I’ve decided that it’s time to openly talk about the black eye on the organized running races. The ugly side. The cheating. The higher the stakes, the bigger the race, the more people get caught cheating. Why? It’s quite puzzling and disturbing. Running races are many times organized to build communities and create an outlet for running enthusiasts to come together in a fun and social setting while testing out their physical fitness ability. So why do people feel the need to cheat?
The truth is, for most of us who would consistently give up sleep, leisure, time with family so we can train and achieve our fitness goals, it’s beyond understanding how anyone can even consider getting to these goals by cheating. For real athletes, it’s not just about getting to the finish line or getting that medal, it’s also about the process. We enjoy the training, the meal plans, the comradery of fellow athletes, the pain and exhilaration of getting to the desired milestones and celebrating the results. When you cheat, that sense of accomplishment is replaced with the bitter knowledge that you were not good enough and didn’t deserve the reward. It’s usually closely followed by shame and embarrassment when you are found out and stripped of your falsely claimed achievement.
In the world of organized racing, the cheating that goes on is quite astounding. From course cutters, bib mules (people who get paid to run with another person’s bib), and bandits (people who didn’t register for the race), it became necessary for the running organizations to regularly analyze all the runners and flesh out the cheaters.
Marathon investigators estimate about 400-500 runners participate in the Boston Marathon without getting the legitimate entry. How sad and how unfortunate! Resources and time, not to mention tedious and complex analysis, goes into uncovering all the potential cheaters who shamelessly have the nerve to post their ill-gained results on social media.
I would like to address anyone who is considering cheating in a running race. Please take a step back and try to remember why you started running in the first place. Somewhere along the way you have lost sight of what it’s all about. While it’s different for everyone, usually it begins on a positive note. Whether it’s the joy of running and the feeling of freedom. Or maybe it’s about getting fit and improving your health. Maybe creating a stress outlet? For others it’s about finding new friends and a sense of community.
There are countless inspirational and personal reasons. It’s not all about PRs and qualifiers. If that’s where you got stuck, then you are always going to be looking for those numbers to validate you at any cost and that’s why you turn to cheating. Remember to enjoy your running ability and don’t get caught up in the numbers game. It becomes a miserable experience to say the least. At the end of the day you are only cheating yourself.