The news is starting to get a little old at this point and common sense says it shouldn’t even be addressed, but Matt finished his recent article about Scott Downard being disqualified from the Cowtown Marathon after running with somebody else’s bib by mentioning that the win was reassigned to Kolin Styles and saying, “But we all know who the real winner is.”

Well yes, we do know who the real winner is. The real winner is Kolin Styles.

If Scott Downard had jumped in a car and skipped 5 miles of the course before hopping out and finishing first, would you still consider him the winner? If he started an hour before the official start and crossed the finish line first, then would you consider him the winner? If he hopped on a plane to London, managed to get by security, and then finished before everybody else in the Olympic Marathon, would you consider him the winner?

My guess is that you would not. And if you wouldn’t consider him a winner, then why would you consider him a winner if he cheats by running in a race while pretending to be somebody else?

Let’s look at other sports. Football is popular. If somebody crosses into the endzone with the football, but had to grab somebody by the face mask to get by, or had to go out of bounds first and then run back in, should they score a touchdown? Because as I seem to recall, they will usually down the ball and the touchdown won’t count.

Bandits are a real headache for race organizers. They use resources that aren’t intended for them, they threaten race cancellation for permit violations, and they screw up results when they use somebody else’s bib number.

A race that I put on recently had a few bandits. That meant that runners who should have gotten awards didn’t know about them and left without them. After spending 2 weeks after the race sorting out the mess, if they wanted their award they then had to go out of their way to pick up their award. Had we not ordered 27 more awards then we actually expected to give out, then 25 people would never have even won their prize because other’s had stolen them.

At Cowtown, the situation was figured out relatively quickly and Scott admitted that he cheated. But he also stole Kolin’s opportunity to break the tape. That’s a good feeling, to finish a race and realize you’ve won. Finding out after the fact is better than never realizing it, but it still doesn’t have the same impact.

Bandits also pose a safety hazard in case something happens on the course. Sure, everybody thinks that they are invincible, but accidents happen. Most runners don’t have any identification when they race other than their bib number. If Scott had gotten hit by a car or had a seizure, then he could have had inappropriate medical attention applied to him by emergency responders. Getting a phone call telling you that a spouse or father or child has been killed or hospitalized is never pleasant, so why would you want to risk giving that call to somebody else’s loved ones?

Following the rules isn’t very difficult. If you break the rules, then you don’t deserve a place in the results. Somebody fast enough to run a 2:31:40 marathon has probably been running and racing for long enough to know that, especially since it should be common sense even to somebody running their first race.

If he had felt the need to run the race under somebody else’s name, he should have at least had the decency to not cross the finish line or to DQ himself after he won rather than waiting for the race organizers to figure out that he was an imposter. Even better would have been to not run, or to contact the race director and ask for a bib.

It may come as a shock, but most race organizers are more than happy to offer comped bibs to runners that have a chance to win a race and provide some good competition up front.

My stance on bandits may be a bit extreme, but I consider a minimum 1 year ban from the race more than justified for somebody that intentionally cheats. Glorifying those runners through your position in your local media does a disservice to your community and portrays the wrong message to the non-runners and kids that might read your article.

Hat Tip to the Marathon Junkie for sending me the article.

I’d like to talk a little about the sport of triathlon, and why it is the best. First it is made up of three sports in one. To be the best it isn’t good enough to be just a good runner, or a good, cyclist, or a good swimmer. In fact good in any of these categories is simply not good enough for anything but second place, and second in my opinion is just the first looser.

In most triathlons the order is as follows swim, bike, run. I would imagine that you swim first because race organizers and directors wouldn’t want you to drown from fatigue if it were in any other order. However, I have seen it in different order before.

