..................you saw someone cheating at a race?
This past weekend at the Boulder Beast I had a brief interaction with another runner. Quite honestly I can't remember exactly where it was, if it was at a aid station or on the trail. Yea I know, that's weird considering that I remembered her so well. What I do remember was that someone had gotten in her way and she was rather brusque and rude about the incident. Not what you normally see on the trail. I didn't think much more about the incident to be honest, but did remember what she looked like and how she was dressed. I don't remember seeing her again, but may have passed her at a aid station.
The race starts and finishes on the road with the first and last 3.5 miles being much the same with the exception of a 1.1 mile stretch where they run you through a grassy field along the interstate. It's named the green mile and is as flat as a pancake and ironically many people claim that coming at the end, it's the most difficult part of the course. When this ends you go back onto the road for the last 8/10ths of a mile.
As I was coming up to the end of the green mile I saw a bicycle go by and noticed that it was this same woman. It wasn't surprising that she was out there on the bike as I've seen some fast runners do things like that to cool down. I did think it was odd that she still had her pack on with the trekking poles still attached. I got onto the road and as I headed around a slight corner I saw her on the road now walking . Since that struck me as odd I started looking for the bike. There was a house on the right side and a larger storage shed on the left side. Sure enough, there by the storage shed was the bike, leaning against a electric pole. I was slowly catching her, but shuffling as I was, it was going to be close and she was probably going to beat me. As we got within several hundred yards of the finish she veered off into the grassy parking area. At that time I started to think that indeed she was just a local runner who had finished, went out for a cool down and was now coming back to get something to eat. As I rounded the last corner I saw her come out from between a row of vehicles, get on the course and walk towards the finish line and proceed to cross the mats only 15-30 seconds before me. She had glanced over her shoulder, seen me coming, taken a bottle of water, kissed some guy and quickly moved into the crowd.
So what did I see? To me it seems like a open and shut case of cheating. I guess there are a few good explanations for her actions that wouldn't have been her cheating, but to me nothing seems plausible. The person that officially finished in front of me was female, about the same age as this woman appeared to be, and only finished 22.5 seconds before me so it had to be her, not just some person who went for a ride and jokingly walked across the timing mats again.
It would have been very easy for her to get back to the top part of Castanea (the little village at the foot of the mountain and first place to get cell service) call someone to bring the bike and then ride the road back. At this point the runners were very strung out so it would not have been extremely obvious.
So, the big question is. What should I have done, confronted her? told the guy at the timing station? Left the RD know? Or said nothing, which is what I did.
some call me Tim
I'd have probably found the RD and put it to them like, "This is what I witnessed and it doesn't make a hell of a lot of sense to me - do whatever you like with that information." Even that's a total judgement call on your part - you said you were taking it easy in the back of the field so it doesn't seem like this would affect the awards, but the RD is in a good position to decide whether it's worth pursuing.
In this case, shake your head and walk away I think is legit.
ME WEBLARG
Probably nothing, if ther was money or awards involved, maybe but for a middle of the pack person it's not worth the stress. If she can live with herself as a cheater who am I to disagree.
I'm with this.
When I raced it was just about me, the course, and the clock. Never gave a hoot about any others and never cared where I came in as long as I was happy with my own effort and performance. I have witnessed some small levels of cheating in the past. Whatever.
Does speak volumes about her though. Bizarre.
Le professeur de trail
Here's what I say, if you're gonna cheat, make it worthwhile. If she was middle to back of the pack, why even bother? I don't condone cheating but in this, there's much less of a point to it then someone cheating to get "on the podium".
I probably would have left it alone. BUT I also would have loved to see the confrontation if someone had confronted her....
My favorite day of the week is RUNday
Nothing, unless the cheater was in the running for AG or overall win. I just don't see the point of worrying about it. I might mention it in passing to people I know but that's about it. I witnessed weird things a few times like this, but I think mostly course cutting. At the HAT run one year I passed some dude (I recognized him from some local races) early in the second loop of the 50k course. He was flagging, I was gaining strength and running well. Surprise surprise, in the final mile I passed him again! Now I had been paying attention and maybe 1 or 2 runners had passed me that loop. So he cut the course, but maybe he had just decided to cut the race short and still get in a decent long training run. Still I think if you are going to cut the course you should avoid taking the run through the finish chute and declare DNF when you are done, but oh well.
In dog beers, I've only had one.
KillJoyFuckStick
I'm pretty much in the "let it go" camp but I can see where it would piss me off too. I'd probably take the passive aggressive approach and make small talk with her and ask her about her race and that cool bike she was riding.
You people have issues
Tim
My approach exactly.
I would have definitely pointed out to her that I saw her. I'd rather have her have it in her head that people knew she cheated then the RD worrying about a non-award finisher.
Maybe this lady will one day set a new FKT on the AT.
“Paralysis-to-50k” training plan is underway!
It would annoy me. But I would probably let it go unless it had some bearing on winning the race. I can't imagine that someone would cheat in a trail race, especially in the middle of the pack. People amaze me all the time, though. And, I, too, like the passive aggressive approach.
LB2
If I was towards the back of the pack I probably wouldn't have said anything. Or perhaps muttered something under my breath as I crossed the finish line. But as others have said, she's the one who has to live with herself as a cheater.
If there may have been AG awards possible, or maybe seen in the results later that she won an AG, I'd probably would tell RD what I saw.
tbd.
I just felt that she was too far to the back to really worry about it but it did irritate me. I guess I just have rose colored glasses on in regards to trail runners and always felt like we are more laid back and ethical than road runners. Not that road runners are unethical as a whole just that people that want the easy way would be more likely to run roads then put up with trails. There was a recent conversation on the Hyner FB page about how trail events are starting to see more people with less than desirable attitudes showing up.
At the time I just felt that it didn't matter that much as there were no AG awards resting on it and I didn't want to stress out the RD too much with all the other stuff going on surrounding the race. Still, I should have asked her if she was able to ride the last boulder field with the bike.
DW's one coworker ran it and got lost. He came in knowing that he had probably cut the course and took a DNF. Haven't heard the full story on that yet to see where he got lost at.
Sue
I'm with fuzzy socks...I would have trade to catch her to say...weren't you just riding a bike...just so she knew she didn't get away with anything
05/13/23 Traverse City Trail Festival 25K
08/19/23 Marquette 50 dns 🙄
Refurbished Hip
Haha! Everyone has a different idea what the F stands for...
+1 to everyone else. I wouldn't stay anything or confront her, but I'm Midwest passive-aggressive nice.
Running is dumb.
running under the BigSky
I would have kicked her ass, busted up her bike, found her boyfriend- kicked his ass and then bust up his bike too for good measure
Don't much like cheaters son.
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Best answer yet.
I would have kicked her ass, busted up her bike, found her boyfriend- kicked his ass and then bust up his bike too for good measure Don't much like cheaters son.