out well in the end...
  • JoelDJoelD ✭✭✭
    Wow, that is one hell of a detonation!
  • KennyMKennyM ✭✭✭
    tmholt said:
    KennyM said:

    It depends what 'dropped at the finish' means as she has gone through the 40k timing mat, deliberately posed for the cameras running past Parliament (Photo #310175996) and then run up the Mall to finish going by the photos.
    She joined a friend to finish. You can see her finish on https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p064st6d/london-marathon-2018-finishline-cameras at 1:19:55. She's in blue and white hoops, and crosses the line with the race clock on 3:51:40. She held hands with #873 for the run-in, a runner from another Liverpool club who ran the whole race but slowed significantly and had to tough it out (well done her). They have identical 40k splits, so presumably they got together some time before that and ran the last few km together.
    I guess that's sort of ok.  Hopefully the VLM organisers will take care of the deliberate cheats (and remove their finishing times and glory).  We probably shouldn't be too hard on those who are in the genuine running community who may simply not think through the implications of crossing the line.
  • JoelD said:
    Wow, that is one hell of a detonation!
    Joel if you saw the guy you'd know that there's not a chance in hell that he did the first 10k himself at that pace.  He's a big boy. :-)
  • tmholttmholt ✭✭✭
    KennyM said:
    tmholt said:
    KennyM said:

    It depends what 'dropped at the finish' means as she has gone through the 40k timing mat, deliberately posed for the cameras running past Parliament (Photo #310175996) and then run up the Mall to finish going by the photos.
    She joined a friend to finish. You can see her finish on https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p064st6d/london-marathon-2018-finishline-cameras at 1:19:55. She's in blue and white hoops, and crosses the line with the race clock on 3:51:40. She held hands with #873 for the run-in, a runner from another Liverpool club who ran the whole race but slowed significantly and had to tough it out (well done her). They have identical 40k splits, so presumably they got together some time before that and ran the last few km together.
    I guess that's sort of ok.  Hopefully the VLM organisers will take care of the deliberate cheats (and remove their finishing times and glory).  We probably shouldn't be too hard on those who are in the genuine running community who may simply not think through the implications of crossing the line.
    I don't think it's quite as clear as that: just because she joined up with a friend doesn't mean that she wasn't cheating.

    She shouldn't really have run the end of the race (making victory signs as she did so), and she definitely shouldn't have gone through the finish. But if it turns out that she didn't take a medal or tell anyone that she'd completed, and that she tried to get herself removed from the results, then that would make it a lot more forgivable.

    I do agree that we should realise that people might get carried away by the crowds and the thoughts of people who have sponsored them and make poor decisions, and give them space to 'fess up and put things right afterwards without being lynched.

    But I'm also pleased to see the organisers trying to maintain the integrity of the event by checking results and disqualifying people where appropriate.
  • Snail2Snail2 ✭✭✭
    > @dave wood 4 said:
    > Would printing a name on the running bib stop a one time only person taking part? I really dont think so, you’ve just got to accept it, people will do things that they want to do and won’t worry about the consequences!To be fair, what’s to stop somebody running next year in this years discarded bib?

    But if your bib says "Debbie" and your vest says "Dave" there is a greater chance of being queried / pulled before the finish!

    And if they tweaked the bib design a little bit from year to year (e.g. adding "2019" to next year) then it would be obvious if someone was running with an old bib.
  • I think they have to take as many precautions as is sensible to stamp out cheating.  I don't think I've seen the M/F stamp on numbers before ?  It's true that you'll always get cheats but if you do nothing you'll get a lot more and run the risk of spoiling it for everyone. 
  • Tmholt

    I'm inclined to agree with you. If you've pulled out you've pulled out.

    Also run with your friend but don't cross the finish.

    It's not her first London Marathon, she should know the score. Especially as a club secretary.

    Her result has been finally removed. I guess she will stick to her story, even though it smells fishy to most of us
  • AW3AW3 ✭✭✭
    Blimey, you guys should see the Ironman rules for outside assistance.

    You're not allowed to accept any food/drinks/anything from spectators, not allowed to have anyone else pace you, not allowed to run down the finishing chute with your family/kids, etc etc etc.

    You can have what assistance is offered by the official course aid stations and that's it, anything else is a DQ. Basically it's your race, run it on your own.

    Some might call it harsh, but running down the finishing chute hand-in-hand with someone who just cut the course would probably be a DQ for that lady too despite her great effort.
  • KennyMKennyM ✭✭✭
  • Shamless people!
    I started in GFA on Sunday, 5 month's of bloody hard training and initially tracked for a 3:24 finish ..However i got to mile 7 and mentally felt penned in and claustrophobic, never felt like that before and stepped of out of the race at mile 8. I wasn't heartbroken, made a decision and that was that, not my day. I've took a DNF, my first, it's not nice to see it after the work put in but sometimes you have to be honest with yourself.
    Take my hat off to the runners who completed, cheaters should be ashamed to hang their medals!
    Just my two pence.....
  • AW3 said:
    Blimey, you guys should see the Ironman rules for outside assistance.

    You're not allowed to accept any food/drinks/anything from spectators, not allowed to have anyone else pace you, not allowed to run down the finishing chute with your family/kids, etc etc etc.

    You can have what assistance is offered by the official course aid stations and that's it, anything else is a DQ. Basically it's your race, run it on your own.

    Some might call it harsh, but running down the finishing chute hand-in-hand with someone who just cut the course would probably be a DQ for that lady too despite her great effort.
    Ironman sucks for that finish chute stuff. Outlaw is a much friendlier environment .
  • DustinDustin ✭✭✭
    Realistically I think VLM do as much as they can to clear out the blatant cheats.
    On a field size of 40,000 there are really only a limited few chancing it. That said they should be pied at the following year's Expo. That'll will teach them.

    This year I seriously doubt very many would have run a negative split. 
    In my club with around 15 runners there were but 2 or 3 results close to expectations. 
    I was after 3h15- 3h20 but settled for 3h33 in the end. That was one of the 'better' results.
    Talking to quite a few runners both before and afterwards, there were many going for the stupidly late advised & revised GFA times (me included) but then called it off after 10k, 20k or when the legs finally decided ahead of the brain.
  • The reason they won't print names on the running numbers is it would hit one of their revenue streams. Sad but true.
  • GladragsGladrags ✭✭✭

    Re negative splits - there are far fewer than in previous cooler years. And a decent chunk of them (c 50%) seem to be due to a first half injury with one of the splits being massively longer than all the others...

    Why would name on number hit the revenue stream? Because so many runners run under false names? I don't think it would hurt at all to be honest - you have to pay your £35 in October and presumably most people at that point don intend to run and only pass on numbers if they are injured/haven't trained nearer the day?


  • Gladrags - I think Peter foster is referring to the charge for having your name printed on your vest or t shirt at the expo
  • macemace ✭✭✭
    tmholt said:

    Neither could match Alex Bos's (
    27655) closing speed though, who turned around a 2:11 first half with a sub 1:03 second half, and definitely picked up his bling at the finish.

    Come on, the man's performed a miracle completing in about the same pace as his fastest parkrun this year ( 14 of them ), and about a minute a mile quicker than he ran the Thirsk 10, 2 weeks previous.
  • GladragsGladrags ✭✭✭
    name printing - yes sorry. of course......
  • GladragsGladrags ✭✭✭

    on a more positive note - Harmander's result has been taken off the 'query' tag  on the results site...
  • They could still do name printing in smaller letters - enough to see on photos but not big enough to read at thirty feet for cheering or whatever. 
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