After a rather carb-heavy breakfast, lunch was protein packed!
Today’s lunch included scrambled eggs with sautéed onions and Italian chicken sausage, served with a toasted whole wheat English muffin, topped with a bit of olive oil and garlic salt.
Breakfast for lunch!
Marathon Cheaters
Late this morning, Danielle, a blog reader, emailed me a link to an interesting video about marathon cheaters.
The video mentions that many big marathons now take precautions to thwart cheating, with the New York City marathon requiring electronic tracking chips for all runners.
Earlier this month, I read an article about a marathoner in England who hitched a ride from the 20-mile mark to just before the finish of the race. He then hopped out of the car, hid behind a tree, and rejoined the race, placing third. (His medal was obviously revoked when race officials learned that he cheated.)
All of this marathon cheating talk made me think about how I would feel if I saw a person try to cheat in a race. Since I’m not particularly competitive and never have hopes of actually placing in a race, someone cheating wouldn’t take away my medal and affect me directly, but I would be peeved at them for cutting the course and disrespecting other runners, the sport of running, race organizers and volunteers.
I would then suggest to the race organizers that we punish the runner by making them spend an afternoon doing this:
Question of the Afternoon
- Have you ever witnessed someone cheating during a race or a sporting event?
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that’s so ridiculous! i would never think anyone would actually cheat during a marathon, mainly because i don’t understand it. i would just feel undeserving and like i had accomplished nothing at all if i did that. i’d much rather experience what it feels like to run 26.2 miles and come in last than to come in 3rd by cheating! wow.
i agree!
hahahahaha great sign.
woohoo!~ 1st commenter!! go me.
Anyway.. no I have never seen anyone cheat during a race but I have had one friend run races WITHOUT registering!! I personally think of it like cheating.. She may not care about the shirt but she rode the shuttle, drank at the aid stations and ran the entire race. I didn’t really know what to say so I kind of just laughed it off but honestly it really bugged me! I don’t think it is fair to all the other runners and the the commitee/staff who put the race together. What do you think?
that would definitely bother me. especially since so many races raise money for various charities.
wrong! wrong! wrong! There was just a big article published on banditing and how runners in general dislike! Pay the fees you cheaters!!
I was in the same position as the Candice. I ran a race with several friends that never registered. I didn’t know it until we got there and they didn’t have bid numbers. They just ran in a fleece so it would seem like the bid number was under the fleece. I was so surprised and disappointed. It was a Pink Ribbon Run and they were women!?
dang it.. nevermind.. I came in 3rd! I need to learn to type faster// ha!
I haven’t seen this happen first hand but, when I ran the Chicago marathon last year, they made a big deal about taking precautions against cheaters. My initial thought was, “WHO WOULD DO THAT?!” But the sad reality is a people really do. I would feel no sense of accomplishment having done that. Isn’t the point of running a race to feel proud of yourself?
I really feel sorry for anyone who would have such low self-esteem as to cheat in a race. I mean, you rarely make money racing, and you are absolutely bound to be caught, so the only reason to cheat is for the ego-boost of artificial affection from others congratulating you. I think having to live with themselves may be punishment enough.
I don’t understand it. Why would you pay to run a race and then cheat? Where is the sense of accomplishment??
If I saw someone cheating, I’d probably point and scream “cheater!!”
Just kidding, I don’t think I’d do that. I’m not really sure what I’d do.
i laughed just picturing you doing that. “CHEATER!!!!”
I think that is awful that someone would actually want to cheat. Most marathons are for charity. Why would you do something like that? Wouldn’t you actually want to run the race and feel a sense of accomplishment after? I’ve never ran a marathon before but I can only imagine what it feels like after you complete it. I definitely think that if you break the rules you should be punished. That isn’t right.
That’s insanity! Isn’t the whole point just to know that you accomplished it!?
