Perhaps this explains some of how this all works:
A Marsha, who seems like a nice unsuspecting lady, is listed as finishing on 8.3.2013 marathon and does a review:
http://bookladywalker.wordpress.com/category/half-marathons/page/3/
Excerpted:
"The mastermind behind the I Ran Marathon races is Parvaneh Moayedi, an inspirational runner who just a few weeks ago successfully completed the Badwater 135 (reputed to be the world’s most difficult footrace).
...
I was planning to do the double marathon, but this race series included more options than a marathon. In addition to signing up for one, two, or three marathons, a person could opt for a 10k, a half marathon, a 50k, or a 50 mile race on one, two, or three days. The distance was determined by the number of times the runner or walker did the certified loops, and the loops could be short or long (two short loops equaled one long loop). It was a bit confusing at first (all that arithmetic!) but I figured it out beforehand and knew exactly what my plan would be each day. There were three aid stations, with water, soda, and Gatorade, plus real food and energy bars. Patient and cheerful volunteers staffed the aid stations and were unfailingly pleasant despite having to sit in the heat all day.
Time limits were amazingly generous and forgiving. The races officially started at 6 am, with a 5 am early start (and that turned out to be flexible) and ended at 9 pm every day (although I believe everyone finished well before that deadline). I opted to take the early start each day. When I arrived on Saturday morning at 4:35 am, Parvaneh said that some people had already started, so I turned on my headlamp and took off. I couldn’t see any reason to just hang around waiting if I could be moving. This turned out to be a great idea. In fact, on Sunday I started at 4:15, so I could try to ‘beat the heat’ before the sun came up.
...
At the end of each race, Parvaneh greeted everyone by name, placed a medal around our necks, and posed for a photo with finishers. Volunteers rang bells and cheered for finishers. This series of races is definitely recommended for walkers who can take the heat. And for those who prefer cooler weather, Parvaneh offers other races year-round in San Antonio (see her website
http://www.iranmarathon.com
)."
takeaways:
"two short loops equaled one long loop"
flexible start times
the RD present at the end of each race
a review of the race results shows the RD also competed and finished a marathon as well
mind-boggling how a RD competes and also present for photo op and medal awards at end of race with such widespread finishing times, do the 4 hour finishers wait for the 6.5 hour finishers for a medal ceremony? or does everyone get a separate medal ceremony?