they usually refuse to DQ wrote:
I reported one strange case to a RD once and they claimed "the runner could have done it". It had a missing timing mat and one ridiculous 5km split.
They did 22 minutes for the first 5k, followed by 18:30 minutes for the second 5k. The 18:30 section was out and back.
The RD said the runner could have done it and refused to DQ. The runner finished in 7:20 pace overall with a missing timing mat late in the race.
How many 7:20pace marathoners could do a sub 6:00 5k in the middle of a marathon! Not going to happen. Ever. I'm sure they cheated, but no one cares. It is subtle enough to fly under the radar.
So if it isn't ridiculous, the RDs won't DQ. The example above proves it.
I had the same experience in the Philadelphia Marathon around 10 years ago. I was running with the "top" female runner that just came off of the shorter half marathon runners loop to rejoin the main field (it was .7 less). They have since eliminated this split around the zoo possibly because they could not police it.
I just figured she was a half marathoner but she ran past the half finish line and continued on the marathon course. I watched her "win" the race and was sure she would be dq'd. I told the race officials and they gave me attitude about it. I looked at the chip mat split in the results after the race that she would have had to cross if she had run the Marathon loop around the zoo and of course her chip did not register.
I felt bad for the third and fourth place finishers and even let one of them know. I didn't feel so bad for number 2 because they were on the same team so I figured she probably knew and also might have done the same thing. I think she went away with around $3,500.
So years later I'm still bothered by the whole exchange. The race officials gave me an explanation about how she was some ultra champion somewhere. I'm sure she was.