Would it be smart to start entering road races under a fake name to protect your privacy?

When you out yourself as a troll and people continue responding, you know it was good.

Roger Murdock wrote:

People can find out so much about you from a race picture - see your race number, find your name, google you, get your phone number and address...dangerous stuff with all the weirdos out there.

Hi Mike!

I like races that post the participants names, ages, towns, etc online well in advance of the event.

Especially if the event costs lots of $ to enter. That way I know they likely have a nice house and disposable income.

Easy to check info online for local entrants and case their places in advance. Then I know they are not going to be home and preoccupied with some race on a certain time/day or even whole weekend or more if race is out of town.

Easy targets.

I was a timer for 25 years. (Runtime Services, Buffalo, 1981-2006)

One thing I never, ever did was to publish a race number that could be linked to a runner. No. Cannot do that. (Of course I'm not talking about registration lists for the registration workers to use.)

When I published registration lists online I never gave the associated number, and never (anywhere) the actual age. Age group only, and often not even that (because it's not really needed). City and state, yes.

And yet I see this done with online (and printed) results all the time. All you need to do is remember a race number, get online, and you can find out who it is.

Over the years I had many people contact me trying to get runner information (invariably guys looking for information on women) and I never gave it out. Well, there was a law enforcement thing one time when they were looking for a murderer, and of course I had queries and subpoenas from insurance companies from time to time, but otherwise I wouldn't do it.

I really, really disapprove of the runner number field in online results. It serves no purpose and adds zero value to the output.

As for people using false names -- that's not the greatest idea. What if you're injured, maybe not conscious? I might have your address (unless you faked that) and the first responders or the hospital might be able to work from that and figure out who you are, but maybe not.

Sure, that kind of thing is rare. But when I was working, I had some cases where a runner died out on the course (or at the finish line) and the responders came to me for the information.

I do all the time. The added bonus of not having to worry about that nut Derek

Can't fool me wrote:

Roger Murdock wrote:

People can find out so much about you from a race picture - see your race number, find your name, google you, get your phone number and address...dangerous stuff with all the weirdos out there.

Hi Mike!

Hi a duck! How's it going?

I am on troll fire with this thread. It got linked to the letsrun main page and people keep responding after I admitted to trolling! Troll win!

Most race directors don't have your scruples. Most race results on line show race #, first and last name, age, and city. A determined cyber stalker can find out almost anything about you with that information. If I were a single woman it would flat out terrify me.

I think using a fake name is very prudent these days.

Good evening. What were the circumstances for runners who died on the course?

Mostly heart attacks, and often brought on by heat exhaustion.

Not always because of heat, though. A guy died in an early March race in Buffalo one year. In that case the unfortunate thing was that the first responders didn't know to contact the race officials to find out the guy's name. He was a post-entry so his name wasn't on his bib. As I remember, they didn't know for hours who he was. Eventually somebody came to me and asked who number **** was, and of course I knew. I had already heard that someone had died, but had no idea he was unidentified.

I'd bet that communications are much better now than in my day, when we used UHF radios and didn't have all that many of them, either.

I remember one summer race where a guy died at the finish line. I was out there at the time with a radio, but the race director and finish line people didn't have any communication equipment at all, and the ambulance that was supposed to be on duty never showed up. So I used my radio to call my people working about a quarter mile away, and they called 911. Too late for the poor guy, though. He died instantly.

Another guy in Rochester died from heat exhaustion after he finished. He fell and hit his head on the curb, and at the ER they treated his cut and didn't understand that he was in heat stroke. He died on a gurney in the hall because his cut wasn't deemed too serious. There was a settlement on that one.

I don't mean to be speaking too casually about this. It's the most horrible thing that can happen at a race.

So you worry about privacy in road races, but no concern about the intelligence agencies collecting data on everything you do in life?

Lance uppercut

lol

Use the following names (they would love the publicity for unsolved murders and the honor you give them):

Seth DNC Rich

J. Chris Stevens Diplomat

RIP

What are they gonna do? Refuse to give emergency treatment because he registered as Cosmo Kramer instead of his real name?

Get her name and name of race. Find results. Look at age ranges to narrow down people. If none stand out find pictures online and submit last names til you find her. Now you have last name, age, and home. Either go to facebook or even white pages. Then you have the rest. Legit you don't even need to know her name. See a picture with race bib number and its easy after that.

Is it creepy? Yes. Is it easily possible? Yes. Is my basement full of bodies? That's for you to find out ;)

I race under my first and middle name, which are quite common. That's kinda sorta my real name so I can rationalize that I'm being honest. I just want when people google my full name they find my professional information and not a bunch of race results.

fake names are the way to go wrote:

What are they gonna do? Refuse to give emergency treatment because he registered as Cosmo Kramer instead of his real name?

What if he was really Cosmo Kramer?

What are they gonna do? Refuse to give emergency treatment because he registered as Cosmo Kramer instead of his real name?

No, of course not. Don't be silly.

But there are contact issues, next of kin issues, health care proxy issues -- all that stuff, including things as simple as being able to get a phone number and make a call -- "your son's in the hospital, ma'am," or get a license plate so the person's car can be located, etc.

I use names of my ancestors when I can get away with it. It's a way for me to "remember" them and a way to remain semi-anonymous. Of course with big races it is harder to do. For those I might use one of my ancestors that shares a last name, easier to explain the first name as a nick. Some of the names that were used 150 or 200 years ago do get an eyebrow raise when people see it.

Ladyboy of Bangcok wrote:

You can also race under a different gender to be even harder to find, and you might also get some race wins!

Attaboy, now you are thinking safety . But even changing your gender and name is not enough the throw off those hard core stalkers . I always bump up my age 15-20 years. It throws off the realbloodhounds. Plus, There is always some 60+ anoxeric chick who thinks she is hot stuff cus she runs 24 min 5ks and always wins. Love to see her expression when she comes in 2nd to 62 year old Caster Stuntnut's 18:34. Nothing wrong at all with mixing a little humor with safety.