The tradition of finishing tape needs to end - it cost Kejelcha a WR

Thank you for starting this thread. Many threads are unrelated to running and the others are not thought provoking. I had never given it much thought but I now tend to agree that it is probably having a slight negative affect on times. These tapes are way too large and there is no good way to let the tape go. Maybe it could be perforated in the center of lane 1 and the too holders would then continue to hold the tape. It at least eliminates the possibility of tangling with the runner.

Have held the finish tape at a few "local" road races.

The best were fabric with race name/sponsors etc. that were velcro'd in the center for the athlete to run through. If not double-sided, always face the print toward the photographers, not the runners, for the photo.

The most awkward was spotting the first female coming to the finish, steering incoming men out of the way, and waving the first woman into the tape rather than have her run around it, or have a man break it in front of her.

The funniest was when races used to use foam "pre-wrap" as the finish tape- that soft, foam wrap that you put under athletic tape to keep it from sticking to skin. When stretched appropriately across the finish line, it has an amazing effect of stretching 10-15 feet as the runner finishes until it is literally broken by the runner!

D.Katz wrote:

As previously mentioned, the finish tape is an important marketing tool for sponsors.

fyi - the tape is always held just past the finish line when FAT is used otherwise it obstructs the photo finish camera view.

The greedy sponsors care more about themselves than they do about putting on a high quality event for competitors and spectators. The reason the finishing tape never breaks (it just gets pulled out of the hands of the person holding it) is because the material has to be thick enough to be able to print sponsor information onto it.

The corporate greed of sponsors could have gotten Kemoy Campbell killed. If he had stumbled off the track a couple meters sooner, he would have hit his head on starting blocks that were shoved into an unsafe location just so they weren't on camera. They didn't want to stop the races or delay any subsequent events because they were worried about their bottom line - $$. They didn't have trainers (or an AED) close to where he fell because they didn't want those people to be in view for the TV viewers.

The dude stepped wide around the last of his turns. He lost way more time there. Should just run in an indoor 1mile tunnel with fans behind him.

Running wide on a concave-up bank preserves speed better than running in lane 1.

Ideally, to be fair, a banked track should be concave-down, steepest in lane 1 and less steep in the outer lanes, to get the same turning boost in each lane.

All these fast miles year after year in New York by runners who run about the same speed outdoors at their peak. That's why an "indoor record" doesn't mean anything. If this was their main competitive season, someone would be going 3:45.

yeppp wrote:

Armstronglivs wrote:

The tape is a non-issue. And never has been for anyone else. The problem was he didn't have quite enough ped's. Alberto's fault.

Ummmmm...

https://www.nbcnews.com/video/kenyan-runner-takes-a-tumble-in-finish-tape-tangle-644373059748

Wow that's really bad. This topic has changed my mind. Tape is dumb.

I never understood the big races that let the runner drag the finish tape like what is shown in the above video. It looks bad, and from what is shown, can be pretty unsafe. Cut it in half, connect both pieces with Velcro, and you won’t have this problem!

It's a bad target for runners because they hold it behind the finish line. If you aim for the tape you mis-time your lean. Not saying that's what happened this race, but there have definitely been races where you can tell people fixate on hitting the tape first rather than getting across the line.

Twig Mzungu wrote:

It's a bad target for runners because they hold it behind the finish line. If you aim for the tape you mis-time your lean. Not saying that's what happened this race, but there have definitely been races where you can tell people fixate on hitting the tape first rather than getting across the line.

The tape is the line. Moran.

Pusher wrote:

He could've ran faster if they hired a runner to stand by the finish line and push him into it.

THANK YOU. FINALLY Someone talking about the big issues here.

+1

Don key S wrote:

Donkey sh1t thread

Why do you do this? Do you think you are the arbiter of all topics? Did you miss something during your childhood?

Something kinda hilarious is if you search any of the promotional videos or highlights from that race i posted above they always cut away right before the tangle and the tumble...

https://youtu.be/p7gQ-sY_GEI?t=146

quick cut away edit nothing to see here!

The tape is a monstrous obstacle - like a brick wall - intended to bring runaway athletes to a grinding halt. Some runners have been known to be garrotted - even worse, decapitated - by the tape. It is a wonder Kejelcha is still alive.

Gotta admit it.

There was no finish line tape in his 3:47.01 record.

I think the tape made the difference.

https://youtu.be/AjeiqH_nDI8?t=442

Star wrote:

Gotta admit it.

There was no finish line tape in his 3:47.01 record.

I think the tape made the difference.

https://youtu.be/AjeiqH_nDI8?t=442

A full second difference - 8 metres? Moran.

Armstronglivs wrote:

Star wrote:

Gotta admit it.

There was no finish line tape in his 3:47.01 record.

I think the tape made the difference.

https://youtu.be/AjeiqH_nDI8?t=442

A full second difference - 8 metres? Moran.

watch the video. Kejelcha clearly changes cadence when approaching the tape and then comes to a stop only a few steps after the tape. But in Boston, he's strong through the line and is actually able to run through the line, 20 meters past it actually. Rojo calculated the .01 is equal to about 3 inches. He broke the world record by a lot mostly because he ran better this time, but the tape definitely cost him 3 inches at millrose.

did the world record feel less special to you because there was no tape?

Face it, the tape offers nothing of value. It can slow someone down, and it can trip someone. So let's all just agree that the finishing tape is dumb.

The finishing tape was used years before any of you were born. Records were broken, notwithstanding. It hasn't been complained of until the adolescent whining about Kejelcha's record attempt.

Sydney McLaughlin agrees with the topic creator:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu1tdTInmIS/