Read the Entry Form wrote:
I work at a running store that puts on 80+ events a year, and we CONTINUALLY have people calling about things that are clearly printed on the entry forms that people just don't read and blindly fill out and enter.
It is the responsibility of the entrant to read ALL race related material especially as far as packet pick-up and chip timing.
They not only didn't get splits on the "winners" but without chips at the start, they only had 'unofficial' overall times.
Yes, it sucks to go through all that and not get the win, but the procedure was the same for all the other entrants that didn't win too, yet they showed up and followed the right procedures.
I do wish both first finishers the best in the future, and a costly lesson this was.
I agree with this sentiment in principle. However, 2 things are somewhat different here. (1) they applied the rules only to the winners and not to all the slower, local, runners. If you are going to enforce these rules, the 5 hr marathon runners absolutely need to be DQed as well, no ifs ands or buts; it's totally unprofessional to do otherwise and (2) If you are going to do something highly non-standard, that is essential to entering the race, like no race-day pickup, it is the race organizers responsibility to make this VERY PROMINENT on the forms AND on the website, AND in any email notification about the race (only if there are email notifications). "NO RACE DAY PICK UP" in bold on the forms, is essential, so that someone reading the form focusses on this sentence, as opposed to all the stuff that is the same for all marathon forms. If this wasn't bolded and highlighted then it's the organizers fault (in a realist sense) but still the runners fault (in a legal sense). There is definitely blame on both sides here.