There are a few different types of triathlon. Let me begin with the sprint distance. This is generally about a 300 to 500 meter swim, followed by a 13 to 18 mile bike ride, wrapped up with about a 5k run. Next is the Olympic international distance triathlon. This is a bit longer and tougher. It starts with a mile swim, not a walk in the park some people can’t even make it passed the swim. Then you transition to a 25 to 30 mile bike ride. Don’t misunderstand though; this is no casual ride through your neighborhood. Competitive speeds for top level athletes average 20 plus miles per hour. Then from the bike you make your way to the 10k run to the finish. Last and certainly not least is the grueling ironman. First you begin with an unparalleled swim of 2.4 miles. Then if you’re still standing upright make your way over to the 112 mile bike portion, which is just as long as some of the Tour De France stages, need I say more. Cap this bad boy off with a marathon distance run of 26 miles 385 yards and you’ve done it.

So, what do you think are you up for the challenge?

The author also owns websites about 3 day diet and three day diet. To learn more, check out his the abs diet site.

HealthFair

I’d like to talk a little about the sport of triathlon, and why it is the best. First it is made up of three sports in one. To be the best it isn’t good enough to be just a good runner, or a good, cyclist, or a good swimmer. In fact good in any of these categories is simply not good enough for anything but second place, and second in my opinion is just the first looser.

In most triathlons the order is as follows swim, bike, run. I would imagine that you swim first because race organizers and directors wouldn’t want you to drown from fatigue if it were in any other order. However, I have seen it in different order before.

There are a few different types of triathlon. Let me begin with the sprint distance. This is generally about a 300 to 500 meter swim, followed by a 13 to 18 mile bike ride, wrapped up with about a 5k run. Next is the Olympic international distance triathlon. This is a bit longer and tougher. It starts with a mile swim, not a walk in the park some people can’t even make it passed the swim. Then you transition to a 25 to 30 mile bike ride. Don’t misunderstand though; this is no casual ride through your neighborhood. Competitive speeds for top level athletes average 20 plus miles per hour. Then from the bike you make your way to the 10k run to the finish. Last and certainly not least is the grueling ironman. First you begin with an unparalleled swim of 2.4 miles. Then if you’re still standing upright make your way over to the 112 mile bike portion, which is just as long as some of the Tour De France stages, need I say more. Cap this bad boy off with a marathon distance run of 26 miles 385 yards and you’ve done it.

So, what do you think are you up for the challenge?

The author also owns websites about 3 day diet and three day diet plan. To learn more, check out his the three day diet site.

www.webautotrader.co.uk

If you are a Cape Elizabeth resident, you can register tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. and can avoid trying to beat the rush of the other 10,000 people that want to run for 24 hours (or at least until the 600 reserved slots are registered.)

Everybody else can try to register on Saturday morning.

Here are the full details direct from the folks at B2B:

Innovative Changes to Registration Process Unveiled for 2010 TD Bank Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race

Modifications will provide a more fair way for runners to secure spots in the popular race, set for Aug. 7 in Cape Elizabeth, Maine

CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine (January 19, 2010) – Organizers of the TD Bank Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race on Tuesday unveiled an innovative new online registration process aimed at providing a more equitable way for runners to secure bib numbers when registration gets underway in March.

A name change for the title sponsor also means the 13th edition of the popular road race, set for Saturday, Aug. 7 in coastal Cape Elizabeth, Maine, will have a new name – the TD Bank Beach to Beacon 10K. A new logo and signage have been developed.

The new registration process combines the previous first-come/first-serve approach with a bib lottery for those who get shut out online, and also earmarks bib numbers to accommodate Cape Elizabeth residents and those who have participated in every previous race.

“We feel like we’ve developed a very fair and equitable registration process for the race this year that balances the needs and the concerns of a number of constituencies,” Race President David Weatherbie said.

Race organizers began looking at improvements after the first-come/first-serve only online registration last year opened and closed in less than two hours, shattering the previous record of 26 hours. The high volume overwhelmed computer servers and led to duplicates and confusion for some who tried to register within the two-hour time period, and frustration for others who couldn’t access a computer in time and got left out.