So funny you wrote about this today.. As I was running the R&R Savannah there was a point around mile 11 or so that we had to turn around at the end of a road and head back on the other side of the road in the opposite direction.. I laughed to my sister and jokingly said we should just cut across.. I would never actually do that though.. And I would probably be pissed if I saw someone else do it!
i remember that point in the race! that was right about when i wanted to die. 🙂
Now that you say that, some people did that at our doggy 5k this weekend. Although I don’t know if they were cheaters or that the course just wasn’t marked. I mean there were orange cones, but it might not have been obvious. Nobody was standing there telling you to go right.
Totally wrong to cheat on ANYthing. It is not that it is hurting me (or possibly someone else) but it is immoral, amoral, and downright dishonest. Totally goes to show our society may be taking a turn for the worst…..
But your lunch does look tasty!
I really don’t undersand it! The beauty of the marathon is the feeling you get from achieving such a big goal. People are ridiculous!
I ran XC in high school and one of our league schools cheated. The league meet was held at their school and they cut through the woods and came out ahead of our girls (we were good and definitely had them beat). They were dq’d and it made the entire school look bad.
That lunch looks amazzzingg
LOL @ that sign. Ugh, I have a friend who cheated in a local 5k in college. I wasn’t running it but a few of my other friends were. She was running with them, then dropped off behind them, and then BAM, she came in second somehow…without ever passing them. She never admitted to it and none of our friends cared enough to try to prove it. She now runs marathons (pretty fast ones too) and it’s always in the back of my mind…”Did she find a shortcut on that course, too?”
Who would do that? That’s crazy. I haven’t seen that happen, or I didn’t realized what was happening. I run for myself, not to compete against anyone else but if I was competting, I’d feel pretty crummy knowing I didn’t actually earn that medal.
How rude!
That’s just crazy to cheat during a marathon! Or at anything! What kind of satisfaction would you get out of doing that? Such bad form!
Your lunches always make me hungry. And you always post when it’s 30 minutes before my lunchtime, which sets off my hunger scale!
I totally have witnessed this!!! I run a 5k that runs through a campground. There’s a portion where you’re supposed to run ALL the way AROUND the campground, but last year there were numerous cheaters who cut through the campground cutting off a quarter of a mile or so. Some did it unknowingly because the race was poorly makred but many did it knowingly. I know for sure they were told by my family who was camping there and waiting for me to come through. I’m pretty sure the 2nd & 3rd place males both cheated and shouldn’t have placed top three. I told the race officials but don’t know what happened with them.
I think cheating in general is wrong; however, cheating on a race is probably the one that offends me the least…
I say this ONLY because running in my eyes is such a personal thing- you’re only really hurting yourself if you cheat.
It’s interesting you brought this up actually! This weekend I ran the Hot Chocolate 5k in Chicago. Almost every single runner literally cut the second to last corner, where the street was clearly marked as the course. I almost ran with them, just by following the crowd until I looked ahead and realized what was going on. I debated it for a split second and then quickly snapped out of it and realized I’d be very dissapointed with myself and wouldn’t trust my score if I did that. I happily ran around the corner and slapped hands with the spectators high five-ing the non-cheating runners.
I got my time back and placed in the top 1/3 for my age range. I was very please with my non-cheating resultes. I wonder how everyone else feels!
I run in a series every year called the “Will Run for Beer” series, where each race is sponsored by a local brewery. So many people bandit in these races which frustrates me because A) they’re usually faster than me, which leads to B) they get to the beer before me and there have been times that the kegs have kicked before I’ve been able to get into the post-race party (they don’t make you show your bib)!
I haven’t witnessed it but I am sure I would be peeved. I too wouldn’t be affected most of time but it annoys me in general when people don’t follow the rules. But Mostly I would feel sorry for them, what is the point of cheating? You know you didn’t accomplish it so the medals and feeling of accomplishment are all fake!
I just don’t get why people would do it. In my last half marathon there were lots of spots where you could have not run a little loop, or cut it short on an out and back portion, but why would you? I would feel like I’m cheating myself. I was aiming for a sub 2 half (just missed it!), if I’d cheated sure, I’d have gotten a sub 2, but for what? 12.5 miles instead of 13.1? Then it’s not a sub 2 half! I just don’t understand why people would do it.
