Caught and banned @ Edinburgh Marathon.

A man and a woman have been banned from competing in the Edinburgh Marathon for life after they were caught swapping entry numbers.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/8120637.stm

Comments

  • At least they weren't walking!image

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  • I don't really understand the medical implications. Unless you have already declared your ailments on the back of the number, surely people would put their own medical conditions on there? You don't apply for a marathon and give details of your medical history.

    Someone point out why I'm being thick please.....

  • I'm guessing they just had an attack of muppetry and put the wrong numbers on - if they knew each other, and were staying in the same place, it'd be pretty easy to get mixed up.

    Speaking from experience, having actually worn the completely wrong number for a race.  What can I say - I'm easily confused, and I enter a lot of races, and I'm blonde (a major factor here)

    Still - is Edinburgh chip timed?  It'd be pretty difficult to mix up numbers and chips

  • I can see why it would cause an issue for a geezer to win a top ten prize in a bird's category though......image

    But it does sound like they just mixed it up. They did both run.

    I saw money exchanging hands at the Dublin expo with people selling their race numbers to folk in the foyer. You have to activate your chip by turning up and passing over the mat personally. Once you've got your number I wouldn't have thought anyone checks after that.....image

  • Being banned for life from a marathon that fails to provide adequate water (for whatever reason) isn't necessarily a punishment either......image
  • Indeedy

    Though to be fair a bunch of scoundrels did nick pallets of the stuff.

    But still, banned for life does seem a bit extreme, but it doesn't stop them entering any other marathons out there so it's not really any kind of loss

  • They didn't nick even one bottle per runner though did they? It was still woeful....

    How are you anyway honey?image

  • Banned for life from the Edinburgh marathon,gutted NOTTT! Lets face it theres plenty of others to run ,let the time fit the crime, this is very excessive Edinburgh bow your heads in shame

  • I'm fine, well, knackered tbh - work is hectic at the mo, but hey, I've got wine and my dog's been to the groomers so he's not minging - result!

    Hows yourself?

    It does seem excessive, but there plenty of other places to run image

  • Having been involved in a race where someone died, the thought of having a collapsed or worse runner and no idea who they are, who are next of kin etc is too awful to contemplate - there are indeed plenty of other races, so if you don't have an entry for one race make sure you get yours in on time for another!
  • From what I have been told, the girl was injured and gave her number and chip to a male club friend who ran in her place.   When they later learned that the male had finished in a prize winning ( female) position they,not their club, contacted the organisers to confess.   There was no intention to cheat, just save the wasting the £40 entry fee.   This happens all the time.     The organisers caim that it was "a medical catastrophe waiting to happen." is total nonsense. A collapsed runner would be treated no mater what their name or gender.  Identification is not the biggest priority

    They could still enter Edinburgh under a false name if they were that desperate !

  • or swap numbers with another runner! 

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  • Banned for life! Ha what bollocks. All you need is a number and chip to enter and I am sure there are many friends and family who could supply a name and address.

    Fair enough if you have a serious medical condition (but in that case why are you running a bloody mara??) but for the vast majority of people the medical argument is stupid. If you are presented with a person who is collapsed do you say "hey number 1234 that is Sharon Smith a 140 year old female, shoot her in the head" or look at the runner and see that they are a 3 year old baby and act accordingly.
  • So if someone wants to do this for the London marathon people on this forum all write "don't do that, if they find out you'll be banned for life", but if the Edinborough marathon enforces the same policy they're overzealous penpushers?

    You lot are weird...

    And as mentioned in the article, any race you run under a false name is punishable by the athletics body.
    If Edinborough was the scottish championship, I'd imagine scottish athletics would be upset with their female results being compromised by this number swapping and sanction the offenders.

  • LIVERBIRD wrote (see)

    I don't really understand the medical implications. Unless you have already declared your ailments on the back of the number, surely people would put their own medical conditions on there? You don't apply for a marathon and give details of your medical history.

    Someone point out why I'm being thick please.....


    Most people don't fill in the back of the number. If a runner collapses, the only contact details the race organiser have are those from the entry form. There are several scenarios:

    1)  The wrong family is told that their father/husband/son has died.

    2) The wrong family, when contacted by phone provide a medical history for person A, which could prove fatal for person B if they are given medication to which they are allergic.

