Molly Huddle Interference? Should Huddle have been DQd for flailing her arms out at United Airlines NYC Half?

one angle it looked bad but the other camera from above you could see she just spread her arms right at the finish and didn't come close to the other runner

DQ. But the rules don't apply to certain athletes (e.g. Huddle, Coburn).

Let's stop the double standards.

The lady who finished second should have been declared the winner.

As to whether Molly should have been disqualified, that, in my opinion, should be the debate.

NativeSon wrote:

Let's stop the double standards.

The lady who finished second should have been declared the winner.

As to whether Molly should have been disqualified, that, in my opinion, should be the debate.

are an idiot.

You mean 'Infeld' as in Emily Infeld?

Not even close. Molly was clearly ahead and put her arms out. The other runner was not closing.

even if that were true, she still put out ONE NON-SWINGING ARM... the one on the side of the runner who had a chance. i don't even think the DQ should be up for debate. it was egregious and a clear DQ. too bad NYRR would never go for it (american winner! woo!). eyeroll.

Didn't she do the same thing to Shannon Rowbury at the 2014 USA 5k champs and at the 2012 US XC vs Sara Hall? Maybe she is just a dirty racer?

DQ in order...

That's not racing, that's holding.

DQ.

Should have used her last bit of energy getting to the finish instead of blocking her competitor from passing... If that happened to her can you imagine the outrage?Clean sport!DQ.

yeah, butter wrote:

DQ in order...

That's not racing, that's holding.

DQ.

DQ

DQ

DQ

DQ

DQ

DQ

DQ

DQ

DQ

I she did than in a championship race and Kenyans protested, it would have to be DQ. But in other races favorites are almost never DQd for something like that. Bekele used to block other runners when he was at risk of losing, but he was never DQd.

Serious question: What are the odds that this is even on NYRR's radar? Is there any chance that they are reviewing the video and having a conversation about potentially changing the results? Or is this over and done with, given Huddle's status with NYRR?

That was shocking. Clear DQ.

Whenever I see athletes doing stuff like this, I can't help thinking they do much worse to win behind closed doors.

Bottom line is if you watched the race live as I did you know that Molly impeded her opponent at the most vital point in the race with a fully extended arm held up at the critical point when the Kenyan was clearly accelerating. This is a clear call for a disqualification. The fact that she wasn't disqualified is shameful and flies in the face of fairness in sport.

Totally agree—she was right on Molly's back for really no reason.

Lot of room wrote:

It's a road race. The Kenyan didn't need to be on Molly's shoulder. Too much is being made of this. When runners break the tape they spread their arms. I've seen this done many times. I would agree with potential poor sportsmanship only if she had spread her arms prior to breaking the tape. So IMO no interference occurred.

USA 2014 5k wrote:

Didn't she do the same thing to Shannon Rowbury at the 2014 USA 5k champs and at the 2012 US XC vs Sara Hall? Maybe she is just a dirty racer?

The answer is: no. Although it is true that both races had finishes that generated a lot of discussion.

In the 5k, it was Rowbury who was in the lead in the final straight and clearly the offending party as she weaved back and forth between lanes trying to cut off Huddle (without success). Huddle herself did absolutely nothing wrong.

In the XC race, Huddle put her hands up (not out) to celebrate and Hall blew by her for the win in the last half stride.

The half marathon is a close call but it's a road race and she was close enough to the line to celebrate. The Kenyan could have picked a line that wasn't so close to Huddle's shoulder.

row row rowbury your boat wrote:

I'm a fairly big fan of "Milky Huddle," but she definitely put her arm out to impede the other runner. I also wouldn't say this makes her a criminal or a horrible person, she was sprinting to the finish of a hard fought half marathon and instincts were probably on overdrive...also factoring the previously mentioned WC debacle last summer.

Bumping this fair-minded observation to restore a little perspective to this conversation. You'd think MH had committed a war crime from the rabid tone of most of this thread.

DQ no question. She takes a full stride without moving her arm from across the other runner's chest. It's obvious it was a safety move trying to protect the win.