Runner knew marathon leaders were running off course, doesn't stop them: "I’m not going to shout. It’s not my job.’’

Am I the only one who has dreamed about this happening to me in a big marathon?

Seriously, is it no other hobby joggers fantasy that the lead pack gets taken off course, and you just happen to be the first person to notice and are able to win the race instead?

I might have said something, might not, would probably depend how far and if it was the difference between 1 and 3 or 81 and 83.

Props to the guy though, must have been tough running with such big balls. To see the lead bike go one way but gamble the lead bike is wrong take cojones. I likely would have followed the bike and other runners.

Free_the_thigh wrote:

must have been tough running with such big balls

This weasel has exactly the opposite.

Rojo, do you realize how disrespectful you are being to someone who - even if he tried - could literally do NOTHING mid race to correct the leaders back on course.

You're S***ing on a guy focusing on his race just to get views and activity to your site. The fault is on 3 people/groups:

- the race director for not ensuring al the volunteers know the course,

- the volunteer for not knowing the course,

- the 2 leaders for not knowing the course.

In any race it is the athlete's responsibility to know the course. Racing for money is a job. You need to know how to do your job. You can't expect someone to always tell you how to do your job.

Pence won fairly.

UCI Boob Inspector wrote:

iamcomfused wrote:

20 seconds back is too far to yell. His comment was distasteful and makes him sound like a d-bag but there’s nothing he could have done.

He should have said, “I definitely feel bad for them. I was about 20 seconds back and there wasn’t much I could do as by the time I got to the turn they were gone.”

It's called taking quotes out of context. The Washington Post likes nothing more than to smear a white guy that did better than two black guys.

POD

Typical Rojo clickbait thread.

A real sports journalist would have investigated better.

I don't think it's fair to blame Tyler Pence. What could have he done? Maybe one shout out but that's it. They probably would not have heard it. Also this is a Marathon, it's not like you have another chance next week. Tyler Pence trained hard to run that fast. That incident was not his fault.

Hahaha what? Poor sportsmanship? It’s a COMPETITION. He’s right it’s not his job. Christ y’all are pu$$ies

So the money is only needed by the Kenyans? Lmao. This is ridiculous. Now you’re assuming the winners financial situation as well as stereotyping all Kenyan runners as “poor”. They should of been crying. I bet this doesn’t happen to them again. This is a life lesson lol.

Tortoise wrote:

Rojo, do you realize how disrespectful you are being to someone who - even if he tried - could literally do NOTHING mid race to correct the leaders back on course.

You're S***ing on a guy focusing on his race just to get views and activity to your site. The fault is on 3 people/groups:

- the race director for not ensuring al the volunteers know the course,

- the volunteer for not knowing the course,

- the 2 leaders for not knowing the course.

In any race it is the athlete's responsibility to know the course. Racing for money is a job. You need to know how to do your job. You can't expect someone to always tell you how to do your job.

Pence won fairly.

It is once again just typical rojo trolling and hyperbole to get clicks. Either that or he clearly has never been involved in race admin.

Here's a great story of race awareness.

I was the RD of a regular series (as well as RD of a major marathon), and in one of the former races, we once got a 'gun' runner to race. The course had been officially measured during that week, and the turn on the first out/back was pushed about 60m further than before. It was marked and I briefed the bike rider at last minute (all have busy lives). We then briefed the runners at start line, including this 'gun' Englishman, who not only new to the area, but to the country.

In my 40 yrs of involvement in running, I know that 90% of runners totally forget everything when they start running and 10% (usually including those 'racing to win'), know what's going on.

To be safe, I drove out after they had started, and as I approached the leader near the 5km turn, I freaked out when I saw the bike rider turn around at the old turn, then amazingly the Englishman looks at him as if to say, "weren't you listening"? and just keeps going - the new turn being just on the other side of a little rise was actually hard to see from a distance- and he goes on to turn at the proper turn.

I breathed a sigh of relief, got the course record smashed.

One more interesting thing, when we put out the km signs, I large truck was obscuring the 15km mark, so we put it 80m further (doesn't affect overall distance). The winner explained how he knew the bike rider was wrong and then also commented "your 15km sign appeared to be about 80m further"!

I always tell runners. If you are racing to win or place (even age groups) you have to start in the first wave, and you have to remember instructions. Its on you after the gun.

You "purposefully" leave names out knowing full well it would be super easy for someone to search the results. Why make this about the winner, and not just about the two Kenyans that initially were royally screwed? Like other posters have said, no guarantee this guy couldn't have pulled off a win. People cramp up in the marathon, they get reduced to a jog or even a walk.

This isn't journalism, this is a hit piece.

[quote]Middle of the pack marathoner wrote:

Typical Rojo clickbait thread.

Agreed, yet it got my click and reply so I guess its true all press is good press

The Kenyans went straight through arsenal Island on the 1/2 marathon course rather than turning left shortly after entering the island.

Please give this a listen before you continue to bash an incredible person and athlete

surveysays wrote:

Not only are you wrong about the size of races I've run, as it ranges from BFE to Berlin, but I've even done THIS EXACT RACE.

