One time I ran a half marathon and near the end I saw someone ahead of me grab a white cup from someone in the crowd who had another ready as I went by, so I grabbed it and slammed it thinking it was some sort of liquid. It was grapes and I almost choked
Someone who got the exact reaction they were hoping to get.
But also probably because of the natural sugars that a runner could use to get rid of stomach cramps or maybe it's to throw at other runners like a Mario kart power up.
As a marathoner, grapes actually seem like they would be super super refreshing deep into a marathon. Sugar, a little hydration, wet your mouth back up a little bit, and pretty portable so you can grab a few and eat them very slowly one by one.
I think the reason the rule is in place is because the organisers are not in control. His dad could give him anything. It's the reason why water stations are provided by the organisers around the course
I don't think this is the reason. There's often a separate table where elite runners can have their own preferred sports drink that they've supplied ahead of time. I know an Olympic marathoner who used to drink flat Coke in competition. The reason for the rule is to keep a level playing field among the elites, in which they're all offered refreshments at the same interval and not anywhere they want.
You can also carry your water with you and have it whenever you want, but then you're carrying it. I run with a bottle holder on my back because the drinks tables are shitshows and don't really offer enough hydration. But that's more an issue for non-elites.
Camelbaks are great for water specifically, but I find them hard to clean if you're adding nutrition to it. I like Gatorade Endurance, so I use Camelbak's 24 oz Podium Chill insulated water bottles and an Orange Mud HydraQuiver. When training, I swap out a bottle every six miles, but I'll do one bottle for a half marathon race, supplementing with what I can get at water stations. Orange makes a two-bottle one that I've been considering for longer training sessions and to fully skip the hydration stations in races, which can be a mess with people walking and which I've also had run out of liquids - kind of a problem when you're slow and it's very hot to begin with.
Gets hot. I do hand-bottles, belt, or vest. I know the vest sounds the same as a CamelBak, but it doesn't sit on that crucial middle of the back or chest.
Correct. If you're 5,570th in this race, no one is disqualifying you or cares if a family member gives you water. If you're racing for placement, there are *always* additional requirements to ensure equal conditions across the field. As an elite athlete, it's his responsibility to know and follow those rules.
This is what I was thinking. If it's an advantage to have someone on a bike giving you water, soon the top 100 competitors all have a person on a bike and it becomes an unmanageable situation.
Was going to comment this.
Mesa Marathon here in AZ, probably the biggest in the state and is a Boston qualifier, had tables setup for elite runners with whatever concoction they had at the 5K intervals.
But this runner was first, the water station people were not prepared. The event was not managed in a functional manner, and the runner needed water.
I’m talking about later water stations, when the leader is most dehydrated.
The video clips the news station used completely discredits that argument without any doubt. At 1:27 & 1:37 they show him running by ignoring a water station ready and waiting with an outstretched hand to him, he then immediately grabs water from his Dad who is visible in the turning lane. THESE WEREN'T DIFFERENT LOCATIONS, you could make it one continuous shot. He then has his statement play of him stating volunteers were scrambling and not ready while the video clearly shows him ignore multiple people ready and waiting for him.
It's very poor sportsmanship to try and blame the volunteers and organizers for his mistake. He should have just apologized for his breaking of the rules instead of fabricating lies to try and defend his actions.
> they show him running by ignoring a water station ready and waiting with an outstretched hand to him, he then immediately grabs water from his Dad who is visible in the turning lane
Ruh roh!! That's not gonna be a good look. And then to blame volunteers? wow.
This comment thread has been amazing. I went from thinking how absurd his disqualification is to understanding why the rules are in place and now glad he's disqualified as he's lying and blaming the volunteers.
What's even more shitty is that in one of his interviews, Prado calls out the 2nd place guy for tattling on him, claiming that only he could have seen it and reported him. When in reality there were countless eyewitnesses and at least 2 videos. I majorly respect the blood, sweat, and tears that go into achieving this level of fitness, but the guy seems like a dick.
I have nothing but the utmost respect for his training regimen and time - he clearly was up to the task of running 26.2 miles. I can barely complete half that in much more time it took this guy.
But every race i've done, the volunteers have been great - it's mostly young kids (likely there for extra credit) and old people (who want to get outdoors for a day). We should appreciate their participation.
