Official 2016 Star Wars Half Marthon - The Dark Side Weekend

[Ariel484]

There were two places I could see people cutting the course really easily without people noticing outside of the missed 15K Mat because of the way they had the portapotties set up to help both sides of the course so I wonder if they were more than what were noticed as well.

Ugh. I mean...I've had the thought of "man, it would be so easy to just shave off a few miles"...but I've never SERIOUSLY thought of doing that. I just don't get people.

 

[camaker]

Hmmm... I would not call this an equal opportunity. Locals in Orlando who poach the merchandise don't have to pay several hundred dollars more in room and food.

To clarify, the expo opened at the same time for everyone to access the merchandise. There was not an early entrance for eBay poachers/locals so they could get in before the runners. Runners were welcome to be lined up for the merchandise at the same time. We underestimated the demand for the items just like Disney did.

Personally, I think it would be a great idea for Disney to limit access to the merchandising areas for, say, the first two days of the expo. Then on day 3, it could be all access to the public. It would be easy to do. Just route expo traffic through bib pickup first and then require a bib to be shown for merchandise access, with some provision for accompanying family members of course.

 

[camaker]

Ugh. I mean...I've had the thought of "man, it would be so easy to just shave off a few miles"...but I've never SERIOUSLY thought of doing that. I just don't get people.

It's apparently a very common phenomenon. I read an article some time back about a running coach whose hobby it is to go through race results and identify the cheaters based on timing discrepancies.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Personally, I think it would be a great idea for Disney to limit access to the merchandising areas for, say, the first two days of the expo. Then on day 3, it could be all access to the public. It would be easy to do. Just route expo traffic through bib pickup first and then require a bib to be shown for merchandise access, with some provision for accompanying family members of course.

 

[FFigawi]

It's apparently a very common phenomenon. I read an article some time back about a running coach whose hobby it is to go through race results and identify the cheaters based on timing discrepancies.

This guy catches all kinds of people

http://www.marathoninvestigation.com

 

[BuckeyeBama]

This guy catches all kinds of people

http://www.marathoninvestigation.com

That is interesting and disturbing at the same time. The first lady clearly has mental issues. Outing her and shaming her is such a public way could lead to something horrible. I don't feel bad for those who are outed for stealing bibs - they clearly have no shame and know that they are stealing. But that first lady is different.

Reading that site makes me reconsider running in large races - the thought that my data with pictures is on the web for anyone to look at and judge. I guess that I knew it before, but never really considered that there are stalkers out there.

 

[FFigawi]

Reading that site makes me reconsider running in large races - the thought that my data with pictures is on the web for anyone to look at and judge. I guess that I knew it before, but never really considered that there are stalkers out there.

The size of the race doesn't have anything to do with it. As long as the results are posted online, anyone who enters a race these days, large or small, makes their name, location, and other data available for anyone to find and look at. If the race has official event photographers, your picture will be available too. I don't think you have to worry about being stalked, though. You don't strike me as the kind of person who is going to cheat to get a BQ or place in your age group at Marine Corps or do any of the other shady things that this site and others have found people doing. You don't have a twin brother, do you?

http://www.atlasobscura.com/article...hon-and-the-greatest-cheat-in-running-history

 

[Chasing Dopey]

That is interesting and disturbing at the same time. The first lady clearly has mental issues. Outing her and shaming her is such a public way could lead to something horrible. I don't feel bad for those who are outed for stealing bibs - they clearly have no shame and know that they are stealing. But that first lady is different.

Yeah, I'm not sure if the site needed to dedicate such space to a girl who just lied about doing it. She didn't falsify a qualifying time, or steal a bib, so it wasn't like she was taking someone else's space. I think it's fine when people who get a lot of attention are called out, like the dad who falsified his BQ then got nationwide attention for defending taking his kids out of school to watch him run. Or the guy last year who cut the course at MCM and ended up placing in his division. But sad faces in the crowd who obviously need help? There might be an obsession in catching those folks that border on unhealthy.

 

[Chasing Dopey]

You don't strike me as the kind of person who is going to cheat to get a BQ or place in your age group at Marine Corps or do any of the other shady things that this site and others have found people doing.

Ha! We were thinking of the exact same people!

 

[CDS Bump]

Ugh. I mean...I've had the thought of "man, it would be so easy to just shave off a few miles"...but I've never SERIOUSLY thought of doing that. I just don't get people.

Yeah I can't imagine actually doing that! What's the point in doing it if you're not actually going to do it? I wouldn't be able to live with myself after that. It's beyond me how people can lack any sort of personal integrity, accountability, and will to achieve a goal.

 

[FFigawi]

Yeah I can't imagine actually doing that! What's the point in doing it if you're not actually going to do it? I wouldn't be able to live with myself after that. It's beyond me how people can lack any sort of personal integrity, accountability, and will to achieve a goal.

