Bandito wrote:
Does it cost the race more if I bandit?
Does it cost the Yankees more if you sneak and watch the game for free?
Does it cost the airline more if you get in an empty seat without a ticket?
Bandito wrote:
Does it cost the race more if I bandit?
Does it cost the Yankees more if you sneak and watch the game for free?
Does it cost the airline more if you get in an empty seat without a ticket?
I did not know that was the case now. There was a time when those people saw the game for free. The analogy still can work though. There was a minor league baseball/high school football stadium where I grew up where people could sit on a hillside next to it and watch games for free.
talk to Robert Young he knows all about cutting corners
runnningjourno wrote:
Hello - I'm looking to talk to someone who has been a race bandit. No judgement here! Just want to talk to people who have done it about experience and motivations. Will also search the archives so apologies if this question has been asked before, but please let me know if you would be prepared to talk. Anonymity guaranteed!
what's with all the moral high ground snobs on LRC? I have no problems with bandits.
E. Bonix wrote:
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ex bandit wrote:In college my buddy and I went bandit in road races sometimes. We were known in the running community (especially him, he was a local and I was known as his friend) and tolerated up to a point. That was a long, long time ago.
I wouldn't do it now, but strictly speaking I'm not opposed to people who do. If they take refreshments I consider that to be theft, but otherwise they are running on public roads.
Sure, let's talk about running on public roads. A race director is required to get a permit to use public thoroughfares for a race. In most cases, police detail is a condition of that approval, as is liability insurance. This costs money, significantly more than 10 years ago. Nothing is free. Unregistered runners don't grasp this concept, or don't care. Either way, jumping into a race without a # is nothing to be proud of.
THIS And nowadays that 99% of road races
doittoit wrote:
If the race does not offer prize money to the winners, you should always bandit. F the greedy.
Wow the people in this thread are so gay and sensitive. I bet you're all the idiots voting for Bernie and Hillary the criminal.
Not a Bandit wrote:
Whenever I notice an adult without a number, I think "a-hole bandit, pay to support the race/charity"
If I see a HS or college aged kid without one, I don't care.
Gonna agree with numb here..except for the 'idiots' comment that is. It's pretty much exactly like someone going to a bar and not buying anything. The non-buyer is enjoying the environment and the company in the bar and paying nothing for it. The owner of the bar has paid for everything that is there - so this is exactly what a race director does - sets up the environment for people to enjoy.
Now, if the bandit uses aid stations or runs through the shoot then I would agree that's no bueno. In the bar example it would be like the non-buyer heading behind the bar and pouring him/herself a coldie - also no bueno. See.
The argument 'what if everyone did it?' can also be used in the bar example. If not enough patrons bought something then the bar owner would go out of business just like a race director would. If this were to happen the set up in either the bar or the race would be changed but I don't think it's really that big of an issue for the collective minds of LRC to worry about.
Add: Being a bandit is okay, just like going to a bar and not ordering anything is okay.
Final add: Cost of races used to be reasonable but then folks started to realize there was money to be made with races... not just the race director but the city the race is in as well so things changed. It was better in the olden days (I'm told) but things always change so whatevs...
Hope that clears up this topic for you'all!
good example wrote:
Gonna agree with numb here..except for the 'idiots' comment that is. It's pretty much exactly like someone going to a bar and not buying anything. The non-buyer is enjoying the environment and the company in the bar and paying nothing for it. The owner of the bar has paid for everything that is there - so this is exactly what a race director does - sets up the environment for people to enjoy.
Now, if the bandit uses aid stations or runs through the shoot then I would agree that's no bueno. In the bar example it would be like the non-buyer heading behind the bar and pouring him/herself a coldie - also no bueno. See.
The argument 'what if everyone did it?' can also be used in the bar example. If not enough patrons bought something then the bar owner would go out of business just like a race director would. If this were to happen the set up in either the bar or the race would be changed but I don't think it's really that big of an issue for the collective minds of LRC to worry about.
Add: Being a bandit is okay, just like going to a bar and not ordering anything is okay.
Final add: Cost of races used to be reasonable but then folks started to realize there was money to be made with races... not just the race director but the city the race is in as well so things changed. It was better in the olden days (I'm told) but things always change so whatevs...
Hope that clears up this topic for you'all!
Really good post!
Banditing is like watching a baseball game through a knothole in the fence. Columbus Clippers purposely made a section passersby can watch the game without paying.
If races dont want bandits, then all they have to do is fence off the whole course and post guards to get in the corral.
BuIuLd A wAlL wrote:
Banditing is like watching a baseball game through a knothole in the fence.
Lousy analogy. Banditing is not watching. It's akin to entering an athletic field without authorization.
It's like hopping the fence at the community pool, riding the public bus without paying, or sneaking into a club without paying the cover. You're getting benefits that others had to pay for (in this case, a closed road). That said, I usually bandit at least once/year for non-serious races.
Don't take a spot at the front of the start line, don't cross the finish line, don't affect the outcome of the race, and you're good.
d2xccoach wrote:
Hey runjourno, feel free to drop me a line. I banditted Boston 1987. Different time than today for sure... I currently direct races, have done so for about 25 years, so would have a perspective for you from both sides.
Joe, did you bandit because you didn't have a BQ time?