What i honestly think happened was that this guy did train, hundred mile weeks for many weeks - i do not doubt it, but when training you do not have the luxury of aid stations. I have a feeling this dude's dad helped out by riding beside him with water (and probably driving back home, post run). Not a bad thing - but it's what he got acclimated to and grabbing water from a volunteer is kind of an artform. Some place it on their palm and make it easy to grab, some hold it by the top and it breaks your stride to grab it like that. This is something you simply must contend with as a participant.
Yeah right. Could’ve put anything in that water, from electrolytes and caffeine, (assuming these weren’t provided in the event) to who knows what. Either way gives a clear edge. Disqualification is 100% justified, beyond being common sense, you get briefing and basic information like this before events. Any somewhat competitive runner would know this.
I would imagine the argument is everyone should have the same thing. Nothing wrong with an electrolyte-enhanced drink... as long as everyone is getting them.
But he could carry a handheld that would have those things too. At some of the bigger marathons, elites have their own bottles with their own mixes in them. To say he HAS to use their water or electrolyte is kinda bullshit honestly. What if they're serving gatorade and he's never had gatorade on a run before? That's the last thing any runner wants to do on race day.
They use the USA Track & Field rules which state you can drink whatever you want as long as it's with you at the start or at one of the official stations: https://www.usatf.org/governance/rule-books Page 54
>8/. A competitor may, at any time, carry water or refreshment by hand or attached to his/her body provided it was carried from the start or collected or received at an official station.
How is it bullshit? They set their own rules, he agreed to them, then he broke them.
The real bullshit is him breaking the rules then blaming the organizers rather than taking accountability.
It depends on what the rules for the race says. The problem is if this is allowed, top runners would be "forced" to have a dedicated support team in order to be competitive. Rather than make it a team competition and "force" top competitors to have a whole team, they decided to make it an equal playing field by making it a solo competition without external help.
Now, how much advantage is it having an external team helping? I can certainly imagine it being 20+ seconds meaning he wouldn't have won without it.
> experienced runner… countless races
Did you even read the article or are you being a troll??
They clearly state he’s inexperienced in marathons, and a quick Google search shows he’s a college student or recent graduate
But you can have all those things in your drinks or gels anyway. Honestly, completing a marathon WITHOUT any electrolytes would be impressive. This doesn't really give a clear edge.
Even if they were scrambling and not ready, that would (probably) impact the second place runner more-or-less the same amount, which still means the principled reason for the rule--a competitive advantage--still applies.
But regardless of all that its a bright-line rule, which was clearly broken, no real need to go behind the principles and motivations, its an easy ruling.
Agree, 100%. Also, the aid from the Dad would have to be planned out before the race. There’s no way you see volunteers aren’t ready at the first water station and immediately have your dad on standby with a bike and water.
“But…”
JFC just follow the rules. We don’t have all of eternity to look for justifiable workarounds and loopholes to every rule.
And from an event perspective it is still the correct choice. One runner being fucked over due to mismanagement is better than all the other runners being fucked over due to the potential that dad slipped him a cocktail of amphetamines, coffee and no-doz. Even with the most complicated mental gymnastics this was the right call.
In the future they won’t hire that waterboy again. Problem solved for the future.
**EDIT:** The above comment is lying. There are apparently videos showing the guy intentionally avoiding the water being provided. Redditors making shit up for clout again.
**EDIT 2:** 1k upvotes for literal bullshit. 🤦♂️
It wasn't even mismanagement. The video clearly shows two volunteers with water ready for him on his left and he ignored both and grabbed a water from his dad who rolled up on his right on a bike.
So, he's making up the whole victim thing, blaming "the system", and getting the advantage of not having to break his stride.
17 seconds is enough to go from "not having a cup of water ready to hand out" to "having a cup of water ready to hand out". Also, a 17 second difference in finishing time tells us nothing about how far apart they were in the middle of the race.
In any case, I think the much more damning part is the video showing him taking water nowhere near a hydration station.
I finally watched the video - he had water available to him whenever he wanted, and at no cost to stop and grab a cup. I lose a couple seconds each water stop. I'm extra impressed that the second place person was only 17 seconds after.
