Cheating at qualifiers for better Comrades seeding

[Pacman]

Kaapsehoop took place in Nelspruit last weekend - it was a lovely race , and I intend doing it again next year.

Great move by Nelspruit MC - create a unique, scenic race, all downhill, that enables people like me to take 20min off their PB and get a better seeding for the very large crowds anticipated at Comrades 2010.

But it seems the 1km downhill-drop gradient is not enough - some people at the race seemingly cut out an 8km loop of the race.
Along the tarred route at Kaapsehoop, there's a detour where you go along a gravel road for about 4km, and then back along the same stretch - back onto the tar. Cheating isn't encouraged by any club, but this approach (out-and-back detour) makes it very to either cut out the gravel detour entirely, or just do a small portion of it. Any referee along the gravel stretch won't really know if you're going out or returning, so you can theoretically cut out anything between 1km and 8km.
Furthermore, at Kaapsehoop traffic is allowed along the entire route, so seconds were observed dropping people off along the way.

The Vaal races (Secunda/Vanderbjl etc.) are well-known for being good PBs races – loops are very easy to skip due to “absent” marshalls, and under-measurement (eg. 40km marathons) is regularly reported.

We often claim that if you cheat at running (and you're not a podium finisher), you're only cheating yourself. But cheating and getting an undeserved better seeding means you're also blatantly cheating against everyone else with a lower seeding.
Could clubs, unwittingly, be making their races popular specifically by “facilitating” Comrades qualification and seeding?
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Not "born to run". But running anyway!

[Jaje]

I know a lady who put her marathon qualifying time in the 50km box for both Oceans and Comrades. At Oceans I only caught her at 46km's and didn't catch her at all at Comrades. Now this is the same lady, who, in every other race finished far behind me when things were equal on the start line.

A mistake once I can handle, twice? I think not...

Cheating to improve seeding pens gives you a massive advantage in these congested races.
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"If you start to feel good during an ultra, don't worry you will get over it." - Gene Thibeault

[PaulGreene]

[Surita]

I've noticed at least two people cheating on the Kaapsehoop race and they barely made the 5 hour cut off in the end.

I was extremely upset about it but in the end both of them barely made the cut off of 5 hours and they now have qualified for Comrades but what will they do on comrades day because then there is no chance of cheating?

They are only fooling themselves and whenever I see them at other races my first though is: "Cheater". So in my mind you have been branded.

[pseudo porra]

On city to city a runner caught up to me and he mentioend that he had seen two runners jumping out of a car around the 12km mark. He said that he was going to report to race officials..not sure if he did and what the outcome was. My question is did you guys report these runners to anyone.. i mean i can still not walk properly after doing the race and the cheaters are probably walking around all chirpy. I tell you if i cut taht 6km loop out i would have felt a hell of a lot better at the end

[markh]

[TBOZ]

At our club there was this young boy who was just full of himeself and cheated on races. He once cheated on the TT route. He did not know I was still way behind and I caught him taking a short-cut.
After his first cheated marathon where he did extremly well, he boasted and said he will be doing Loskop. Little did he know that on Loskop there will be no way for him to cheat and boy o boy he felt it on Loskop. He came about 2-3 hours after the cut-off back and he went straight to bed and slept and did not bother talking to anyone the next day.

Since then he has gone back to only doing 10km races.
for me I say let those people who cheat even if it is for a seeding leave them it will catch up with them. Being in that faster seeding pen , the crowd will pull him/her and they will not be used to that fast pace and in the end they suffer all the way

[the running 'BOEP']

They must catch the cheaters and make them run Long tom as a qualifier

[Hans H]

[Chameleon]

It is sad to say that one of our clubmates also cheated on the Kaapsehoop Marathon. The specific clubmate was from the beginning behind me and my husband - we ran very slow (in the region of 6:55 per km). When we exit the gravel road we saw our clubmate in front of us....plus minus 2 - 3km after the gravel road. There's no ways that the said clubmate passes us on the gravel road.

My husband helped me at the said race by way of pacesetting, encouragement etc and he managed to get me home in a time of 04h58m44s. Our clubmate didn't managed to qualify although cheating. If I could cut out the 8km gravel road, I'm sure I would have finish 15 minutes faster.

At the end everybody was talking about it and I was so ashamed to sit and relax at the finish with my clubcolours on.

They only cheated themselves!!!
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"Ek het baie dinge besit en dit alles verloor - Maar die dinge wat ek in die hande van God gelaat het - is en sal altyd tot my beskikking wees"

[BigSur]

[pseudo porra]

[DarylH]

[Slowpoke]

[the running 'BOEP']

thought everybody can run it in in sub 6hour

[Slowpoke]

[RTH]

Have friends who cheated with their Comrades qualifier to get a G seeding instead of H.

Irony is that I managed to cross the starting line in 3 minutes where they managed to cross it in 6 minutes.

And I did not cheat by starting in a different pen than H.

I do not worry about people who cheat...I run for myself and I enjoy it.

Being a golfer with good etiquette, I can't see the need to cheat. There is no bigger joy than completing a round of golf with a good score knowing you have not cheated anywhere....same with running.

Reminds me of this nice joke:

One Sunday morning, a priest wakes up and decides to go golfing. He calls his boss and says that he feels very sick, and won't be able to go to work.

Way up in heaven, Saint Peter sees all this and asks God, "Are you really going to let him get away with this?"

"No, I guess not, " says God.

The priest drives about five to six hours away, so he doesn't bump into anyone he knows. The golf course is empty when he gets there. So he takes his first swing, drives the ball 495 yards away and gets a hole in one.

Saint Peter watches in disbelief and asks, " Why did you let him do that?"

To this God says, "Who's he going to tell?"
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Run Strong. Run Happy.
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[Victor Buys]

I believe the Road Captain of Gauteng's biggest club, was refused entry and made to re-enter Comrades for this very offense a couple of years ago - so looks like they do police it!

[RTH]

[BigSur]