Fake Bibs at Boston Marathon

[VAfamily1998]

http://www.runnersworld.com/boston-marathon/runner-says-4-others-bandited-with-her-number-at-boston

I know someone (not the person mentioned in this article) who ran Boston, and the other day I was checking out her photos on Marathonfoto.com

I was really surprised to see that about half of the pics, were of some other person. At first I thought this other person might have a very similar bib number, and they just got mixed up--but upon looking closer I could see there was no mix up, they were the exact same number!

Apparently, this type of "Bib Fraud" is common--I had never even heard of it until now. I know prior to a race, I've taken pics of my bib and posted on Facebook...now I guess I won't post 'till AFTER the race.

 

[Castle2Castle]

"They put all these security measures into place this year that were a huge inconvenience to the runners, but it's all in the name of security so you deal with it." Bonneau said. "But then to realize there were people who no one knows or had any idea they were out there on the race course, it makes you wonder if it's really that secure at all. . .

. . .Marc Davis of the Boston Athletic Association said the use of counterfeit bibs is something that happens every year, and the race strongly discourages it. "It's not a security issue–it's just that someone has a fake bib, and they get onto the course and run the race," Davis said. "We're looking more into the situation. The race was just a couple days ago, and we're still managing the event itself and the 36,000 official runners in the race."

But those bib/packet pick-up policies are for security reasons!

 

[NJDorioles]

This is really unfortunate considering how hard all work to get into Boston....

 

[bumbershoot]

"It's not a security issue–it's just that someone has a fake bib, and they get onto the course and run the race,"

Makes me tilt my head in confusion like a dog.

If someone running on the course, without you knowing who that person is or that they've qualified or anything, isn't a security issue, then what (that they've changed) is?



I read a blog about a man's struggles with weight loss, and in 2010 he bandited Boston (and got a medal, and I have a bit of an issue with that, but then again he did run the whole thing...if it's just about being official, then it's about paying, and if it becomes about paying, then why wouldn't they give finisher's medals to people who paid but didn't finish? and then my brain explodes). He was asked a lot of questions about that. And he says that in 2010 there were 3000 bandits running Boston. He also said that the race director had bandited Boston as a teen. (that's what he says; I have no reason to not believe him, but I haven't checked the facts)


I have no solid thoughts about this. Just annoyance at things that don't seem to change anything.

And from when I read the blog and learned about banditing, it kind of seemed like a long tradition...feels like it's going to end now....sad.

 

[goofeygirl]

Never would have even thought about that. How would you prevent that? These are sort of the same type of things like counterfitting...okay I know that is a federal crime and there is probably no actual crime commited for printing a fake bib and running in a race...but how can they stop that?

 

[Dug720]

Never would have even thought about that. How would you prevent that? These are sort of the same type of things like counterfitting...okay I know that is a federal crime and there is probably no actual crime commited for printing a fake bib and running in a race...but how can they stop that?

We as runners can NOT post pictures of our bibs before the event. Even Kara, the girl who really brought this to social media's attention, says that she was naive in posting a picture of her bib (and I saw the instagram...it was JUST the bib, so it would have been very easy for someone to print it off with very little work to make it look real) and that she never thought someone would take it and make fake bibs. How many times have we all done the same in some form not even thinking about it? I know I for one will not be posting bib pictures before an event again - at least not without shoes or something obscuring the numbers if at all.

Yes, supposedly banditing has a long history with Boston and apparently at times was even "encouraged" by giving them their own "corral" in the back. But this is the first time I've heard of bandits going so far as to copy numbers to run. I think this is the issue.

And yes, it is most definitely a security issue. If someone wanted to do harm to runners and was willing to sacrifice him/herself to do so, all they would have to do unless things change considerably is make a copy of a bib. More thorough checks at village entry points should most definitely be done - perhaps some kind of code could be put on the BACK of legit bibs - something that would not be available to someone with a printed off bib. No, that wouldn't stop people from jumping in elsewhere, but it would be a start.

 

[ANIM8R]

On the Half and Full Marathon route, you know that weight scale at the guard station right after the hairpin left turn across from the Contemporary?

What if runDisney installed an RF tag on legit bibs and if the reader registered an illigitimate bib, the weight scale would 'eject' the unauthorized runner into the air as they passed?

I know it's not realistic...but I'd certainly be entertained watching that!

 

[Nole95]

Never would have even thought about that. How would you prevent that? These are sort of the same type of things like counterfitting...okay I know that is a federal crime and there is probably no actual crime commited for printing a fake bib and running in a race...but how can they stop that?

Only way they could try to stop it would be a logistical nightmare. Require everyone to show ID to get into a corral on race morning, and the name on the ID must match the bib number. Doubt a race that big would ever do it, but with this type of publicity now, anything is possible.

 

[VAfamily1998]

Only way they could try to stop it would be a logistical nightmare. Require everyone to show ID to get into a corral on race morning, and the name on the ID must match the bib number. Doubt a race that big would ever do it, but with this type of publicity now, anything is possible.

They already have workers (volunteers?) standing there, making sure people are joining the right corral. It wouldn't be that much harder to do a quick check and see that the bib actually has a chip on it. Though I suppose people could always just remove chips from previous races and glue them on their photocopied bibs to give the appearance of a legit. bib...

 

[Dug720]

They already have workers (volunteers?) standing there, making sure people are joining the right corral. It wouldn't be that much harder to do a quick check and see that the bib actually has a chip on it. Though I suppose people could always just remove chips from previous races and glue them on their photocopied bibs to give the appearance of a legit. bib...