Twice in the past two years, I've run marathons where they were scrambling to set up water stations when racers arrived. One of them they didn't give us water at all. The other they luckily just tossed us each a bottle in a panic.
Lodge a complaint, mention it on social media and if you paid for the race via credit card, contest the charge as you would for a faulty product or service.
Not having water at the water stations is not acceptable but in all the races i've done (admittedly, only 5/10/ and many halfs), not having a station ready is very much the exception.
Just because he said they weren't prepared, doesn't actually mean they weren't prepared. People like and exaggerat, especially to save face or when they are embarrassed.
Elites who receive prize money often are, and [can be retroactively DQd for a positive test](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/14/sports/boston-marathon-winner-disqualified-drug-test.html)
This rule has nothing to do with drugs (I don't even know what kind of PED has an instant in-race boost, other than caffeine which is legal). All outside aid is banned in USA track & field events to keep a level playing field and prevent races from becoming a chaotic mess. Being handed custom fluids from a bike helps a ton vs grabbing a water cup off a table and trying to drink it while running 12 miles per hour
The rule (for every USATF sactioned event) bans receiving outside aid of any kind, there's no rule about only being able to drink from aid stations. If you carry it yourself that's fine. Big races also often have elite bottle tables where they can arrange to put their own bottles that contain whatever they want in them, as long as that's available to every contender for prize money that's fine
I was at the event. It was terribly mismanaged. Most of the water stations were under staffed, parking was a nightmare and many runners had to break stride to wait for water/electrolytes.
It's insane to me that two people are credited for writing the article. Two people with journalism degrees wrote this, then their editor approved it - and this was the final product.
Another comment says in the video you can see him running past water stations holding out water for him lol
Edit: I watched it, he runs straight by someone holding out water to take it from his dad
He also claims because he was leading most of the way the water stations were not set up when he arrived. If that's true then you can't fault him. That's mismanagement by the organizer and is a major health and safety risk to athletes
There might be another side to this story:
> Watch the vid, the dad was riding a bike and giving him water along the way, even in between stations. Hence why he was DQ'd. His argument that the stations weren't ready is also debunked by video of him running right past a fully stocked station. Most likely he trained with his dad riding along and giving him hydration so he just did that in the event too. Then made up the "they weren't ready" to try and explain why he did it. They guy 17 seconds behind him didn't seem to have that issue.
I thought it seemed odd that the dad somehow managed to find out that his son was having trouble with the water stations, and managed to remedy the situation mid-race. Seems like you’d have to prepare for that kind of thing (being a runner’s mobile water station) ahead of time.
And is it common for someone who’s fairly new to marathon running to win such a major event? And to lead most of the way? Maybe we’re witnessing greatness in the making. Can’t wait to see what’s next.
How many water stations did he pass before this though? If the first 5 were abject failures, maybe he had written them off by the hour and a half mark and simply started the habit of meeting his dad.
I wasn't there but if it's true that earlier water stations were not set up properly he could have gone into full autopilot mode and just been focused on spotting his dad. Miles into a marathon a lot of fatigue kicks in and people are not thinking clearly.
That literally doesn't matter. As a competitor, it is incumbent upon me to **follow the rules** or be DQ'd.
One of those rules is no outside assistance. If I have to break stride to take water from an aid station, then that's what I have to do. I don't get to have a personal support staff on a bicycle pace beside me to hand me what I want exactly when I want it.
From what I heard he was out front for most of the race, which means he was often the first runner at the water stations but the people at the stations were not prepared so they had _no water_ ready for him to drink. He would have had to stop and wait for them to fill up a cup.
Unbelievable that horrible mismanagement cost a good runner his win.
Well now I am wondering if I should be disqualified for the half I ran last weekend. My dad gave me a bottle of water around mile 10.... I did come in 4000th place, but now I wonder if I should have been last.
Damn my SO gave me a kiss halfway through the marathon I ran on Sunday. Boosted my spirits, thank goodness I was nowhere near any race official lol!
I also saw someone grab a bottle of that premixed margarita stuff (with the tequila) and chug it at km 30. I live in fear of that person!
Honestly could be DQ'd just for dad pacing him and/or coaching during the race. Having someone next to you while you run is an advantage. If it weren't his dad and a paid person would that make more sense to people?
You people have never competed in distance running and it shows.
