Jumping into NYCM

Bastard, don't even think about it, get your 10 mile run in on your comfortable treadmill, eating donuts, watching the race. Don't jump in and ruining the race for others. You don't deserve to be there and you didn't get accepted... If you attempt I hope they castrate you.

Gee, some people are pretty uptight tonight...

Do you mean trying to get credit for finishing somewhat high-up in the race? Because then, no, you won't fool anyone. If you just want to be out on the road, as a pretender, still far back... then you probably could do it.

Jumping in is no problem. I've done it the last couple of years. We would usually start around mile 7-8 in Brooklyn, and jump off the course somewhere on First Ave. in Manhattan. Then we run across to the Park to watch the finish.

And you don't have to be too far back....we usually run with the guys who finish in the 2:50-3 hour range.

It's actually a great way to see the city, watch the marathon, and get in a 10 miler at the same time. And no one really seems to care too much about people without numbers being in the race.

-kk

If you get on the subway in Brooklyn, take it to Midtown and jog over to Central Park. Join the race at Grand Army Plaza and, if you time it right, you can finish high enough to get a prize money check.

Why do you need a race to do a decent 10-15 mile run? Yeah, there are those who get uptight because other people are paying to clear the streets and supply security for you, the non-marathoner. I think you jump in to soak up the applause of the dupes in the crowd who think you really are a semi-decent marathoner -- while the runners in the crowd look at the tools with no numbers and think "Why the f--- are you out there moron? You are detracting for the people who actually put in the training and are running the race. Get out of the way."

I need to tempo this Sunday. Do you think it would be a problem if I jumped in with the leaders for the last 6 miles?

Shame on you. I hope that you are not one of those people that has been complaining about how all those slow recreational marathoners are detracting from the significance of the performances of the true athletes.

LOL!

You don't NEED a race for a 10-15 mile run. And it's not for the "applause of the dupes in the crowd". I have an All-American certificate hanging on my wall...I don't need applause from marathon crowds to validate my running. Moreover, I wear long soccer shorts and a tee-shirt...hardly the garb to fool any spectators. And I'm hardly in the way....just moving along with the pack.

In the case of the NYM, (and most marathons) it is a great way to see the city in a way you can't really do any other day of the year. The course takes you through fascinating ethnic neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens, for example. Plus, running over the Queensboro bridge into Manhattan is incredible.

Also, just running with a huge crowd is a thrill in and of itself.

Okay, there are the pros. I really can't think of any cons.

-kk

Cons - You look like an idiot and royally piss off the people who actually paid.

From running marathons, it really upsets me when some relay runner passes me in the last few miles. A bandit would be even worse. You don't see any cons, but the people whose race you are screwing up might.

In the race where you earned your All American certificate, did anyone jump in beside you?

Why should it piss anyone off? Unless other people in the race have eyes in the back of their heads to see that I don't have a bib number, no one really knows anyways. And I really don't care if I look like an idiot...as I mentioned earlier, image isn't a primary motivator in my decision to hop in.

Anyways, the sort of people it would piss off are exactly the people who I don't mind pissing off.

To answer your quesiton, I have no idea if anyone jumped in beside me in that race. I was too focused on my own race. Nor would I have been bothered if I realized someone did, as long as they didn't impede my progress.

You take yourself way too seriously if it upsets you if a relay runner passes you in the last few miles of a marathon. Try concentrating on your own actions...not those of others.

-kk

Kohlberg, you are a tremendous asshole. 'nuff said.

Indy,

Good point. Your logic is seamless.

Luv,

KK

kohlberg, it does interfere the race planning. One extra runner doesn't interfere but lots of kohlberg's do. If something bad happens and you sue, well then why would insurance cover this event at all in the future? Maybe you wouldn't sue but other kohlberg's might. This happens to be a litigious society. I see this as you taking and not giving anything. Look past your own selfishness.

It's a great course, a great event, let the legitimate entrants have their day.

Kravis, in a race of 30,000 people, a couple of unnumbered runners suing the NYRRC or the city of NY is not going to signficantly adjust the insurance premium. The incremental cost for insuring a race of 30,500 (assuming 500 people jump in), as oppossed to 30,000, is at most minimal.

The insurance company sets a premium that gives the NYRRC (and most likely the city of New York) general liability coverage. There is also a minimum $2MM public liability insurance provided under the USATF permit. The USATF provides athlete insurance, but only for those who are USATF athletes. The USATF insurance premiums are determined by number of participants. In other words, if I enter a race, and am not registered, I am uninsured and cannot expect to receive claims for injury sustained in the race. And my unregistered particpiation does not adjust the USATF rate paid by the NYRRC.

The other way of looking at is that lots of people have jumped in big races for a long time. The insurance companies know this, and have incorporated this knowledge into their rates. And their actuaries pour over lots of historical data points to determine the risk of litigation in these large events.

So, your argument that my, and lots of other Kohlberg's, unregistered participation in the NYCM will adversely affect insurance premiums does not stand up. For your argument to hold water, the number of Kohlberg's hopping into the race would have to form a statistically significant percentage of the race's total (registered and unregistered) participants.

And we haven't even touched upon the improbable legality of a claim made by an unregistered participant against the race organizers.

-kk

Here's an interesting link to peruse...guy gets into triathlon illegally, then sues the race when he breaks a bone. Now the governing body is suing him! Groan!

http://www.insidetri.com/news/fea/1129.0.html

totally improbable.