I'm a male. I out-kicked a female at the end of a race. Am I evil?

Guppy wrote:

I would have been a gentleman by rushing ahead and stopping with open arms just before the finish line saying "after you, Miss" before flashing a wink.

I thought you were going to, after rushing ahead, say, "Gobble, gobble..."

susi que wrote:

Depends. Did you kick because you were next to a female, or were you kicking because you wanted the fastest time possible? If you were kicking only because you had a chick next to you, then it's a jerk move. It's similar to kicking on a straggling teammate from behind in XC when no one else is around. What was your motivation?

Yeah right. It's not what you do, but what you think.

What a load

a race is meant to be raced wrote:

susi que wrote:

Depends. Did you kick because you were next to a female, or were you kicking because you wanted the fastest time possible? If you were kicking only because you had a chick next to you, then it's a jerk move. It's similar to kicking on a straggling teammate from behind in XC when no one else is around. What was your motivation?

Yeah right. It's not what you do, but what you think.

What a load.

A person thinks before they act, don't they?

If everyone raced to their "best" every time, then you make a good argument. But let's face it, everyone has less than ideal performances. So, did the guy kick to beat the chick or did he kick because he wanted to be like you? Only the OP can answer that question.

As a good female runner, did you see that guy as a competitor?

I'm curious because it is kind of a hollow victory (for the drafting guy)to outkick someone like you who may have just been cruising into a nice win.

////????//// wrote:

Take your pick guys (You can only choose 1 in the short term)

- 12 seconds off of your final 400m in relation to your current 5k pace

- 1 minute off of your current 5k time.

What on God's earth are you rambling on about?! If I had choose ONLY ONE between a bowl of ice cream and bowl of dog food, I'd take the ice cream -- but that has nothing to do with whether you finish as hard as you can at the end of a race.

By the time you reach the finishing straight and realize there's a women next to you, it's too late to go back in time and change your strategy for the whole race. The obvious assumption is that you try as hard as you can for the whole race. What this thread is about (you might want to try rereading it) is whether a male should refrain from trying as hard as he in the final stretch of the race to avoid passing a female.

If you're talking about the fools who run a 25:00 5K but sprint the last 100 meters in 12.0, then they're idiots (or more accurately, they're non-runners who have no idea how to pace). But that has nothing whatsoever to do with whether there's a woman beside them. They're just idiots no matter what.

Didn't really see him as a competitor as we approached the finish, although I knew I didn't have the kick to stay with him to the line. During the race I was thinking about dropping him. My PR is 1:21:00, so sprinting to a 1:23:20 rather than 1:23:30 when I had a solid win no matter what didn't really matter. I don't always race for time, so my attitude towards that race also changed my attitude towards the guy who kicked. Lost a bit of respect for him, though.

El Chapulin wrote:

I usually get "chicked" at some of the bigger races in which elite and sub-elite women run. But today, I was in the unusual position of actually finishing next to one, whom I out-kicked. My friends say it was machismo and unnecessary. Other than finishing one place higher in Overall standings, I had really nothing else to gain but a bloated male ego. Should I have ceded to the female instead? Would it have been patronizing had I done so?

Your thoughts, especially those coming from females (if they actually read LRC forums)?

Dude you're thinking about this way too hard man. It's a race - the point is to beat as many people as possible.

kto, he treated you the way he probably would have treated any other runner. He simply used you to get a good time. The only reason you get upset about this is because you want special treatment because of your gender.

No guy would have "lost respect" for a girl that hang onto him and outkicked him. He would have been ashamed. Maybe you should too?

It depends on the situation. If you are racing your tail off for the best possible time, a PR or a season best, then it's all fair passing people in the final kick regardless of age or gender. It also depends what you mean by "kick". If you gave it your all during the race, your kick is maximum intensity, but it isn't probably top velocity. If you suddenly look like Usain Bolt, then you sand-bagged it for the race; shame on you.

I'd also note that you are talking about competing against "elite" or "sub-elite" women. Assuming you are talking about a 5k in the 17:00 range or a half-marathon in the 1:15-20 range, you are fast enough to be legitimately kicking at the end and not to have been sand-bagging it for the rest of the race.

Now if you are a 30:00 5k waddler/weekend-warrior and you "sprinted" at the end to out kick a girl, go drown your shame stuffing your face with Oreos.

coed runs are coed wrote:

kto, he treated you the way he probably would have treated any other runner. He simply used you to get a good time. The only reason you get upset about this is because you want special treatment because of your gender.

No guy would have "lost respect" for a girl that hang onto him and outkicked him. He would have been ashamed. Maybe you should too?

I dunno. Unless you're trying to get a qualifying time for a big race or meet or using tactics in a big meet, drafting, regardless of gender, is kinda douchey. You're talking about a 1:23 half-marathon time. Very respectable, but far from elite.

Even big meet drafting seems piss-poor. After all, wasn't the consesus of most track fans that the pace set in the London Olympic 10k and 5k finals was ridiculously slow? Part of the essence of racing is to push your limits.

Mint Berry Crunch wrote:

OP, you have to be ruthless during road races. Given the opportunity, i would out kick a group of 12 year old girl scouts if it got me a higher standing in the results.

If you had to outkick a group of 12-year-old Girl Scouts, you wouldn't be very high in the standings.

Its never evil to out-kick a female at the end of a race. You must do all that is within your power to retain your manhood. Well done sir.

I expect everyone to kick it in at the end. The only time I was annoyed was when a guy outkicked me right at the end and broke my tape. Even then it only bothered me for a moment, and I'm sure he felt like an jerk when he realized what he did.

I don't think it's evil. A lot of women are users when it comes to racing. Notice I didn't say all women.

I ran a 2:33 marathon once and I won't say where, but the female winner caught me at around mile 20, a Russian woman. The woman just sat on my arse and would not share pacing duties. I moved to one side and she would just follow me, I moved to the other side and there she goes behind my arse. I really felt like saying, come on biotch do some of the work. She just stuck to me like a flea to a dog. Finally with a mile to go I felt like it would be safe for me to accelerate and I dropped her.

I don't mind running with women at all and if they're faster than me I can use them as well. However, I won't just sit behind a woman and clip her heels. I'd rather run side by side and help her along as I use her as motivation. I have no pride and can care less if a woman beats me. A 48 year old woman (Russian also) once passed me at mile 23 in a marathon and I tried to go with her, but I only lasted one mile. I finished about a minute behind with a big pr.

Better late than never.

0.5/10

WhitePony wrote:

sub3over40 wrote:

You are not evil. You are weak. How could a chick even be close at the end of a race?

If your name is accurate there are a lot of women who would beat you at bigger races, nothing wrong with that though.

Yep! And not only women, but several MASTERS women.

I thought the point of a race was to go faster than the other runners?

I'm sort of old fashioned. To me the only thought should be how to nail this chick. Clearly letting her finish comfortably ahead of you but without her realizing you dumped is the smartest move. Then you would have to know how to talk to a girl. Good luck kid!

no, just a douchebag*