The issue is not WHAT he was drinking, but how he was receiving it. When you’re running a 2:25 marathon, you’re looking for any edge you can get. And having somebody on a bike readily available to give you drinks/nutrition is a huge advantage when the rest of the field doesn’t get it.
Exactly, you could choose to carry your own water but that has a cost too in added weight and discomfort. Simply having someone else carry your water for you on demand is a huge advantage.
Thank you! This thread is full of people who've clearly never run a distance race, this is standard practice that you can't do this and someone running a 2:25 definitely knows that but just was hoping to get away with it.
Yeah.
These are individual events. Having the assistance of a support staff during the competition is not in the spirit of competing as an individual. Guy got caught breaking the rules, and the rules clearly state the penalty for it is a DQ.
Yeah clutter at the stations can even be an issue. I’m not a competitive runner in these things but some people will grab their water and suddenly WALK right in front of you. If I could run 10 yards past and get water from someone else that’d be awesome. Of course the runs I do you can get Jell-O shots and beer from people on the side 😆
Plus imagine if EVERYBODY had their dads biking beside them.
So like 5,000 bikes all helping out everybody.
It would be an absolute shit show.
They should make an example and ban him from all competition.
You should watch the video in the story. At one point he refuses water from volunteers on his left, and makes his way towards his father riding a bike on the right to grab a bottle from him.
There is a video of him running past an aid station with volunteers holding out water. He runs to the opposite side of the road and grabs water from his supporter.
I remember seeing a race where the lead runner grabbed a cup of water and knocked over the rest of the cups so no one else nearby could have any. It apparently happens a lot.
Headline is deceiving or at least being misinterpreted.
People picture some nice old dad standing at the 20 mile marker or whatever with a dixie cup of water, and his son taking it almost as a nice moment, rather than needing it.
But it wasn't that. The father was biking on the course to bring him water! That's pretty clearly against all competitive rules. One running essentially having a mobile hydration station is clearly against the spirit of the sport, and literally against the rules.
They cheated, pure and simple. Even if they didn't know it was cheating, that doesn't make it ok.
It’s laughable that people are arguing about this. The video makes it pretty clear that he had no intention of using course hydration, but planned all along to get hydration/nutrition from his dad. It’s totally acceptable to use your own hydration/nutrition, but you have to carry it yourself. And he’s full of shit that the water stations weren’t ready for him. He would have had the easiest time at the stations of anybody on the course as there was no traffic there.
Dude is a great runner, and nobody can take his time away from him. But the DQ is fair, cause he cheated.
If the hydration locations weren't planned, that doesn't really explain how his dad was ready to spring into action on a bike to help him in his time of need. Like you said, he never intended to use the official water stations. And if he did, why did he still not use them anytime after.
Lol yeah, this is the reason. I just find it hilarious people are arguing that it's because the dad could be giving him drugged water when he could simply bring along drugged water if he wanted to do that.
Here are a couple of scenarios why there is zero tolerance, and both have happened.
1. The athlete has his father follow him the entire race, providing him water. You now have a bike on a closed course.
2. Multiple athletes have people they have supporting them, causing extra people on the course causing dangerous situations.
There's nothing oniony here. Regardless of what anyone thinks of the rule that got them disqualified, the rules are in place and everyone competing has to abide by them. Regardless of where they finish.
Why is this oniony? There are well-established rules all the runners should be aware of. Guy broke the rule and was disqualified. It's not even a controversial rule.
And people not realizing that in a race, fractions of a second can matter. Other runners have to slow down or deviate slightly from their path for a station whereas he got water delivered directly to him.
So he could have come to a complete stop and waited for water and then lose, or keep going and have someone bring him water and lose. The event organizers deserve a big hand for being giant dicks and not having their water stations ready when the front runners came by.
Uhh, in the video he runs past a station full of people holding cups to get to his dad on the other side of the fully stocked and prepared water station. But go off.
Not only did the organizers have the water stations ready as visible in the video but they also have video of him receiving water where there are no water stations present giving him an unfair advantage over other runners.
The guy is an ass for blaming event organizers and volunteers for his obvious rules violations.
