unregistered marathon participant

that's called "bandit", and i personally don't like it. there is a
reason the field is limited, and people who were lucky enough to get in
don't want a bunch of cheapskate bandits clogging up the course. i
consider it stealing, but that's just me. nothing personal, of course.

Kris said:

Hi there, I've run two marathons before but missed out on registration
for nyc 2005.

What does the "two marathons" have to do with it?

Quoted message said:

Does anyone know if i can still run unregistered?

Yes.

Quoted message said:

Has anyone done it before?

Yes.

tkb

In article <[email hidden]>,

Dred said:

that's called "bandit", and i personally don't like it. there is a
reason the field is limited, and people who were lucky enough to get in
don't want a bunch of cheapskate bandits clogging up the course. i
consider it stealing, but that's just me. nothing personal, of course.

I agree, it's stealing. In addition, NYC in particular has a large
number of people assigned to get bandits off the course.

If you want to run a race, register. If you forget to register, do a
different race or wait a year.

And if you ignore this, don't you dare take one cup of water, once cup
of sports drink, or one gel intended for people who paid the entry fee.
If you do, you deserve to get kicked square in the crotch.

--Harold Buck

"I used to rock and roll all night,
and party every day.
Then it was every other day. . . ."
-Homer J. Simpson

Harold Buck said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Dred said:

that's called "bandit", and i personally don't like it. there is a
reason the field is limited, and people who were lucky enough to get in
don't want a bunch of cheapskate bandits clogging up the course. i
consider it stealing, but that's just me. nothing personal, of course.

I agree, it's stealing.

Me too! It's a very cool thing to do. See you there.

Gee, that's as insightful as I've ever seen the TenKBlob.

Miss Anne Thrope said:

Gee, that's as insightful as I've ever seen the TenKBlob.

Blob? I prefer the description Her Babeliness offered: "bootylicious."
But what do I know. I'm just a shallow horny male.

Kris said:

Hi there, I've run two marathons before but missed out on registration
for nyc 2005. Does anyone know if i can still run unregistered? Has
anyone done it before?

Why would they make you register if they were going to let you run
unregistered? Lots of people "missed out on registration." What if
they all ran anyway? That's why they limit it to 30K runners. If your
number's not visible when you approach the finish line, they'll make
you show it.

Dred said:

that's called "bandit", and i personally don't like it. there is a
reason the field is limited, and people who were lucky enough to get in
don't want a bunch of cheapskate bandits clogging up the course. i
consider it stealing, but that's just me. nothing personal, of course.

If you run on only areas open to general traffic and you don't take
anything (gels, water, etc.) intended for those who paid their entry
fees and do not do anything that interferes with the race, it is not
stealing.

In article <[email hidden]>,

User said:

If you run on only areas open to general traffic and you don't take
anything (gels, water, etc.) intended for those who paid their entry
fees and do not do anything that interferes with the race, it is not
stealing.

But that's the point, isn't it? If everyone who feels like not paying
runs, they clog the race course for the paying members. They're taking
advantage of traffic control. They're getting split times they didn't
pay for, and using a measured course they didn't measure. And, for a
Marathon, I don't think too many people are going to be able to do it
without taking in any liquids along the way. At the very least, it's
theft of services. I wonder if they could make a court case, especially
against someone wearing a phony race bib?

--Harold Buck

"I used to rock and roll all night,
and party every day.
Then it was every other day. . . ."
-Homer J. Simpson

Harold Buck said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

User said:

If you run on only areas open to general traffic and you don't take
anything (gels, water, etc.) intended for those who paid their entry
fees and do not do anything that interferes with the race, it is not
stealing.

But that's the point, isn't it?
If everyone who feels like not paying
runs, they clog the race course for the paying members.

If a pack of slow joggers clogs the road ahead of the start of a road
race, the cop driving ahead of the leader could order them to clear
the way. If they refused, they could be arrested and/or fined. But,
if a pedestrian with no race number enters a marathon course 30
minutes after the start of the race and remains outside any closed-off
areas and does not take anything intended for participants, I don't
think he/she has violated any laws in most states. How would that be
legally any different than someone doing the same thing in a car or on
a bike?

Quoted message said:

They're taking
advantage of traffic control. They're getting split times they didn't
pay for, and using a measured course they didn't measure.

So what. If I paint my house and it raises the value of my neighbor's
house, does that give me the right to bill him? The same argument you
make could be applied to people driving cars or riding bikes on the
course.

Quoted message said:

And, for a
Marathon, I don't think too many people are going to be able to do it
without taking in any liquids along the way.

Quoted message said:

At the very least, it's
theft of services. I wonder if they could make a court case, especially
against someone wearing a phony race bib?

In most triathlons and road races I've done, virtually all of the bike
and run courses are open to general traffic, be it vehicular or
pedestrian, the exception being start, finish, and transition areas.
I've never heard of a course being open to general vehicular traffic,
but not general pedestrian traffic. In my last duathlon, I once
passed a pack of female cyclists that were clearly not in the race and
did not have race numbers. They did not enter our transition areas or
cross our finish lines. No cop ever pulled them over. The only way
they could ever have become guilty of any legal violation would be if
they caused an accident, disregarded the signals of an officer
directing traffic, etc. Clearly, their presence threw a potential
wrench in gears of the USAT drafting enforcement, but that's no
concern of the local government. I'm sure the legal status of their
activity had everything to do with how they conducted themselves while
riding in public areas and little to do with their route and
intentions.

Quoted message said:

--Harold Buck

"I used to rock and roll all night,
and party every day.
Then it was every other day. . . ."
-Homer J. Simpson