That's why I said put something unique on the back of the bibs beyond the information that is already to be put on there. Some little icon or something. People might be smart enough to make copies and put the required information on the back and even go so far as to remove a timing strip (though I'll have to look, but I think they most of mine have the bib number on them...). But if there is an icon unique to that event on a corner of the bib (something that could easily be put there in printing ALL the bibs), it would be VERY obvious.

One other option is to double check ID at the secure entry point to the village.

 

[DisneyParrothead]

People are always going to be looking for a way around the system. I'm disappointed people would do this, but I'm not going to get worked up about it. Let Boston investigate all the bib frauds and let's see if the bandits are identified. What I don't like specifically is they're using the excuse of running for charity and they missed the deadline. Deadlines are there for a reason.

 

[Dug720]

People are always going to be looking for a way around the system. I'm disappointed people would do this, but I'm not going to get worked up about it. Let Boston investigate all the bib frauds and let's see if the bandits are identified. What I don't like specifically is they're using the excuse of running for charity and they missed the deadline. Deadlines are there for a reason.

Add the wife of the founder of FourSquare to this list. That story was on the local Boston news. They actually said "We have donated a lot of money to charity, so..."

As for "people have always bandited Boston..." Yes, but a) this year they said it would not be allowed and b) those in the past weren't stupid enough to wear a bib that would show up in race pictures.

 

[FFigawi]

They already have workers (volunteers?) standing there, making sure people are joining the right corral. It wouldn't be that much harder to do a quick check and see that the bib actually has a chip on it. Though I suppose people could always just remove chips from previous races and glue them on their photocopied bibs to give the appearance of a legit. bib...

It would be quite a bit harder, actually. With most bibs pinned on at all four corners, it'd take significant time and effort to check the back of each one as people were entering the corrals. I think this incident in Boston will be a one-off and we won't see a huge number of copycats.

 

[Dug720]

It would be quite a bit harder, actually. With most bibs pinned on at all four corners, it'd take significant time and effort to check the back of each one as people were entering the corrals. I think this incident in Boston will be a one-off and we won't see a huge number of copycats.

Hopefully there will be some kind of significant consequence though. If there is no consequence or simply a slap on the hand, I could foresee lots more people saying "Oh, they don't really care..." and doing it over and over.

 

[Mickey'sfriend]

They could press charges for theft. Afterall they didn't pay to run, therefore it's considered theft. I'm sure they won't go that route, but that may be a deterrent for some.

 

[VAfamily1998]

It would be quite a bit harder, actually. With most bibs pinned on at all four corners, it'd take significant time and effort to check the back of each one as people were entering the corrals. I think this incident in Boston will be a one-off and we won't see a huge number of copycats.

Good point. I wear my bib attached to toggles from my race belt so it's not pinned at the bottom.

 

[Castle2Castle]

And yes, it is most definitely a security issue. If someone wanted to do harm to runners and was willing to sacrifice him/herself to do so, all they would have to do unless things change considerably is make a copy of a bib. More thorough checks at village entry points should most definitely be done - perhaps some kind of code could be put on the BACK of legit bibs - something that would not be available to someone with a printed off bib. No, that wouldn't stop people from jumping in elsewhere, but it would be a start.

None of these policies are really about security in the sense of somebody doing harm to another person. They're about trying to maintain the integrity and revenue stream necessary to put on the event. Bandits can be a drain on race resources and potentially create a larger problem if they encourage even more free riding. Volunteers do what they can to see that people are in the correct corrals, but corrals are temporary holding areas with unimposing rope, netting or fencing that many runners routinely criss-cross rather than the designated entry points. The potential embarrassment of being called out by volunteers (or other runners) seems to deter most people from doing this. For those a little more brazen like in the article, public exposure and shaming such as this should serve as an additional deterrent to them and others.

 

[RD-SOX]

Add the wife of the founder of FourSquare to this list. That story was on the local Boston news. They actually said "We have donated a lot of money to charity, so..."

It seems if your husband is a CEO of Foursquare you can get away with this S@#$! I don't care how much money you donate to charity....its wrong to steal bib numbers!!! People work hard to qualify for Boston. I think this woman should be banned from any race. I heard she was bragging about her "fraud" and talking about getting better tan line this weekend competing in the NIKE half marathon in DC. Millionaire think they can get away with breaking the law.

 

[IamTrike]

It seems if your husband is a CEO of Foursquare you can get away with this S@#$! I don't care how much money you donate to charity....its wrong to steal bib numbers!!! People work hard to qualify for Boston. I think this woman should be banned from any race. I heard she was bragging about her "fraud" and talking about getting better tan line this weekend competing in the NIKE half marathon in DC. Millionaire think they can get away with breaking the law.

I read the article about her fraud and she said that she wasn't able to get a charity bib. Is there a lottery for charity bibs. How far in advance do you need to sign up with a charity in order to get one of these bibs?

 

[RD-SOX]

I have a friend who qualified for this years race, which is extremely hard to do. In years past he has run with a charity. From what he has told me most charities that run will take you on their team however you need to raise thousands of dollars. I am not sure if it is a lottery to run for charity, it may depend on the charity.

Knowing how hard my friend worked to get into Boston it frustrates me that these people did this with no consideration for others. Rules are rules, I missed the 2013 Disney Half Marathon before it sold out, so I ran the 5K instead ... my fault..... I didn't create a fake bib and run.