Which of my 3 points did you take issue with? All you did in your response was go on a tangent about when you should help another runner and complain that rojo rained on the parade of a prick.

I'm sorry, I responded to you as if you had the reading comprehension skills of an adult. My bad.

So, mr big time racer, when you're at these races, have you ever yelled at someone 100m ahead of you and communicated effectively? (I was addressing point 1 here). Of course, you'll say yes, but I call bs.

It is not the responsibility of a race participant to exert any effort on behalf of any other competitor unless it's a safety issue. I think the question of whether or not one perceives it to be exhausting is patently absurd on its face. (That's your point 2). I also think judging someone by their reactions 30k into a marathon is d!ckish and stupid. You're going to tell me you've never felt like crap at some point in a race but still have run well?

My default response to newspaper quotations is skepticism. I didn't address your point 3 because you seem mad about something and apparently are projecting it on to this guy. I'm assuming that you're jealous because you can't run 2:15, he took your girl/guy, or you're a mealy-mouthed type who doesn't like winners, etc.

As an aside, I've been interviewed by trade publications, regional newspapers, and public tv about matters of science and technology and never once did they quote me right. They extrapolated, hyperbolized, and just flat out got stuff wrong. It happens. They are not in the truth biz, they're trying to get your eyes on ads or whatever generates revenue for them.

My take is this...of course this was a no money course, but anyway...In the Buena Vista 3 mile, the year I got 20:38 for 3 miles, a few people ahead of me went the wrong way and I shouted to them and they turned around...all of them beat me and yet I was happy to do the right thing.

They didn't care because they were faster and should have been ahead of me.

But I likely won't do that anymore because unless people appreciate your ethics, it's just seen as weakness..

Americans are a deplorable group of filthy citizens. The unbathed French had cleaner souls.

know the truth wrote:

https://www.channel1450.com/2021/09/29/the-download-with-dp-emergency-episode-pence-talks-quad-cities-marathon-win-and-backlash/?fbclid=IwAR1FUGELY0oxxUWAjXwVl5cRbDyywhrubbhSd_XFfoIw9G6cpq_lv8JlqT8

Please give this a listen before you continue to bash an incredible person and athlete

He pointed out to the bike official riding with him that the bike official and leaders up ahead had gone the wrong way, which he estimated to be 200m ahead.

Shouldn't his accompanying bike official have sprinted ahead to tell them?, seems the two bike riding officials stuffed up here.

iamcomfused wrote:

20 seconds back is too far to yell. His comment was distasteful and makes him sound like a d-bag but there’s nothing he could have done.

He should have said, “I definitely feel bad for them. I was about 20 seconds back and there wasn’t much I could do as by the time I got to the turn they were gone.”

Years ago a local newspaper covered a special event in which my wife was a volunteer professional. I stood there and listened to the reporters questions and my wife's answers. Then I read the article that was later published and discovered that the reporter misquoted my wife. To me it made her sound like she did not know the basics of her profession. I will never give an interview to a reporter. They may either misquote me or take a something out of context or just print a phrase rather than the whole sentence or statement I make. No thank you.

Never Take Part In Interviews wrote:

Years ago a local newspaper covered a special event in which my wife was a volunteer professional. I stood there and listened to the reporters questions and my wife's answers. Then I read the article that was later published and discovered that the reporter misquoted my wife. To me it made her sound like she did not know the basics of her profession. I will never give an interview to a reporter. They may either misquote me or take a something out of context or just print a phrase rather than the whole sentence or statement I make. No thank you.

I've interviewed with several news outlets. Not once did they quote me correctly, and I remember entirely made up statements quoted as mine.

UCI Boob Inspector wrote:

iamcomfused wrote:

20 seconds back is too far to yell. His comment was distasteful and makes him sound like a d-bag but there’s nothing he could have done.

He should have said, “I definitely feel bad for them. I was about 20 seconds back and there wasn’t much I could do as by the time I got to the turn they were gone.”

It's called taking quotes out of context. The Washington Post likes nothing more than to smear a white guy that did better than two black guys.

It's called taking quotes out of context. The Washington Post likes nothing more than to smear a white guy that did better than two black guys.[/quote]

THE WHITE GUY IS THE VICTIM HERE.

AIlez wrote:

Never Take Part In Interviews wrote:

Years ago a local newspaper covered a special event in which my wife was a volunteer professional. I stood there and listened to the reporters questions and my wife's answers. Then I read the article that was later published and discovered that the reporter misquoted my wife. To me it made her sound like she did not know the basics of her profession. I will never give an interview to a reporter. They may either misquote me or take a something out of context or just print a phrase rather than the whole sentence or statement I make. No thank you.

I've interviewed with several news outlets. Not once did they quote me correctly, and I remember entirely made up statements quoted as mine.

Once here in Australia I was interviewed by a national newspaper and when the article came out I was recommending to new runners that they needed to train a 100 miles a week. Took me for ever to get them to write a retraction. In the mean time I copped heaps of shít from mates and others lol.