What the hell happened there at the finish?

I saw on the front page they said that this was the first photo finish... Was Tergat vs. Ramaala in 2005 (0.32) not a photo finish? It was remarkably close...

Very close but not quite as close

Open image

The exact finish line for the TCS New York Marathon is the front edge of the orange strip of the timing mat. This row of timing mats is positioned on the "course side" of the finish line towers so to allow a line of sight across the entire finish (both sides) for the photo finish cameras. The NYRR runners does an excellent job each year at the technical meeting using illustrations to show the athletes the exact location of the finish. The tape holders cannot stand directly on the finish otherwise they would block the view of the photo finish cameras. This is standard operating procedures at all races that incorporate photo finish.

I said that to my girlfriend yesterday: "The tape is NOT the finish line!" as we watched the end of the marathon.

There really is a bit of a weird problem with these gigantic banners, sign-posted, chip matted finish lines - it is a bit tough at the end of a marathon, as a runner, when your brain is clearly not firing on ally cylinders, to be able to figure out which is the ACTUAL line. Its even a bit harder watching on television/computer.

Here's an overhead view of the finish for anyone who hasn't seen it:

My college coach always had us scout out the finish line before XC races. We were all amateurs, though.

We were amatuers too.

My college coach didnt have to tell us anything. We weren't children. We ran the course as well, at least some of it. We needed to know where that tree was that marked that turn, or that hill that we were going to punish the weak, or that lone pine tree where we were going to launch an inhumane surge. .

We were also winners 90% of the time. We already knew what the finish line looked like. It was where the banners and painted grass were-- and all of the spectators congregated to congratulate us. For your team it was easy. It was where the runners ahead of you were stopping. If you saw us eating hot dogs and drinking beer you knew you were almost finished. Your nightmare was over ;-)

It seemed to me somewhat artificial or contrived. Pure speculation and just going by how they looked. This finish felt nothing like the Worlds finish. There, I was on the edge of my seat and couldn't believe what I was watching. Here, I was confused and there was no visceral reaction. It just felt off. Not quite like Mantz and Young off, but not exactly suspenseful and thrilling.

Your question implies you assume LR headlines are factually accurate. Rookie mistake....

This.

/thread

Bigger picture - let's get some Americans in that photo finish.

I know it's tough to compete against revenue sports like basketball, hockey and football.

But, what's the answer?

Actually, we won some meets that mattered. And we generally held our own against teams in our world. But no hot dogs; we preferred pizza with our beer.

I can guarantee that neither myself or any team that I ever coached was NEVER beaten by anyone who eats hotdogs. We were in that 10% you were chasing and dreamed of beating. Maybe you should have been paying a little more attention to where the finish line was a d how to get their first instead of which bush you were going to pull out behind before you shartz your drawers trying to keep up you bottom feeder. While you were digging in your bag for that extra pair of unstained skivvies and locating the nearest porta pottie to change yourself we were being interviewed, cheered and handed the trophy and a big cardboard paycheck as camera flashes were strobing. Did you drive to your meets in the Oscar Meyer weinermobile too? That would have been cool.

Aren't you cute?

I'd agree...but if that was actually the case, there is no way the finish differential is .03sec, which officials said it was. Just watch the video, they are separated by more than that at the front edge of the orange strip.

I get they show it at the technical meeting, but at mile 26.15 of the marathon no one is remembering the technical document. They are loooking at the biggest visual indicator of finish which is the tape and the barrier.

It shouldn't be that hard to have a finish tape set up that is inches beyond the camera. I mean, they did this at the world champs. The finish tape was maybe one foot past the line. The NYC one was meters.

Nope he saw the kirk girl walk by in the leather pants. He was dope sick with her look.