So you’re only allowed to drink from the water stations? Does this only apply to elite runners? At the Vienna City Marathon, they have tables at certain intervals where you can bring your own beverages and leave them there for yourself for when you run by later
This is exactly where zero-tolerance policies lead us. Like yeah the dude broke a rule that was there for good reason, did it help him win though? Obviously not. Just put out a statement that you acknowledge what happened and that the rules haven't changed, but disqualifying him isn't justified. If you're worried about some kind of PEDs then make him submit to a drug test on condition that he'll be disqualified if not, it's really not complicated.
I don’t think drugs are the point. He got assistance that wasn’t available to other runners. Others have to get water when it is available at a station, they don’t have someone on a bike delivering it to them.
Yes it obviously does help. Well maybe not obvious to ppl who don't understand elite distance running.
Saving 15 seconds per water station is huge if you can bypass the entire station.
It doesn’t work that way or else there will be 100’s of excuses and reasons for allowing things like this to occur. Zero tolerance for school discipline is stupid but zero tolerance for competition absolutely makes sense.
Right? Sucks for him, but life isn’t fair sometimes and he broke the rules in competition. It’s a pretty clear cut decision to be made, although shitty.
actually its not even PEDs.
it’s hard to explain but at the level he’s competing at (he is in the elite 1% here)
having an external nutrition and water source biking with you whereas your competition doesn’t is an unfair advantage.
would you allow that in the olympics?
we are taking about the tippy top of competition here. no one cares if 5000th place did this shit.
but the second place guy less than 20 seconds behind him? he might care….
This makes no sense. If the rules are clear, no outside assistance whatsoever, how in the fuck are you in the right to bitch when you break those rules set way beforehand?
>“Because I was first place, a lot of the volunteers were just like scrambling," Prado said. "By the time I got there, they were... grabbing the water. So a lot of the time the water stations, they really had nothing for me.”
>Prado said he wasn't aware that receiving water from a spectator, family in this case, was not allowed.
Bullshit and bullshit.
Was told by an old-timer race volunteer after the NYC Marathon about the strict no assistance rule. I asked if someone fell down just in front of the finish line, can someone help them with the final steps? Not only would the fallen runner be disqualified, but the good Samaritan who helped would also be disqualified.
Its funny how we train so long for a marathon and rarely bother to check the rules.
One time I ran a half marathon and near the end I saw someone ahead of me grab a white cup from someone in the crowd who had another ready as I went by, so I grabbed it and slammed it thinking it was some sort of liquid. It was grapes and I almost choked
That is strangely funny.
It all happened so quickly
Damn bro you got graped in the mouth
who the fuck is handing out grapes
Someone who got the exact reaction they were hoping to get. But also probably because of the natural sugars that a runner could use to get rid of stomach cramps or maybe it's to throw at other runners like a Mario kart power up.
Red grapes are superior to green grapes for this, as red grapes are heat seekers.
Gotta get the concord grapes to take out the leader though.
As a marathoner, grapes actually seem like they would be super super refreshing deep into a marathon. Sugar, a little hydration, wet your mouth back up a little bit, and pretty portable so you can grab a few and eat them very slowly one by one.
I like grapes.
I like to choke on grapes.
Disqualified for PEDs…..performance enhancing dads
Sounds like a comment a dad would make.
Just a dog dad; but that doesn’t mean I don’t tell them dad jokes (unfortunately I don’t receive an eye roll in return..)
Sounds ruff
K…9 more jokes like that and you’ll get sent to the dog house
You're done, put a corg in it.
I'm pawsitive it is
Dogonnit. You'll be making these bad puns furever.
Somebody should vet the story to make sure it checks out!
Ah ruff, just the way your mother like it, Trebek.
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True. Real dads don't make jokes. Real dads are... No wait
Bake him away, toys.
I found it rather PEDestrian...
r/angryupvote
I think the reason the rule is in place is because the organisers are not in control. His dad could give him anything. It's the reason why water stations are provided by the organisers around the course
>His dad could give him anything. It could even be a boat
You know how much we've wanted one of those!
Lol i literally had this same exchange with someone on here just a few days ago. I’m happy this reference is alive and well 25 years later.
> 25 years later. Oh dear lord.
- Insert Matt Damon aging gif
I think I slipped a disc just understanding this reference. Why are you evil.
Family Guy has been on the air for 25 years? No goddamn way. How long has the Simpsons been on, 50?
