Ethan Hermann is robbed of an OTQ - Merber reports

Matt Smith did Ironman Triathlon in Chattanooga was DQ for receiving Chapstick from his wife on the course. After finishing the 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run and qualifying for the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii, an official told him that he had been disqualified. That was expensive Chapstick ($600 in race feees, travel costs, and shipping costs for his bike, and a trip to Hawaii). He also should have known, but I guess his lipps were chapped.

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IRONMAN athlete disqualified for ChapStick use

Imagine qualifying for the Super Bowl of your favorite activity and then finding out you can't go because of…ChapStick.

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RULE 241
MEDICAL AND REFRESHMENT SERVICES FOR ROAD EVENTS
1. The organizers of road races should provide appropriate medical and refreshment
services for all competitors.
(a) Medical examinations - A hands-on medical examination during the progress
of an event by designated medical personnel clearly identified by the organizers
shall not be considered assistance.
(b) Adequate first aid facilities should be available.
(c) A competitor must retire from a race immediately if directed to do so by a duly
authorized member of the race medical staff. See Rule 144.4(c).
2. Drinking / Sponging and Refreshment Stations
2022 USATF Competition Rules - 141
(a) Water and other suitable refreshments shall be available at the start and finish of
all races.
(b) For all events, water shall be available at suitable intervals of approximately
5km. For events longer than 10km, refreshments other than water may be made
available at these points.
NOTE 1: Where conditions warrant, taking into account the nature of the event, the
weather conditions and the state of fitness of the majority of the competitors, water
and/or refreshments may be placed at more regular intervals along the route.
NOTE 2: Mist stations may also be arranged, when considered appropriate under
certain organizational and/or climatic conditions.
(c) Refreshments may include drinks, energy supplements and/or foodstuffs. The
Organizing Committee will determine which refreshments it will provide based
on prevailing conditions.
(d) The Organizing Committee may permit athletes to provide their own
refreshments, in which case the athlete shall nominate at which stations they
shall be made available to the athlete. Refreshments provided by the athletes
shall be kept under the supervision of officials designated by the Organizing
Committee from the time that the refreshments are lodged by the athletes or
their representatives. Those officials shall ensure that the refreshments are not
altered or tampered with in any way. In National Championships of 20k and
longer, the Organizing Committee shall make provisions for the collection and
distribution of personal refreshments for those competing for the championship,
as determined by the Games Committee.
(e) The Organizing Committee shall delineate, by barriers, tables or markings on
the ground, the area from which refreshments can be received or collected. It
should not be directly in the line of the measured route. Refreshments shall be
placed so that they are easily accessible to, or may be put by authorized persons
into the hands of, the athletes. Such persons shall remain inside the designated
area and not enter the course nor obstruct any athlete. No official shall, under
any circumstances, move beside an athlete while he is taking refreshment or
water.
(f) A competitor who collects refreshment from a place other than a refreshment
station is liable to disqualification by the Referee.
NOTE: A competitor may receive from or pass to another competitor refreshment,
water or sponges provided it was carried from the start or collected or received at
an official station. However any continuous support from a competitor to one or
more others in such a way may be regarded as unfair assistance and warnings
and/or disqualifications as outlined above may be applied.
(g) For Mountain, Ultra-Marathon, and Trail Races, athletes may receive
physiotherapy (massage, etc.) at official stations. This may be done by
personal representatives of the athletes or persons designated by the Organizing
Committee. See Rule 250 through Rule 252 for Cross Country, Mountain and
Trail Running

Here's what really sad about this DQ, it makes NO sense.

At the Olympics, World Champs and European Champs the team / country aid station table personnel ARE ALLOWED to hand the bottle, hat, etc. to the runners as they go by. So this is obviously NOT an IAAF rule.

If rule 241 was the basis for the dq and the "infraction" was just what has been described then it definitely seems like an overreach. I guess power tripping meet officials disqualifying people for asinine reasons is a tale as old as track itself though.

We need a heroic whistleblower to leak who reported this minor infraction

The Philadelphia Marathon is owned and operated by the city of Philadelphia. Public Records request???

Is the issue that the coach was not an authorized official or that he entered the course?

https://images.app.goo.gl/VeVG78EWDhEgzGUUA

This DQ, while technically fair, is so outrageous that I have to wonder what happened that wasn't reported.

Don't know Ethan or the coach. But: is there any chance that someone in his camp or Ethan himself was a d!ck to a course officiant? I have to imagine that he needed to royally piss someone off for this DQ to actually go from 'hey, we have an infraction here, is the juice worth the squeeze?' to 'We've officially processed and gone through with the DQ'.

It would take more than one whistle blower to push this through. If I'm a course official at a small marathon and see this happen, especially if the guy was hammering, I'm not DQing. If my other officiants said 'DQ THIS MAN NOW', I'd fight it tooth and nail.

There simply has to be more here.

Twas I that reported Ethan! I am famous for being petty!

Philly isn't exactly a "small" marathon, and there was $1,000.00 on the line to be the first Philadelphia finisher.

I mentioned earlier that the race is owned and operated by the city, which has drawbacks, especially when the city is a cesspool of corruption and incompetence. This is the third "controversy" surrounding this year's production. There was an uproar prior to the race about no non-binary prize money even though there is a non-binary category. The half-marathon on Saturday didn't have enough finisher medals.

I don't know Ethan personally but I know a lot of people who speak very highly of him. He contributes a ton to the Philly running scene. He seems to be handling this with grace, but this really sucks and the DQ should be overturned.

Then you okay with Rupp being DQed in the Olympic marathon, and losing his Oly medal, because Salazar was caught cold-handed (on video) giving him a fresh ice hats during each course loop? Only Rupp received this special treatment. Who knows what limit-dosage PEDs were hidden in those hats. Salazar's ban gives you the answer. Rupp's medal is somewhere at the bottom of his sock drawer, hiding in shame.

A lot happens that isn't reported. Like the speeder who doesn't get a ticket. Or the shop lifter who doesn't get caught. Or the fake billionaire who golfs and who blatantly cheats on his taxes.

He could have saved the time he needed to pick up his bottle at any of the 4-5 spots along the course where it's incredibly easy to cheat and there aren't timing mats to make sure the racers actually run the whole course.

From what I remember, there's a 5-6 mile out and back at the end of the race without a mat. Easy to cheat.

There is absolutely no way Ethan pissed anyone off. For those who do not know him, Ethan is taking the ruling with an insane level of class, grace, and maturity; while the majority of his supporters are rattled and wondering what insufferable rat brought light to this. Whoever made the report is a sad, miserable person who gets off not on their own inability to contribute anything positive to the running community, but to prevent the good ones from sharing success - there really is no sound reason to report such a minuscule technicality. Ethan goes to extra lengths for those in the Philly running community (and the greater running community in general) on a weekly basis.

Probably didn't come from an official. Philly isn't staffed well enoguh to have officials at each water stop. It was likely reported by some dickwad watching the race standing near whichever station this happed at. But for someone to notice and, know it was illegal, and know how to report it, that's someone IN the Philly running community.

Based on my recollection, Kipchoge and others also had the hats and the only requirement was that the bottles/items left at aid stations had to be reviewed by Olympic officials.

I can believe that there's nothing more here and he didn't do anything else wrong. Some people are crazy about following the rules and can't stand to see someone break a rule, even a completely insignificant one, and want to see all rule breakers punished.

What part of "this happened in Philadelphia" you guys don't understand? Just horrible people being horrible.