Why do some runners cheat?
As bib-swapping and corner cutting taint races, is cheating in running inevitable?
‘They did not ruin the Kielder Marathon weekend but they did taint it.’
That was the response from the organisers of an event dubbed ‘Britain’s most beautiful’ after the first two finishers of this year’s race were disqualified for bib-swapping.
Two men had taken place in the run despite being unregistered. One came home in first place. A second was persuaded to drop out before the end.
The controversy meant actual winner John Butters, in the words of the organisers, missed out on his ‘moment of glory’.
It is not the first time the event has hit the headlines for the wrong reasons.
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In 2011, runner Rob Sloan was disqualified after he was accused of having caught a bus to finish in third place.
And the most recent Kielder incident is not even the only example of nefarious behaviour in an official event this month.
It came just days after a runner was accused of cheating at the Cardiff half-marathon on October 1.
The BBC reported that organisers of that event had disqualified Sion Daniels of Llanelli AC amid allegations he could not possibly have finished the race in the one hour, seven minutes and 40 seconds time he claimed.
He was also said to have removed his chip and submitted a false GPS recorded file which included a wrong course from the 2022 edition of the race.
Run4Wales said Mr Daniels would have had to run a world record pace for at least seven miles (11km) to get the time he recorded.
While his 21st place finish would doubtless have been impressive, Mr Daniels’ apparent misdemeanour wouldn’t have earned him anything in prizes or major plaudits.
Any accusations of cheating in the UK pale into insignificance when compared to this September’s Mexico City Marathon.
Around a third of the entrants - roughly 11,000 people - were caught cutting corners or failing to complete the proper 26.2-mile distance.
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So what makes runners cheat - and how are they hoping to prosper?
The lure of a finisher’s medals and bragging rights - particularly those afforded by a top three finish - are obvious answers.
Others cheat for a fast time or to meet a goal, such as a Boston Marathon qualifying time.
Many people may believe they are entitled to finisher’s medals as they will have paid sometimes considerable amounts to enter a race. If they feel they are struggling to hit a cut-off time the desire to cheat may become too much.
On other occasions runners give in to pressure to hit targets they’ve set - or even boasted about. In a world where social media is so often king, who wants to own up to a DNF or to finishing an hour outside the time you wanted?
A study in 2019 by academics at Aurora University in Illinois, America quotes renowned social psychologist Howard Giles, in The International Encyclopedia of Intercultural Communication,’ as saying we “live in globalised, sports-saturated world” that can put cultures and their values on display.
Exploring the psychology of cheating, the study said “the fundamental reason why people cheat in sports isn’t complex at all. Athletes want to win.”
But in a world where some people will even cut a corner at a free event such as parkrun, where there is supposedly no winner, is the answer simply that certain runners - like all parts of society - are not very good people?
The Aurora academics found evidence that “anticipated regret, counterfactual regret and moral identity are all significant factors in decisions about cheating”.
In other words, cheating - or not - comes down to people’s morals and what they think they can get away with.