Ooh, the little tinker...

Old bloke disqualified for short cut in VLM - see here.

One wonders how it took so long for someone to check the splits...

Or would this be the meeja getting it wrong again?

Comments

  • WilkieWilkie ✭✭✭

    This was a comment at the bottom of the item:

    "Leave him alone. I applaud anyone who even goes in for the marathon. I think they are all great, except of course for the obnoxious professional race winners who have spoiled it for the real marathon runners who do it for real reasons (charities and so on). Dont let the others get you down."

    Or were they being tongue-in-cheek, d'you think?

  • Was he dressed as a clown?   image
  • I think I passed him.  At around 23 miles there was one old guy jogging really slowly who just looked so out of place.

    There's always a few dodgy splits in the results.  Not surprising really - I imagine the majority are innocent of trying to actually cheat, just people who get over tower bridge & realise they're not going to get round docklands, cross the road and walk to the finish, because as the bloke says in the link, that's where their bag is.  Probably with no intention of collecting a medal (although they'll probably get one thrust at them anyway), and not realising that their chip is still recording.

    The organisers will never bother checking splits unless someone complains, and even that's unlikely unless you happen, as in this case, to 'win' a prize.

    Then, of course, there was Tommy who did it deliberately and got away with it for years.

  • A runner who tripped over a safety barrier? Shome mishtake shurely?
  • Hog-mouseHog-mouse ✭✭✭

    I tripped over a road hump at about mile 2 and twisted my ankle.

    The guy that did actually win this age group catorgory came in 38 seconds later! Don't care. still impressive.

  • To be fair, unlike our clown friend he wasn't trying to cheat, he just wanted to get his stuff back and go home. 

    Poor bloke finding out he's caused such a furore. image

    Big up to the other guy too - great time!

    Love comment number 72 though - "Running is a dumb persons activity,it puts unnecessary strain on the leg joints.Walking is the no1 exercise,swimming in non-chlorinated water is the best non load-bearing exercise." image

  • GladragsGladrags ✭✭✭

    of course he was trying to cheat! if he was injured and wanted to get his bag back, why didn't he get the tube?

    if you continue on the marathon course, get a medal and go over the finishing line, then it must be pretty clear that everyone will think you have completed the race?

    agree not his fault that he was then the fastest pensioner, but even so, he was quite aware that he had got the medal under false pretences?

  • Hog-mouseHog-mouse ✭✭✭

    Yeah but getting a medal under false pretences is one thing. Being the fastest pensioner is another.
    He was an experienced ex-club runner so he knew the score I'm sure. I think he just wanted the medal and would've let everyone believe he finished. Cheating, yes but I'm sure he's not the only one.

    I'm sure enough of his friends and family would've checked his times out, I know mine did. Surely they would've noticed?

  • Cheating or not I doubt they'll let him do it again anyway, so it is probably just as well he says he doesn't want to.
  • He was definitely trying to cheat! If you wanted to drop out and get back to pick up your stuff why would you still run across the finish line and accept a medal?!!!  I took over 6 hours to finish thanks to injury  but at least I covered the full 26.2 miles! I didn't realise people actually did this sort of thing - they are only cheating themselves.
  • Talking about tripping over things, I tripped over a jelly baby.  Seriously.  It got stuck to my foot and I tried to scrape it off without stopping.  Doesn't work... Some scratches on hands and knees but carried on and completed.
  • So what? Good luck to the old boy, probably his last bit of rebellion before he goes to the great finish line in the sky!! But on "anon" thread there is a guy in black top, at about 47secs, that has no number and is looking pretty good for 23 miles, wonder if he picked up a medal, bet he didn't just run for the fun of it.
  • To me it seems like it was a planned cheat as the club he claimed he ran for had not had a runner with his name for the last 12 years, and they only had records for 12 years back....At least that is what I read.

    So to enter as a club runner and then cheat like that it seems to me like a well planned operation carried out over several months. But question is why? Does best in age group get cash or prizes?

  • Hog-mouseHog-mouse ✭✭✭

    He appears 59/59 secs. Far left, looking at watch. Seems to me he knew what he was doing.

    If you have to pull out through injury, that's a bugger. I can see the desire to rejoin just to finish. Lets face it, a hell of a lot of training goes into these things. Who in there right minds would want to waste all that and the day. If you're running for fun does it matter?

  • SlugstaSlugsta ✭✭✭

    bm, I guess it depends on whether you belive the medal if for completing or getting to the start line. If he'd genuinely completed a half mara, I'd say 'well done' to him (although 65 is far from ancient), it's the fact that he cut off a huge chunk of the course, crossed the finish line and claimed a medal that I don't like.

    The 'leave him alone, he's an old guy' comments are actually pretty patronising - as if a 65 year old should be congratulated for being able to remember his name and tie his own shoelaces!

  • I wasn't being patronising at all, as far as I am concerned its good luck to the guy! I know that for years lots of people have been "running" london in various ways, legit or not, personally I haven't got a problem with that, like everything in life if you want to do it, then do it, you only grt 1 chance!!

  • dave wood 4 wrote (see)

    I I know that for years lots of people have been "running" london in various ways, legit or not, personally I haven't got a problem with that, like everything in life if you want to do it, then do it, you only grt 1 chance!!

    Well unless you cheat, get a GFA and then you get two more chances for free...

    Cheats are losers and there's no way of spinning. You failed, have a beer, move on.

    And I'm suspicious that this guy didn't know that people would assume he'd legitimately finished. I think he wanted a medal and would have kept schtum if not rumbled by his world-record breaking second half. 

  • Blimey, he's on have I got news for you...
  • Hog-mouseHog-mouse ✭✭✭

    So he's famous now. Seems worth it to me. image

  • wobbled, you forgot the use of a previous years running number, that gives 3 chances!!
  • And now the fastest female pensioner has been DQ'd. What is with the old folks this year?

     

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