I don't get it either, but it's all too common. Look at what people have done at rD races recently based on posts on this board:

- intentionally get swept at the first opportunity in order to get a medal without running the whole distance
- cut the course to finish under time in order to get a medal
- get swept; tell everyone you finished; and when questioned about the lack of a time, tell people that Disney doesn't track times because they're just fun races

It's unfortunate and sad that some people have issues with self-esteem or whatever else that make them value bragging to their friends and family more than admitting they couldn't do something.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

The size of the race doesn't have anything to do with it. As long as the results are posted online, anyone who enters a race these days, large or small, makes their name, location, and other data available for anyone to find and look at. If the race has official event photographers, your picture will be available too. I don't think you have to worry about being stalked, though. You don't strike me as the kind of person who is going to cheat to get a BQ or place in your age group at Marine Corps or do any of the other shady things that this site and others have found people doing. You don't have a twin brother, do you?

http://www.atlasobscura.com/article...hon-and-the-greatest-cheat-in-running-history

Yeah I can't imagine actually doing that! What's the point in doing it if you're not actually going to do it? I wouldn't be able to live with myself after that. It's beyond me how people can lack any sort of personal integrity, accountability, and will to achieve a goal.

I think that most would agree - we simply can't imagine cheating like this, and it annoys us when we hear of others who do. But I never thought of the possibility that there were people out there stalking other people like this, or that the data would stay out there long enough for it to be possible. Now that I think about it, I get it. But I don't even do things like Facebook because I want my personal life to remain as personal as possible.

My real beef with that site is their targeting a woman who is clearly mentally unstable. They care more about the integrity of that race, or racing in general, than her life. That is sad, and that is not acceptable. Runners support runners. That woman needs help. She does not need to be publicly shamed.

 

[Ariel484]

My real beef with that site is their targeting a woman who is clearly mentally unstable. They care more about the integrity of that race, or racing in general, than her life. That is sad, and that is not acceptable. Runners support runners. That woman needs help. She does not need to be publicly shamed.

This originated on Facebook and is being talked about in at least 4 groups that I'm in (and I'm not that into Facebook, so I'm sure it's spread way beyond that). I agree, it's out of hand for this instance.

 

[maw]

This guy catches all kinds of people

http://www.marathoninvestigation.com

I'm just fascinated by these stories. There was a great article in the New York Times a few weeks ago http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/10/sports/julie-miller-ironman-triathlon-cheat.html?_r=0.

 

[Warm Hugs]

Aside from the woman that didn't race at all and tried to take credit, I am more concerned for the woman blogger's family that got caught using a friend's Boston time to qualify and then got a lifetime ban. I mean yes she is a blogger and puts herself out there, but there are pictures of her family, i.e. Her kids on the page.

I don't know what, if anything, has happened to her kids, but i would hate to see the kids teased or bullied at school or losing friends just because of the mom's mistake.

 

[SueInBoston]

I unintentionally cheated once. It was my very first half, it was a local race with minimal volunteers. It was an extra bib i got two days before race day so I haven't trained and was just going to try and see how far I get. I started cramping at mile 10 but determine to finish so I walk the rest of the way, by then most of the volunteers were gone with no signage. I got lost and walked a route that was not the official route and probably cheated .5 mile. To this date, I still feel guilty about that medal..lol

Last month's NYC half, I witnessed a couple blatantly cut across Central Park instead of running out and back in..

 

[officer tigger]

While running the half this year we all saw the porta-potties on the grass in the center median near Animal Kingdom. With the amount of runners we had I'm sure I was mistaken, but I'm pretty positive I passed a person wearing a colorful outfit early in the race. On my way out of Animal Kingdom I saw the same person running from the bathrooms onto the road in front of me. I had it on my mind since then and reading this prior posts made me think more about it. Not cool to the thousands of other runners who finished the whole race.

 

[cavepig]

VIP BIB/Same Day Pick Up People - - anyone do it and have feedback on how it went? - Was it easy? Challenge runners did you have your picture taken the 10k morning then? Curious how it went and haven't seen any comments on it anywhere.

 

[longhorns2]

My travel agency had an option to have bibs delivered to the hotel (trial run by rD) but the challenge picture kept me from doing it. I couldn't figure out how they would make the challenge bib work. Curious to hear what others thought!

 

[MomtoGKC]

VIP BIB/Same Day Pick Up People - - anyone do it and have feedback on how it went? - Was it easy? Challenge runners did you have your picture taken the 10k morning then? Curious how it went and haven't seen any comments on it anywhere.

We did the VIP pick up and loved it! I am not one to buy any of the merchandise so going to get my bib at the expo just feels like a time waster for me. We didn't leave the hotel any earlier than we would have normally. Got to the race and the VIP table was to our right. It was a small booth with probably 20-30 bags still there? Just showed my ID and they handed me my bag and crossed my name off the list. So simple and quick- was very worth it to me. I only wonder if they'll do it again since it looked like not many people had signed up for the service.