I ran a marathon on a short course - can I get a refund??

Maybe you have a short wheel

turkey globlet wrote:I can recommend this race for anyone wanting a flat course and/or for those who prefer softer running surfaces.

This doesn't address the question of whether the course was short this year.

dukerdog wrote:

I\'m very impressed that you walked 13 miles with a measuring wheel, seriously. It sounds like you have both the time and the tolerance for tedium that are required to be a USATF course measurer. You should talk to your friend about it.

Trailrunner71, you ran a marathon, and then went out and walked another 13 miles with a wheel?

Kudos.

Well, here's course on the certification page. Is this the course that was run?

Sorry, that link didn't work the way I meant it to -- you have to scroll down to MD, then Sparks. There's a hand-drawn map provided.

Ya, I think wrote:

Sorry, that link didn't work the way I meant it to -- you have to scroll down to MD, then Sparks. There's a hand-drawn map provided.

thats too much work and too many directions. Can you please just post the link

Measuring Nerd here.

1. GPS reading are rarely accurate when worn by a runner.

2. Measuring wheels are often not accurate because-

- they aren't always calibrated for the surface being used.

- their accuracy is based on walking at a speed of less then 20 minutes per mile. Jogging will decrease surface contact.

3. As suggested, contact your local measurer and have them do a re-measurment.

scotth wrote:

In any event, no, nobody gets a refund if a course is found short unless the organizers are feeling generous.

I disagree, if race organizers have promised you an accurate course (or accurate results, etc) and have not come through, you have not received the service that you paid for. It is no different than a store selling you a faulty piece of merchandise.

Of course, if they have your money it is very difficult to make them pay it back short of suing them, which is obviously not worth the effort. The way to insure that you get what you paid for is to pay for the race by credit card. Then if the course is short or not run correctly you can dispute the charge on your credit card bill. Let the race organizers argue with them. (I am not advocating that runners should use this method to avoid paying for races for petty reasons. This runner still has not convinced me that this course was not accurate.)

For you measurement guys, got a question you might be able to answer.....

what are some of these abbreviations on course maps I've scene?

2WF 190 (I think that's what it says, something like it anyways)

4LW 497

2 GP 1

David Katz wrote:

Measuring Nerd here.

David, nice to have you chime in.

As for Mr Obvious, I don't get around to ALL the races but can you tell me when the last time was that a race refunded an entry fee due to a short course (or for any other reason)? I can only think of a local bike race where, out of the kindness of his heart, did the director refund fees because the championship was cancelled due to bad weather.

The course map indicates the first mile is 20yds short and the last 2-tenths are 20yds long, with all other timing points accurate. The turn is at 13.5 miles. If one (accurately) measured from the start to the turn you should get 13 miles, 860yds, which would indicate the race was long.

However, being clever, you probably knew that the turn was at 13.5, since mile markers 13 and 14 are at the same place. One is left to wonder then, how you chose the spot to declare "half-way"? According to the map, it's not a perfect out-and-back, so determining the half-way point using the start-finish differential would be difficult.

But who knows, maybe it was short? On the other hand, I used to live near there and run on the NCR regularly and it is, without doubt, the fastest terrain I have ever run excluding actual tracks. Training runs there tended to be ~30 seconds faster per mile than anywhere else.

Cheap beer ends at 9, time to go.

I received a refund for the Leesburg, Virginia Rotary Resolution 10k (run 1/1/06).

This race was a 10k w/ a turnaround, but the turn around was neither marked nor marshaled. It ended up being a "fun run" of various distances. Some of the leaders ran as far as 10 miles. There was no course map posted in advance and the one posted that morning said to turn at the cone.

I was not the only person who received a refund.

I know it is not easy to receive one, but it is morally, ethically, and legally the right thing for the race to do if they did not deliver on what was promised. It is not unreasonable for a runner to ask for a refund. It is the same thing as the local running store selling you defective merchandise. I now use a credit card to register for my races for just this reason.

Mr. Obvious wrote:

...and legally the right thing for the race to do if they did not deliver on what was promised.

Legally? I think not.

NO.....take your phony PR and drop it at parties and get-to-gethers the rest of your life.

Here's an article on Army Ten Miler refunding all of their entry fees after canceling the 2001 edition:

http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:LylXdlngsEkJ:www.runwashington.com/news/oct01atmcancellationpolicy.html+army+ten+miler+refund&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=7&client=firefox-a

And yes, I meant legally. If you have sold a service, and then have failed to provide, this is considered fraud. As I stated earlier this is not worth anybodies time to actually sue for a refund.

Would you just tell us the race you ran. What ru afraid of?

Track Fan wrote:

Would you just tell us the race you ran. What ru afraid of?

He already did.

Mr. Obvious wrote:

And yes, I meant legally.

I'm sure you meant legally. I'm sure you're wrong.

justaguess wrote:

dukerdog wrote:

I'm very impressed that you walked 13 miles with a measuring wheel, seriously. It sounds like you have both the time and the tolerance for tedium that are required to be a USATF course measurer. You should talk to your friend about it.

Trailrunner71, you ran a marathon, and then went out and walked another 13 miles with a wheel?

Kudos.

I'd be more impressed if he had jogged the extra 13miles a cooldown...