This isn’t a sporting event (well, that’s debatable), but I did catch someone cheating during the New York Bar Exam in 2008 (i’m a fossil!). The Bar is like Top Chef/Chopped – when the alarm is sounded, you NEED to stop working. This person just kept working, and everyone around her kept saying, “you have to stop!”
A huge component of the Bar is the time requirement, and getting another few minutes even to GUESS on the multiple choice is an advantage.
How frustrating! I took the bar this past summer, and I when the proctor would tell everyone to stop working, I could still hearing people type-type-typing away on their laptops during the essay portion. Super lame. Those extra five-ten seconds for the essays probably aren’t going to make a difference between a pass and fail, but it’s still annoying that some people think the rules don’t apply to them.
What a yummy looking lunch! I wanted scrambled eggs for lunch, too, but it’ll be leftovers instead.
I’m not competitive myself, so anytime I see someone cheating I just remind myself that karma will get them eventually! (This mantra is especially helpful in traffic when someone cuts me off. Karma will find them!)
Also, for marathons, it just makes me sad for them. Marathons should be (mostly) about the personal accomplishment, so how sad that these people have to go home and pretend that they completed something (not to mention lie or confess to all their family and friends) when they really didn’t.
I’ve never seen it. I feel like if I did, I would yell and scream until others saw them.
Awful to do such a thing. If you are going to cheat, why even enter the race!?
I saw someone skip a climbing obstacle at the Warrior Dash… but it was dangerous and I totally don’t blame her after I heard about all the broken ankles from that particular obstacle. If she was placing it wouldn’t be cool, but I doubt she was anywhere close to a medal.
I just don’t get the point of that. Maybe it’s because I wouldn’t run a race to place, but rather as a goal for myself. I think the mental strain of cheating would just eat away at me and my feeling of empowerment and accomplishment upon completing the race just wouldn’t exist. So for me it’s like, what’s the point?
That is just terrible! People never cease to amaze me- I am not a runner, but I have the utmost respect for anyone who puts in the blood, sweat, and tears to run a marathon, and to have people cheat the system must be such a slap in the face. I’m stunned by how intricate the guy’s plan was though!
Yup- when I ran the Philly half marathon I saw people cut through a park instead of running around it. It was at mile 3 or something- totally ridiculous.
I can’t believe they even got away with that at first!! How did no one notice?? Especially when they place so high, they are being watched the whole time for updates!
Ha! That would be SO embarrassing/hilarious if I saw someone standing with that sign.
If someone’s desperate enough to cheat at a marathon, then they really should get a life. 🙂
I actually got into a huge argument with a friend that yearly just hops into the Boston Marathon without registering. She’s a great runner, but that race is SO important to so many people so I don’t think she should illegally run!
I think I would feel the same way! It certainly wouldn’t affect my medal but it would still irritate me to see it. I remember reading about this other famous incident several years ago in NYC and Boston:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosie_Ruiz
I can’t even imagine someone cheating to 1) qualify for and then 2) win Boston! Crazy that so many people think to do it!
Wow I didn’t even know that was something done at races! I’m oblivious. So glad he was caught and his medal was revoked!
I’ve played sports my entire life and still do, and I am very competitive. Cheating is just ridiculous and no matter how bad I would want to win, I’d never cheat at trying to do so. I didn’t even know people could cheat at races ha. Why enter to run a certain distance, if you aren’t going to do it? I love the picture you put. They should stand like that at the finish line for all REAL finishers to see! 🙂 mwaha! yes!
….with a tiara. that cheater needs a tiara.
I actually ran the very marathon you are referring to (I’m from near Kielder, in the UK:http://www.almostovernow.com/2011/10/race-recap-kielder-marathon-34351.html) – it was a bus the cheating guy jumped on, and the version of the story I read was featured here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2047816/Rob-Sloan-Kielder-Marathon-runner-shaved-6-miles-catching-spectator-bus.html
I feel so sad that the event tends to be remembered now for his cheating, and not for the amazing course, scenery and race organisation.