Weatherbie, Race Director David McGillivray and Joan Benoit Samuelson, the race founder, devised the new process after listening to concerns and seeking input from the running community, including feedback from 1,300 runners who participated in a survey.
Runners will continue to register at the race website, www.beach2beacon.org. The 2010 race entry fee will remain at $35.

Here is how the new online registration process will work:

• Phase One: Beginning at 8 a.m. on Friday, March 12, Cape Elizabeth residents will have a 24-hour window to fill 600 slots. Addresses will be verified to ensure a Cape Elizabeth zip code.
• Phase Two: Online registration will open to the general public at 8 a.m. on Saturday, March 13. Registration will remain open until 4,000 runners are signed up.
• Phase Three: Once the online registration limit of 4,600 is reached, visitors will be automatically directed to the lottery registration process. The lottery system will distribute 1,500 bib numbers. Lottery registrations will be gathered over a one-week period, ending at midnight on Sunday, March 20.

Lottery entrants are limited to one online entry, but can include up to two registrants in that entry. Entrants will be charged a per-entry lottery fee of $5, which will be used for race enhancements.

The lottery drawing will occur on Monday, March 21.

The remaining bib numbers will be set aside for so-called “streakers” – runners who have participated in every TD Bank Beach to Beacon – and sponsors, elite athletes and charities.

“By combining a lottery with the first-come/first-serve component, everybody who wants into the race is going to get a fair shot and that’s really the best we can do,” said Race Director David McGillivray.

The computer platform used to handle registration also has been upgraded, he said.

Weatherbie said runners who completed the survey were evenly split between retaining the first-come/first-serve process, going to a lottery only and implementing some combination of both.

The “hybrid” registration approach taken by the TD Bank Beach to Beacon is unusual in the road race industry, he said, and will be watched closely as race organizers across the country grapple with how to deal with races filling up faster and faster each year.

In addition, he said, a large number of survey respondents outside Cape Elizabeth indicated that residents in the host community should get special accommodation due to the huge volunteer effort the town makes to stage what is regarded as a first-rate event.

“They recognized the sacrifices the community makes in hosting this event and wanted a mechanism to ensure Cape residents can get in,” Weatherbie said. In 2009, 579 Cape residents finished the race.

The field size will increase only slightly for 2010. Race organizers will accept 7,000 registrations, compared to 6,850 in 2009, again targeting a race day field of 6,000. The race has doubled in size since it debuted in 1998 with a race day field of 3,000.

Even as the field has grown, registration for the race has consistently closed earlier and earlier each year. In the early years, the race did not fill up until June. By 2007, it closed in 10 days. In 2008 – the first year of online-only registration – it filled in 26 hours, setting up last year’s stunning result.

The TD Bank Beach to Beacon is one of Maine’s premiere sporting events and one of the most popular events on the U.S. road race circuit. The race draws runners from throughout the region and the world to the picturesque coastal community of Cape Elizabeth. Thousands of spectators cheer on the runners along the scenic course and at the finish, and more than 800 volunteers help ensure a smooth operation.

The race begins near the Crescent Beach entrance on Route 77 in Cape Elizabeth, winds past breathtaking ocean vistas, and ends in Fort Williams Park at the historic Portland Head Light, the most photographed lighthouse in the world.

More than $60,000 in prize money is awarded to the top finishers and place winners in the various categories for men and women. For more information, visit www.beach2beacon.org.

TD Bank is the title sponsor of the race founded by Joan Benoit Samuelson, the Olympic gold medalist
from Cape Elizabeth and Maine’s most admired athlete.
TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 15 largest commercial banks in the United States with $142 billion in assets, and provides customers with a full range of financial products and services at more than 1,000 convenient locations from Maine to Florida. TD Bank, N.A., is headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J., and Portland, Maine. TD Bank is a trade name of TD Bank, N.A. For more information, visit www.tdbank.com.

TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is a member of TD Bank Financial Group of Toronto, Canada, a top 10 financial services company in North America and one of the few banks in the world rated Aaa by Moody’s.

(More Info: My Summary of the Changes)