bandits

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bandits

Rickshaw
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
San Francisco, CA
Joined: 26 Nov 2004
Posts: 1157

bandits Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2005 11:37 am

What's your feeling about people who run marathons (or other races) without registering, and without a race number? Some people hate bandits with a passion, others don't see a problem with them as long as they don't get in anyone's way. At certain races like the Boston Marathon, they are a well-established factor in the race, even if they are unwelcome.

Bricks
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
Chicago
Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 222

Re: bandits Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2005 11:50 am

Personally, bandits bother me. Bad tippers bother me too. But I've been in two races where they ran low/completely out of refreshments and I gurantee there was at least one bandit who took from aid stations and that's one too many. I don't even like the people that have friends run the last 6.2 miles of a marathon with them. The only way they can truly stay out of the way is to not be there in the first place. I even know a friend of a friend that wore his bib number from the previous year in the marathon. On the purchase your picture pages he appeared with the other guy that had paid for the race. I guess I just don't get bandits. Are they just THAT cheap. If you want to participate, pay and participate. If you don't think it's worth the money, go on a training run alone. The problem is, races aren't viewed as a product on the shelf, but it's stealing none-the-less. They argue that they take place in public places so it's not trespassing, etc. If you don't want the shirt or the medal or the goodie bags or the official time, or anything else, why go out there in the first place? Do they just need the clock or the measured distance? I don't get it. In the case of Boston, where you have to qualify, it's down right repulsive. If there were no bandits, and it meant I could qualify with a 3:15 instead ot a 3:10, that just pisses me off... I would love to be in the olympics, but i'm not going to go jump out on the track, just because I feel I have a right to and don't think I should have to follow the rules to be there...

mfox

South Orange, New Jersey
Joined: 19 Dec 2004
Posts: 367

Re: bandits Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2005 8:12 pm

Well, I understand your feelings. I have to admit I ran Boston once as a bandit. Though I don't think I could ever run another race like that as a bandit again. I did it because I was told I could by a friend of a friend who grew up outside of Boston and who had run it several times before with other "bandit" family and friends. I balked at first but after doing a lot of research on the Internet about "Boston bandits" I convinced myself that it would be okay. I wanted very badly just to experience the Boston course We joined the crowd near the last coral behind a large number of runners we were sure were slower than us so we wouldn't be in any one's way. Though we did take fluids at the aid stations I don't think they even came close to running out that day...there was much more fluid wasted on the road than what all the bandits consumed. Since I knew I wasn't running for a certified time or medal I decided to run an easy race. I finished the race in a nice comfortable 3:52. Not a single person gave me a bad look or made me feel like a bandit...but I knew I was...and all througout the race I felt a bit odd because I didn't have a bib to prove otherwise. I really enjoyed the race and it was a wonderful experience. But aside from a little celebration with a few friends after the race I couldn't help feeling a bit empty. It didn't really hit me until I crossed the finish line that I actually had nothing to show for my effort. Though I can now say I've run Boston, the empty feeling I felt after race still sticks with me. Based on this I don't think running a race like Boston as a bandit is worth the experience without something tangible to prove you were there. I'm sure there are plenty of Bandits that run it every year as part of a ritual that's celebrated with a big party afterwards with fellow bandits. But I think there are a lot of bandits who run it just once for the experience; either because they know they aren't fast enough to qualify or, like me, aren't patient enough to wait until they get their marathon time down to qualifying standard.

Rickshaw
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
San Francisco, CA
Joined: 26 Nov 2004
Posts: 1157

Re: bandits Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2005 6:36 pm

Your two posts pretty well summarize the main viewpoints. I think most people agree that banditing is "wrong" on some level, but whether it rises to the felony level or is more akin to removing mattress tags is the source of a lot of debate. As a software developer, the arguments actually remind me very much of the reasons some people give for why it's ok to pirate software. I think it just comes down to the fact that while most people would never considering stealing physical goods, they have much less problem with stealing a service. For every day races like your local 10K, I really don't see any justifiaction for banditing. If you want to race, pay up. If not, stay home or go somewhere else. If you want to be their badly enough to bandit, then the race director is obviously offering something (tangible or otherwise) that you value, and therefore it's only fair that you should pay for it. I can have a little more sympathy for those who bandit closed races like Boston, because paying to run may not even be an option. And in the specific case of Boston, bandits have become an essential part of the race's character. But I still agree with mfox in that bandits will probably end up feeling a bit disappointed once they finish, recognizing that in the end they've cheated themselves more than anything else. I know some races like the NY Marathon have gotten very aggressive about keeping bandits off the course, to the point of hiring large numbers of enforcers who will physcially remove anyone without a race bib. Given the current litigious environment and the fact that their insurance only covers registered runners, this only makes sense. There is a serial bandit by the name of Ternowski who posts occasionally on the Runner's World forums, and always has some long-winded explanation as to why banditing is his God-given right. It usually seems to lead to an interesting flame-fest.

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