Tom Byers -The Rabbit That Got Away(Oslo,1981)

Paul Pilkington managed to escape as the rabbit for the 1994 LA Marathon. The 2nd placer claimed he was robbed of his "victory". The loser wanted to be claimed the winner and awarded the 1st place prize money. LOL ...

LOS ANGELES MARATHON : 'Rabbit' Simply Keeps Going, and Going . . . : Running: Utah's Pilkington was expected to set the pace and then drop out. But he couldn't find a reason to stop.

http://articles.latimes.com/1994-03-07/sports/sp-31105_1_los-angeles-marathon

Here is a video by Toni Reavis who was in the lead vehicle at the race and spoke to Pilkington just after the half-way point and learned the rabbit was not going to stop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZxV7_QwomU

Thanks for the links.

Sometimes the sacrificial lamb wins.

Ovett said the splits that were called out to the field were those of Byers, leading them to believe Byers was running over his head and that he'd come back to them. But he also added that he and the other main players were definitely to blame, that they should have sensed the pace wasn't fast and should never have let him get away. To sum up the whole affair, he remarked, "We all ran like a load of hacks."

Thanks. Splits got messed up.

I think Ovett was super talented but lazy at times.

I heard stories from a couple of guys who ran for Athletics West that Byers and Alberto used to just grind up a lot of other very talented runners in AW workouts.

They eventually get ground up themselves.

Another Escaped Rabbit wrote:

Paul Pilkington managed to escape as the rabbit for the 1994 LA Marathon. The 2nd placer claimed he was robbed of his "victory". The loser wanted to be claimed the winner and awarded the 1st place prize money. LOL ...

LOS ANGELES MARATHON : 'Rabbit' Simply Keeps Going, and Going . . . : Running: Utah's Pilkington was expected to set the pace and then drop out. But he couldn't find a reason to stop.

http://articles.latimes.com/1994-03-07/sports/sp-31105_1_los-angeles-marathon

Here is a video by Toni Reavis who was in the lead vehicle at the race and spoke to Pilkington just after the half-way point and learned the rabbit was not going to stop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZxV7_QwomU

One reason might be that you were hired to be the rabbit. The other competitors have a right to assume you will perform your duty and not steal a win.

Pilkington DID perform his duty. The other competitors did not.

If the lead vehicle abandons you and you see it far up ahead then you should assume your are not the leader. Pilkington finished just one-minute ahead of 2nd place. That LA Marathon course offered many opportunities to see the rabbit dead ahead. So, there is no excuse for losing in this situation.

random old timer wrote:

I heard stories from a couple of guys who ran for Athletics West that Byers and Alberto used to just grind up a lot of other very talented runners in AW workouts.

Steve Scott discussed training with Byers in his book.

nobody cares... wrote:

Say what, now wrote:

One reason might be that you were hired to be the rabbit. The other competitors have a right to assume you will perform your duty and not steal a win.

Pilkington DID perform his duty. The other competitors did not.

Exactly. A rabbit is hired to set a specific pace through a certain distance. It is assumed they will agree to do this because they either

1) are training through this race or

2) can't hold that pace

So they agree to take money to set the pace. They never promised to drop out. The whole point of the rabbit no longer makes sense if the competition doesn't go with the rabbit. He delivered on his promise and what he was paid to do by running the agreed pace through the agreed distance, what he chooses to do next is up to him.

Rabbitting is not as easy as it seems.

That is why at the end you rest (almost missed the screen name(