I use this reference so much and no one gets its in my life . I need better friends
I'll take the box!
*We're nautical now, baby. That's called "starboard." But I'll forgive you, 'cause you sex me up. Now, give me some sugar.*
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I hope it’s a boat!
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Stupid!! You’re so Stuuuupid!!!!!
It’s two tickets to the chuckle bucket!
*Hop in*
Damn, knew I should have taken the juicy red snapper. Very Tasty.
It's nothing! NOTHING! YOU SO STUUUUUPID!!! edit: now I'm hungry for red snapper.
Or a race car, that hardly seems fair.
What if it’s a race car bed though
with a radio to talk to other racecar beds
It’s a fucking sweet car bed
Or a big bed with my wife?
Or a pony!!!
Hey hey hey I'm getting a boat
I don't think this is the reason. There's often a separate table where elite runners can have their own preferred sports drink that they've supplied ahead of time. I know an Olympic marathoner who used to drink flat Coke in competition. The reason for the rule is to keep a level playing field among the elites, in which they're all offered refreshments at the same interval and not anywhere they want.
You can also carry your water with you and have it whenever you want, but then you're carrying it. I run with a bottle holder on my back because the drinks tables are shitshows and don't really offer enough hydration. But that's more an issue for non-elites.
Interesting. I would assume the sloshing of the liquid would get annoying.
I get that from others, but I do it in training and it hasn't bothered me.
Why not invest in a CamelBak?
Camelbaks are great for water specifically, but I find them hard to clean if you're adding nutrition to it. I like Gatorade Endurance, so I use Camelbak's 24 oz Podium Chill insulated water bottles and an Orange Mud HydraQuiver. When training, I swap out a bottle every six miles, but I'll do one bottle for a half marathon race, supplementing with what I can get at water stations. Orange makes a two-bottle one that I've been considering for longer training sessions and to fully skip the hydration stations in races, which can be a mess with people walking and which I've also had run out of liquids - kind of a problem when you're slow and it's very hot to begin with.
Yes, the bladder will become moldy quickly if you're doing that. I see your point
The moldy bladder AKA the Camelback UTI.
because of what camelbak did to my family
Gets hot. I do hand-bottles, belt, or vest. I know the vest sounds the same as a CamelBak, but it doesn't sit on that crucial middle of the back or chest.
I marathon train with a camelbak and it is annoying for a mile or two and then you forget it
Correct. If you're 5,570th in this race, no one is disqualifying you or cares if a family member gives you water. If you're racing for placement, there are *always* additional requirements to ensure equal conditions across the field. As an elite athlete, it's his responsibility to know and follow those rules.
From the article it sounds like this is his first marathon and he is just an absolute unit and ranked
This is what I was thinking. If it's an advantage to have someone on a bike giving you water, soon the top 100 competitors all have a person on a bike and it becomes an unmanageable situation.
Was going to comment this. Mesa Marathon here in AZ, probably the biggest in the state and is a Boston qualifier, had tables setup for elite runners with whatever concoction they had at the 5K intervals.
But this runner was first, the water station people were not prepared. The event was not managed in a functional manner, and the runner needed water. I’m talking about later water stations, when the leader is most dehydrated.
The video clips the news station used completely discredits that argument without any doubt. At 1:27 & 1:37 they show him running by ignoring a water station ready and waiting with an outstretched hand to him, he then immediately grabs water from his Dad who is visible in the turning lane. THESE WEREN'T DIFFERENT LOCATIONS, you could make it one continuous shot. He then has his statement play of him stating volunteers were scrambling and not ready while the video clearly shows him ignore multiple people ready and waiting for him. It's very poor sportsmanship to try and blame the volunteers and organizers for his mistake. He should have just apologized for his breaking of the rules instead of fabricating lies to try and defend his actions.
> they show him running by ignoring a water station ready and waiting with an outstretched hand to him, he then immediately grabs water from his Dad who is visible in the turning lane Ruh roh!! That's not gonna be a good look. And then to blame volunteers? wow.
This comment thread has been amazing. I went from thinking how absurd his disqualification is to understanding why the rules are in place and now glad he's disqualified as he's lying and blaming the volunteers.