I don’t understand why he cheated but at the same time I wouldn’t be too judgemental of anyone, despite how much I love running. I don’t think there’s a single person alive that can truly wear a halo about everything they’ve done, and the guy in question certainly paid the price – he’s infamous now, has been kicked out of his running club and banned from all UK races! I don’t think the cheating was necessarily planned – I was there, and the way the shuttle buses ran, it just wasn’t possible to be exactly sure where they’d be and at what time. I think the jumping on and getting off was a spur of the moment decision and the resultant lying afterwards snowballed into something huge (I’m not sure the guy knew he had placed until someone stuck a camera in his face). It’s okay to shame people, but better to forgive, if not forget, afterwards and return to what things are really about: the fact that we all love running.
xxx
Wow, that is so crazy! I haven’t ever witnessed someone cheating but if I did I would really want to yell out “cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater”…haha actually I would not at all yell that phrase but that was always one that we used in a “nah nah nah nah boo boo” way.
I’d be SO mad if I caught someone cheating in a race…..I guess it would just irritate me if someone tried to cheat their way out of working as hard as the people who are actually participating!
Julie, this is totally unrelated to this post but I just wanted to share with you my new favorite Starbucks drink that I think you’d also enjoy (if aren’t enjoying already!). Iced coffee + skim milk + 1 pump mocha + 1 pump peppermint = yum 🙂
sounds right up my alley!
WOW paying money and signing up just to cheat! that is crazy… I like your idea of making them wear the sign! but that’s just first time offense… if they are serial offenders (cheaters) it should be tatoo-ed on their face! lol
I can’t believe anyone would cheat at a race! You run for YOU! Why even sign up to not do it right?! Some people are unbelievable, but I really like your punishment suggestion!
I’m not a runner (yet!) but can’t imagine why someone who is planning on cheating suscribe for the race in the first place? If you don’t want to run it, then just don’t! Surely the whole point of it is to accomplish for YOU?
I have never witnessed it. Although it makes me think of that “How I Met Your Mother” episode where they were trying to determine if Barney actually did run the NYC marathon or just took the subway. I forget the outcome.
I believe he took the subway. But don’t quote me on it.
That’s what I think, too. But I don’t remember how he kept his timing chip going on the course. I guess I’ll have to rewatch it. Darn!
Wait, wait! He did run the marathon, but then he got on the subway to go home, and his legs wouldn’t work. So he didn’t cheat. He’s just really stupid for not training.
Ugh. I couldn’t imagine why someone would cheat. People work hard to run marathons! If you haven’t put in the hard work required to run a marathon, please don’t cheat. Train harder next time! I totally agree with your treatment, humiliation is good medicine for some.
Well I am a self proclaimed Competitive Freak. I wish I wasn’t sometimes but its been a great motivator at other moments. My competitive side definitely flared up though when I was in a high school and was in first place for our X-C JV championships my sophomore year. It was extremely important to me because the top finisher on our team would be the alternate for the state team. Sadly and even more disappointingly, a teammate of mine cute a rather large corner and out of nowhere was a good 50 yards ahead of me. I couldn’t find the energy to track her down in the race and came in second. Not only did it suck but I felt pretty defeated. Cheating of any kind in sports just doesn’t cut it to me. If you cheat you didn’t compete properly.
Can you tell it still bugs me? 😉
So I’ve been reading for a few weeks and I’ve gotta say I’m sorta amazed by how much food you’re able to eat! Clearly you have a rock star metabolism! 🙂
I’ve never witnessed any kind of cheating, but I don’t like the thought of people doing it. I feel like one of the greatest things about racing is the feeling of self accomplishment after it’s over, and how is a person who cheats ever going to truly feel accomplished? They can’t!
Haha great punishment indeed.. Cheating in a marathon is something I never even thought of before this post.. That’s so unfair for all the runners who put in countless hours training!