    3) (the more likely scenario given the sex change) The medical people / race organisers etc have no idea who the person wearing the number is, and thus are unable to contact the next of kin. 

    If you think it won't happen to you, think again. I speak from experience here, as I once ended up being taken to hospital after a race by an ambulance with its blue lights flashing - despite being very fit at the time.

  • Do people really not fill the backs in? I've only been doing races a couple of years & always fill mine in.
  • Glad to hear it kwilter. 

    However, a lot of races still don't have the medical template on the back anyway.

    Of those races that do, I would suggest that a significant number of people don't fill them in. 

  • Why would a dedicated runner want to cheat ? for what purpose ? i love my sport and i do the best i can and from that i get my enjoyment.

    If i was to collapse i want the paramedics to have the best chance of helping me by having the correct details on the back of my number.

    And if i missed the entry date for an event there is always another race somewhere else. 

    Whats difficult about it all ?

    Its simples  !

  • I don't think there is any suggestion of cheating.
    However, the action they took caused a problem with the women's prize allocation, which the organisers have taken exception to, and they have therefore chosen to make an example of the pair of them (which they are perfectly entitled to do, even if it seems harsh).

  • popsiderpopsider ✭✭✭
    Seems harsh to me - if something happened to the runner they'd soon find out who he was when they contacted the original entrant's family and she told them she'd given it to a clubmate.
  • That's assuming he had a medical condition which could cause his rapid death and he'd not filled the back of the number in. As I said before, I fill in the backs, and as I have got a serious medical condition, I write this on numbers which don't have a space for personal details.

    It is a bit stupid swapping with someone of the opposite gender though, especially if he goes on to claim a womens' place.

  • I am guilty of not usually filling in the details on the back of the form - just laziness really. I can see why swapping annoys and confuses organisers - banning may deter some people from trying it again. Flm banned that TV doc after he gave his number to his son.
  • Mr LB doesn't fill his details in either Cougie and it drives me mad, so you're not the only one!

    It IS only laziness and he's happy for me to do it for him, but he has no medical conditions and no allergies, which I imagine gives him a sense of security.

    I on the other hand have asthma and some major allergies to drugs and food stuffs so I make a point of filling it in. When that guy collapsed on the finish line at the Merset Tunnel 10K the other week the first thing the paramedics did was take his race number off. It makes you think.......image

  • yeah you should fill it in but I rarely do. Don't really have a reason, just usually forget. But then i'm usually there pinning the number on 5 mins to the start.

    Ban seems harsh, especially as people run under other's numbers all the time. but then all races do warn that you shouldn't run iunder someone elses number.

  • Imski said

    "So if someone wants to do this for the London marathon people on this forum all write "don't do that, if they find out you'll be banned for life", but if the Edinborough marathon enforces the same policy they're overzealous penpushers?

    You lot are weird..."

    I agree. It seems that swapping numbers in any other marathon but London is acceptable but when VLM/FLM comes around it then seems to be unacceptable. Double standards I think. 

  • DustinDustin ✭✭✭
    Guilty of seldom filling out the back of the number.
    Maybe the penalty is harsh, but who on here doesn't know that the rules state the penalty for swapping numbers is a ban, so it seems a little bit bizarre that the organisers actions are questioned.

    That said, if the rules allowed easier transfer of numbers, this wouldn't be an issue. I would have thought (and the caveat is I'm not a race organiser) that numbers/racers are stored on a computer file somewhere. To change name/address is purely an admin issue (with minimal cost), and surely its better to have someone run than no-one at all? Sure there has to be a deadline (24hrs before?) but in this day and age - and certainly at larger races - it could be up to race day itself. I'm happy to be put right on this from race organisers.

    In my experience, there are always spare places up for grabs, so often the risk of being caught out (minimal) doesn't out weigh the reward of running on a different number.
  • WilkieWilkie ✭✭✭

    Some races do allow numbers to be swapped.

    The St Neot's half even lets you do this on line (if I remember right).

    It's not rocket science, but does require a bit of admin. 

    However, race organisers count on a certain percentage of runners (I believe it's as high as 20%) not turning up.  If the race limit is 1,500, they don't buy 1,500 medals/t-shirts, because they know they won't all get used.  So they get the entry fee, but don't have the expenditure.

    Oh, and I fill in the details on the back of my number.

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