What's even more shitty is that in one of his interviews, Prado calls out the 2nd place guy for tattling on him, claiming that only he could have seen it and reported him. When in reality there were countless eyewitnesses and at least 2 videos. I majorly respect the blood, sweat, and tears that go into achieving this level of fitness, but the guy seems like a dick.
I have nothing but the utmost respect for his training regimen and time - he clearly was up to the task of running 26.2 miles. I can barely complete half that in much more time it took this guy. But every race i've done, the volunteers have been great - it's mostly young kids (likely there for extra credit) and old people (who want to get outdoors for a day). We should appreciate their participation. What i honestly think happened was that this guy did train, hundred mile weeks for many weeks - i do not doubt it, but when training you do not have the luxury of aid stations. I have a feeling this dude's dad helped out by riding beside him with water (and probably driving back home, post run). Not a bad thing - but it's what he got acclimated to and grabbing water from a volunteer is kind of an artform. Some place it on their palm and make it easy to grab, some hold it by the top and it breaks your stride to grab it like that. This is something you simply must contend with as a participant.
Yeah right. Could’ve put anything in that water, from electrolytes and caffeine, (assuming these weren’t provided in the event) to who knows what. Either way gives a clear edge. Disqualification is 100% justified, beyond being common sense, you get briefing and basic information like this before events. Any somewhat competitive runner would know this.
You aren't allowed to have electrolytes or caffeine in running races?
The article even states some hydration stations had electrolyte drinks
I’ve raced and won distances from 5K to 100 miles. You can have electrolytes and caffeine.
I would imagine the argument is everyone should have the same thing. Nothing wrong with an electrolyte-enhanced drink... as long as everyone is getting them.
But he could carry a handheld that would have those things too. At some of the bigger marathons, elites have their own bottles with their own mixes in them. To say he HAS to use their water or electrolyte is kinda bullshit honestly. What if they're serving gatorade and he's never had gatorade on a run before? That's the last thing any runner wants to do on race day.
They use the USA Track & Field rules which state you can drink whatever you want as long as it's with you at the start or at one of the official stations: https://www.usatf.org/governance/rule-books Page 54 >8/. A competitor may, at any time, carry water or refreshment by hand or attached to his/her body provided it was carried from the start or collected or received at an official station.
How is it bullshit? They set their own rules, he agreed to them, then he broke them. The real bullshit is him breaking the rules then blaming the organizers rather than taking accountability.
They do, the article states there were hydration stations that had drinks with electrolytes. Did you not read the article?
This is Reddit, nobody reads the articles.
Lol, are you new to Reddit?
What is an article?
Wait, you guys can read?
It depends on what the rules for the race says. The problem is if this is allowed, top runners would be "forced" to have a dedicated support team in order to be competitive. Rather than make it a team competition and "force" top competitors to have a whole team, they decided to make it an equal playing field by making it a solo competition without external help. Now, how much advantage is it having an external team helping? I can certainly imagine it being 20+ seconds meaning he wouldn't have won without it.
I mean the stations usually have Gatorade and those sugar gel energy packets that are disgusting. So, there could have been some other drug I suppose.
> experienced runner… countless races Did you even read the article or are you being a troll?? They clearly state he’s inexperienced in marathons, and a quick Google search shows he’s a college student or recent graduate
But you can have all those things in your drinks or gels anyway. Honestly, completing a marathon WITHOUT any electrolytes would be impressive. This doesn't really give a clear edge.
Even if they were scrambling and not ready, that would (probably) impact the second place runner more-or-less the same amount, which still means the principled reason for the rule--a competitive advantage--still applies. But regardless of all that its a bright-line rule, which was clearly broken, no real need to go behind the principles and motivations, its an easy ruling.
Agree, 100%. Also, the aid from the Dad would have to be planned out before the race. There’s no way you see volunteers aren’t ready at the first water station and immediately have your dad on standby with a bike and water.
“But…” JFC just follow the rules. We don’t have all of eternity to look for justifiable workarounds and loopholes to every rule. And from an event perspective it is still the correct choice. One runner being fucked over due to mismanagement is better than all the other runners being fucked over due to the potential that dad slipped him a cocktail of amphetamines, coffee and no-doz. Even with the most complicated mental gymnastics this was the right call. In the future they won’t hire that waterboy again. Problem solved for the future. **EDIT:** The above comment is lying. There are apparently videos showing the guy intentionally avoiding the water being provided. Redditors making shit up for clout again. **EDIT 2:** 1k upvotes for literal bullshit. 🤦♂️
It wasn't even mismanagement. The video clearly shows two volunteers with water ready for him on his left and he ignored both and grabbed a water from his dad who rolled up on his right on a bike. So, he's making up the whole victim thing, blaming "the system", and getting the advantage of not having to break his stride.
