Men win Blackpool marathon wearing women’s numbers

Here also www.instagram.com/p/BRYwCInFJ-w/

This happens a lot in races. I know people who have done it. For a marathon, most likely someone signed up, didn't do enough training or got injured and gave the number to someone else.

You can legitimately transfer your place or if it's a last minute drop out, just give them the number.

If you get caught you'll get disqualified and banned from future races. Every runner who has competed before knows this. What you don't do is draw attention to yourself by 'winning' women's race.

Most likely the organizers scrutinized the race results as a result of this idiot 'winning' the race and found lots more people out.

That did seem a push.

Using other people's race numbers is quite common, I am a member of a running club, there are always entry cards being offered when the original runner has to drop out. Lots of other fully trained, ready to go runners take them up.

But I was amused by poor old Vassos and his sudden change of sex and nationality and wondered if the booking systems had recently been outsourced to a less careful / literate company.

How was self-ID wedged into this?

I wonder if there is something more going on? I am not one for conspiracy theories honest, but..

Vassos Alexander, sports correspondent, Chris Evans show regular and keen runner was perplexed this week. He said on air that he wanted to ask the London Marathon organisers what had happened... as he ran the marathon as a woman! He didn't register as a woman, or as Greek. He registered as he usually does, as a British male.

But his number was for a female, Greek runner! They laughed about it messing up both his stats and those of the marathon.

Or here:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3216705-Australia-protesting-Laurel-Hubbard

And is already happening where policies and/or the law allow those born male to compete against those born female. Eg here:

www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/outrage-transgender-prisoner-living-woman-12022675

Exactly Nemno

And that isn't a 'what if' - it's what the rules become under self-id.

Oh please. Men cheated by using women’s numbers, but men would never self ID as women to enter a race. Course not. 😒

I took this
The only difference between this and Self-ID is that Self-ID would make doing this within the rules
to mean that the same men could run the same race in exactly the same way but could be doing it totally within the rules., ie by registering as women. I really hope this was a manFriday thing but it sort of achieved the same thing either way

The only difference between this and Self-ID is that Self-ID would make doing this within the rules.

No, it wouldn't. You can never swap bibs or numbers with anyone who has dropped out as you will not be covered by the insurance. It's very dangerous. Someone was disqualified from the London marathon for this- he swapped with another male but was found out.

Not self-ID and not great to be starting 'what if this happened' threads given the spotlight on MN at the moment.

Surely it’s just people swapping places and times being given by number. I assume men and women ran the same race like most marathons.
Does seem off that they scrapped the women’s medal ceremony though!

The only difference between this and Self-ID is that Self-ID would make doing this within the rules

And this is the key point, isn't it?

It's just people pulling out and not officially transferring their entry.

A couple of years ago I broke my arm & couldn't run in a 10k I'd entered so dp did it instead. We contacted the organisers and got the entry changed into his name, which is what you are supposed to do. People getting injured and giving their race entry to someone else happens all the time, it's just that some people don't bother telling the organisers. I know someone who's husband took her place & ended up as the fastest woman over 40!

If they weren't picked up as being men, would their times stand as the time for woman who originally entered the race? Or is this marathon not timed as officially as bigger races?

There were a dozen disqualified according to that article

Wonder if they were all disqualified for the same reason

And plenty of keen runners could run a marathon without specifically training for that race. Dh runs so much that he could easily do a marathon at a days notice. He often does 20-25 miles at a weekend as part of his training for ultra marathons.

I agree I think it’s taking the place of a relative/friend/running club colleague who has dropped out. I do it with friends sometimes although we’re all female so it doesn’t matter.

And recently I think there was an issue at a race somewhere near Peterborough where the man who won it was in his 20s but according to his entry he was in his 40s. Some guys boss had dropped out the day before and as this guy was a keen runner he took his place, might have been a half marathon I think. Race officials were suspicious as he looked so young and he admitted it and was disqualified. If he’d entered it under his own name he would have won.

This is NOT self-ID though. It has nothing to do with it- it’s just idiots breaching the rules.

The only difference between this and Self-ID is that Self-ID would make doing this within the rules.

Yes, I'd guess they were just stupid selfish blokes who didn't give a thought to whether they would be invalidating the women's race.

Interesting point the organisers made about the race insurance being invalid for them. So the race insurance covering competitors is sex based, I guess?

Is it ridiculously optimistic of me to hope it’s the male version of #ManFriday and thythe the trying to prove a point? crosses fingers

Unintentionally, yes.

But they must have been training for marathons surely? Just on the off chance they could pick up a place like this?