Ridiculous DQ? I just got DQd after running 4:08 at mile sectional

Why did you run out into lane 2 on the home stretch? Surely it was purposeful and not some thoughtless drift. Although most of the time you'd get a pass, it strikes me as a blatant attempt to make the approaching runner go wider and farther to get around you … that is, to impede the runner.

Sorry to see it

Hope you can find another opportunity at nationals or east coast champs to run well

Good luck

I won’t lie, this sucks. Wet track, you’re tired, and it probably never even occurred to you that you were flirting with DQ territory.

Use this as motivation for the future. You’ve got a lot of (real fast) races ahead of you. Stay healthy, stay smart, and kick a** in college!

fastpep828 wrote:

So no state 1600 for me after a ridiculous DQ... thoughts ? No appeal even allowed unfortunately

https://nj.milesplit.com/articles/298507/rakitis-breaks-state-sectional-1600-record-braddock-dq

Not sure how, but I feel like both of these are true.

1) That's harsh and seems a bit excessive since the other person won anyway.

2) Too many runners do this and it's nice to see the rule enforced properly.

Sorry it happened to you, I assume it won't happen again.

fastpep828 wrote:

So no state 1600 for me after a ridiculous DQ... thoughts ? No appeal even allowed unfortunately

Well, since you asked...

I watched the video that you linked that your mom filmed.. To me, this is pretty clearly something that can be DQed, but isn't always enforced.

Bottom line, you made what is an obvious attempt to interfere with another runner by veering outside. You know just as well as anybody else that intentionally interfering with a runner is a violation of the rules that can result on a DQ. You also know that you've seen it happen many times without it resulting in a DQ. But didn't drift slowly, but veered suddenly. Thats probably what took it over the line from "against the rules" but "getting away with it" to a DQ.

Dude, you ran 4:06 in high school. That's awesome. So I would chalk this one up to a learning experience. We all make mistakes, you made one here. If this is the biggest mistake you make of your life, you'll be doing a lot better than most people I know, myself included.

And that's what high school (and high school sports) is: a chance to make mistakes when the stakes aren't too high. Next year you'll be in college and the stakes will be a little higher. Then 4 years later you'll be in the real world and the stakes will be higher.

You get to choose whether you want to be somebody who knows in their heart that they got caught legitimately and then goes to online forums to whine about it ("ridiculous DQ"), or whether you want to grow.

Learn to own your mistakes, learn from them, and move one. I've seen people who couldn't, and it bit them later. One of those friends barely missed years in jail when he got a midnight pardon from Trump last January. Dude stole intellectual property worth hundreds of millions from his employer and ignored safety protocols while hiding warnings by testing a product on the road among the general public. He got really lucky. Unfortunately, he probably won't be lucky forever.

You had enough humility to end your post by asking what people thought. That bodes well. Don't be like my friend, learn from mistakes now when they're really small, even if missing going out to state feels really huge right now. Go on to a successful collegiate career, whatever that means. Go be a doctor or something and help people. Look back in 10 years on this moment and go "hey, it all turned out alright." You worked really hard to run as fast as you have. Keep that same focus and attitude and keep applying it to every challenge you choose to tackle.

Long-time coach here, international, college, HS, etc.

Great race kid, in the real world you have to battle in life. You'll do fine. You ran 4:08, it's on video, no one take that away from you. Keep at it. Race tough.

This sport is about competing, not table manners. Officials getting involved kills the sport. This is like the high school officials disqualifying people over uniform infractions.

When you compete on the track you protect your position, just like not letting someone pass you on the inside. Watch any pro 800m / 1500m / mile race, people are all over the track in the home stretch. That's part of the sport when you're fighting to get to the finish.

2 THE GILLS!!! wrote:

100% a DQ. You can't drift out to cut off a runner that is trying to pass you. That is a textbook DQ, even though it doesn't get called as often as it should. Learn to not race dirty.

So, in the 2016 OlyTrials 1500, why wasn’t Ben Blankenship DQ’d when he drifted to his outside and cut off Leo Manzano? If it wasn’t for that bush move, Leo would have passed Blankenship and would have clinched the 3rd Olympic spot.

1. Totally ridiculous. What you did is against the rules but who the F cares. You lost, you never made contact, etc.

What a joke. The ref should have "picked up the flag" and used common sense. If you won the race, i still wouldn't have done it as what you did happens all the time..

2. I've long said our rule book needs a revision. There has to be something short of a DQ. If they want to place you 2nd, go ahead. Oh wait, you already were second. Give you a 5 second penalty, etc.

3. Never leave the rail. In the future, just hold your position and make other run in lane 2. If you leave lane 1 in college or a USA meet, someone will pass you on the inside as there will be more people in the race.

PS. I changed the title to make it more descriptive. Originally it was also stated as a fact - "Ridiculous DQ" was the original title. I agree but think it should be a question.

The jerks are just trolling you.. Every race something way worse than this.

That absolutely should not be a DQ.

Finally a hot take by Rojo! Good call!

Odd to dq a kid after he takes second. If my guy won I would appeal to try and get 2nd place reinstated.

Oh well. That happens. Watch past Olympic and Olympic Trials 1500 races. You’ll see plenty of drifting. Good luck in college and let this fuel the fire!

Not a DQ unless you made intentional contact.

As a coach I see this all the time but usually the kid gets passed on the inside. How many races have I seen where a runner leading drifts into lane 2 on a homestretch? Hundreds.

In fact I had an athlete who would always sit on the rail boxed and 3 out of 4 races (including the state meet) he’d somehow get through on the rail the last 50m. It’s was a very useful strategy for him. High schoolers often leave the rail when leading- more often than not.

TomPettyLives wrote:

Not a DQ unless you made intentional contact.

.

Maybe he didn't declare his gender?

Never hear of someone getting DQ without contact.

Which official made the call?

The two officials at the table weren't paying attention. The four officials at the finish line were standing around bs'ing. The official holding the flag was out of position and walking down the track when the alleged foul happened.

Sort of a dick move to drift out almost to lane three but there was no contact.

Easiest way to avoid this problem is to get into the lead before you're forty meters from the finish line.

hdntocraig wrote:

The jerks are just trolling you.. Every race something way worse than this.

That's the problem, there are meets with much more contact but the rules arent enforced, if they would start enforcing it in middle school instead of feeling bad about dq'ing kids then we would have less of it at the higher levels.

Well Jackson congrats on your 4:06. I was a coach for over 30 years, including 10+ years in Ocean County and can tell you some officials get a sense of pride by making tick up tax fouls. I believe it gives a sense of power, that they are the kingpins of the meet. Good luck at Virginia!!!

Supposed to read ticky-tack fouls

It's too bad this happened. Very frustrating. Just my perspective: it appeared intentional. It looks like you can feel him passing you on the right and you're swinging way out to obstruct him. I can't say what was going through your head, but you were almost in lane 3. I've never seen someone swing way out that far by happenstance.

Agree with Rojo though, pick up the flag. DQ should not be the punishment.

No shock nj official dq'd you as a group they seem to be on these power trips and go over the top enforcing rules or thrusting to do someone.

Also by that video look at the massive amount of yellow shirts(officials) around the finish. Never been to a meet (worlds, oly trials, usa, ncaa) that has more officials standing around the finish than nj state meets