But she didn't know it Lily.  The person who won was wearing a bib for the half.  Thus, the 2nd place female wouldn't have thought she was competing with her.  She certainly wouldn't try to keep up with someone who was running 13.1 miles if she was running 26.2.  She would have no way of knowing that the person who ultimately finished first was a competitor until it was far too late to respond.  I will readily concede that it likely wouldn't have made a difference but she deserved the opportunity to compete.

Okay, this is what I understand: I'm standing at the start line for the marathon. I take off, and a woman passes me at a faster pace (the HM woman was aiming for 1:28). I may, or may not, know that she's in the HM. Doesn't matter... Around mile 7, there is a fork, I'm still second woman in the marathon, and I know that, because I can see another woman ahead of me, ON THE MARATHON COURSE. The second woman knew she had competition from mile 7 and on. She was simply never able to catch up to her, even when the HM woman started slowing down considerably in the second half.

Am I understanding this wrong?

I ran this race and feel able to chime in on what I saw.

 

I was a back of packer.  The half and full started at the same time. We had different starting mats. Volunteers directed the full marathoners to the left so as not to cross the half line which started in the road. We started in a parking lot a bit further back. How much further? I don't know. It was after this that we merged as one field.  We had different bibs. I saw her on her way back on the full marathon course because I noted her bib and wondered why she was out there. I assumed she was on a cooldown or whatever. I saw the second place woman and considered shouting to her that she was number one woman. I did not do this thankfully.  Maybe she saw the bib as well and thought she was rightfully in first place. Racers often battle for placement with RACERS WITHIN THEIR RACE. This was not the half marathon race. Had the number 2 woman been informed of THIS while SHE was running, that they allowed the other woman to change races mid race? I don't know. I haven't seen or heard her view on it. The course was clearly marked. The volunteers were great and IMO the onus is on THE RACER to pay attention.  She was wearing earbuds and admitted this may have been a factor. Earbuds were not banned but discouraged. I am sure it was a mistake but  I am sure there were other half marathoners she could  have followed at the correct turn as well. Had two marathoners been battling for first and Marathoner A veered off course by accident and been overtaken by Marathoner B then Marathoner B would still be the winner. I have no problem whatsoever with this woman who obviously has a lot of talent getting a medal but NOT THE WIN. This is a BQ course. It is a great feel good story but IMO the wrong call. I am clearly in the minority.  My opinion stands.

You were there, Lori, so I'll take your version of the events, because it's the real one. So I was wrong. 

One assumes that the:"winner" and number 2 lady were the only women in the front. If you look at the results of the half marathon there would have been other half marathon women running similar paces not to mention men. So she would not have been running alone at the turn. There would have been a small group going left and I would assume slightly larger group going straight. She was indeed running alone when I saw her on her way back but would have had some men AND women somewhere around her at the turn. I am sure she didn't do this on purpose but  it was a mistake. Did someone tell woman 2 that "hey we changed that half marathoner bib to a full?"

This rubs me the wrong way.

I ran this race and feel able to chime in on what I saw.

 

I was a back of packer.  The half and full started at the same time. We had different starting mats. Volunteers directed the full marathoners to the left so as not to cross the half line which started in the road. We started in a parking lot a bit further back. How much further? I don't know. It was after this that we merged as one field.  We had different bibs. I saw her on her way back on the full marathon course because I noted her bib and wondered why she was out there. I assumed she was on a cooldown or whatever. I saw the second place woman and considered shouting to her that she was number one woman. I did not do this thankfully.  Maybe she saw the bib as well and thought she was rightfully in first place. Racers often battle for placement with RACERS WITHIN THEIR RACE. This was not the half marathon race. Had the number 2 woman been informed of THIS while SHE was running, that they allowed the other woman to change races mid race? I don't know. I haven't seen or heard her view on it. The course was clearly marked. The volunteers were great and IMO the onus is on THE RACER to pay attention.  She was wearing earbuds and admitted this may have been a factor. Earbuds were not banned but discouraged. I am sure it was a mistake but  I am sure there were other half marathoners she could  have followed at the correct turn as well. Had two marathoners been battling for first and Marathoner A veered off course by accident and been overtaken by Marathoner B then Marathoner B would still be the winner. I have no problem whatsoever with this woman who obviously has a lot of talent getting a medal but NOT THE WIN. This is a BQ course. It is a great feel good story but IMO the wrong call. I am clearly in the minority.  My opinion stands.

Plus it sounds like she ran less than the marathon distance if her mat was slightly ahead?

Also, I've run plenty of races with my music and always pay attention if there are going to be divisions.  At the HM/Marathon division, there are usually 5-10 volunteers whose sole purpose is to tell you where you will go.  In a small race, this is easier because you don't have hundreds of runners going through that part at once.  So, like people say, it's her burden to make sure she does not go off course.

I missed a turn in a 10K once and didn't even cross the finish line of the 5K I was so pissed at myself (there were no volunteers there and I missed the little sign), even though both started at the same time.  Least of all the fact that I would've won the 10K and confused everybody there.

I hear a book deal is in the works..."Run Your Best Marathon Ever - By Only Training For A Half"

I know she was apparently training for a full, but that wouldn't stop a publisher from printing this.