Men win Blackpool marathon wearing women’s numbers

[JaniceBattersby]

I guess there’s more to this than meets the eye.

But I suppose if we allow self-ID then this is the future. Except the result will have to stand www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/sport/blackpool-marathon-marred-because-some-leading-ladies-are-really-men-1-9131620

What the hell

Still...man wouldn't cheat so there must be some reasonable explanation

Give me a sec

Errmmmmm

Well...they could have....errrrmmmmm

No forget it

(Though surely the named females would have been cheating as well as it would have appeared that they had run...sponsorship??)

So the whole suburb part of the women's race was scrapped. All those wrong who competed and trained etc kaiboshed by some blokes. Well done lads.

With this sort of thing I always wish they asked what the motivation was.

But yes in general this will be the norm soon and there's nothing anyone will do, they will have been given prizes and women's record smashed.

Suburb = awards

Wrong = women

What was the motivation for dozens of men to be using women's numbers? It doesn't suggest any reason for it in the article, but for so many to have done this there must have been a reason why?

It's totally shit that these men got the women's awards cancelled. They should all apologise to the women athletes involved, and I'd bar them from entering at least this race again.

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

Writersblock

I would love it to be that too. But if so they need to come out and say it PBQ

I believe they were taking the places of women who had dropped out. Taking another person’s place is not allowed but I guess it’s very hard to check if people are the same sex and age group.

This is NOT self-ID though. It has nothing to do with it- it’s just idiots breaching the rules. Obviously it gives them no advantage either because they will not be counted as female runners. That’s not what they were seeking to do though- they just wanted a marathon place without applying for it. Non-story.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

There were a dozen disqualified according to that article

Wonder if they were all disqualified for the same reason

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?

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!

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?

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!

I honestly don’t know why there were so many people who switched numbers. The piece was written by a keen amateur rather than a reporter so they will be involved in the sprout themselves and therefore less likely to expose what actually went on.

I do know the sports reporters there though, so I’m happy to ask if they can get to the bottom of it.

Sprout = sport

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.

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

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

Exactly Nemno

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