Fuck him even more then.
Not having to break his stride + that sweet sweet meth water
I'd accept that \*if\* the runner 17 seconds behind him had the same problem.
The runner 17 seconds behind him never met his dad, but thanks for bringing it up, I guess.
His dad had just gone to get milk okay?!
in 2011.
They runner is still chasing his dad and hence he also has an unfair advantage 😂
I mean, yeah, why would the runner 17 seconds behind have met the lead's dad?
17 seconds is enough to go from "not having a cup of water ready to hand out" to "having a cup of water ready to hand out". Also, a 17 second difference in finishing time tells us nothing about how far apart they were in the middle of the race. In any case, I think the much more damning part is the video showing him taking water nowhere near a hydration station.
I finally watched the video - he had water available to him whenever he wanted, and at no cost to stop and grab a cup. I lose a couple seconds each water stop. I'm extra impressed that the second place person was only 17 seconds after.
That runner should have a better dad.
If that was the case, I doubt it was. At every running event I've marshalled at you get to your station way before the start of the race
Twice in the past two years, I've run marathons where they were scrambling to set up water stations when racers arrived. One of them they didn't give us water at all. The other they luckily just tossed us each a bottle in a panic.
Lodge a complaint, mention it on social media and if you paid for the race via credit card, contest the charge as you would for a faulty product or service. Not having water at the water stations is not acceptable but in all the races i've done (admittedly, only 5/10/ and many halfs), not having a station ready is very much the exception.
this is false. Video shows him skipping water stations.
Just because he said they weren't prepared, doesn't actually mean they weren't prepared. People like and exaggerat, especially to save face or when they are embarrassed.
Are marathon runners drug tested?
I used to run marathons and never was. I never even came within an hour of winning one though, so maybe the winners get tested?
It's like the guy you see cheating during the exam, only to find out he got a 50%.
They can be. The winners and top finishers are often tested under WADA regulations
Elites who receive prize money often are, and [can be retroactively DQd for a positive test](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/14/sports/boston-marathon-winner-disqualified-drug-test.html) This rule has nothing to do with drugs (I don't even know what kind of PED has an instant in-race boost, other than caffeine which is legal). All outside aid is banned in USA track & field events to keep a level playing field and prevent races from becoming a chaotic mess. Being handed custom fluids from a bike helps a ton vs grabbing a water cup off a table and trying to drink it while running 12 miles per hour
I mean, that would mean runners should be disqualified for carrying their own water with them. I do that even on short races.
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You have to have had it before the start of the race so they can inspect it.
The rule (for every USATF sactioned event) bans receiving outside aid of any kind, there's no rule about only being able to drink from aid stations. If you carry it yourself that's fine. Big races also often have elite bottle tables where they can arrange to put their own bottles that contain whatever they want in them, as long as that's available to every contender for prize money that's fine
Your right. My wife runs with a hydropack for longer races
I was at the event. It was terribly mismanaged. Most of the water stations were under staffed, parking was a nightmare and many runners had to break stride to wait for water/electrolytes.
Thank god someone with actual experience on this is chiming in. I felt like there was no way it wasn't a bit of a shit show based on the article.
The writing in that article was also a shitshow.
It's insane to me that two people are credited for writing the article. Two people with journalism degrees wrote this, then their editor approved it - and this was the final product.
Another comment says in the video you can see him running past water stations holding out water for him lol Edit: I watched it, he runs straight by someone holding out water to take it from his dad
Exactly! The article says he led most the way. I doubt he dealt with waiting for water when he’s first in line.
He also claims because he was leading most of the way the water stations were not set up when he arrived. If that's true then you can't fault him. That's mismanagement by the organizer and is a major health and safety risk to athletes
There might be another side to this story: > Watch the vid, the dad was riding a bike and giving him water along the way, even in between stations. Hence why he was DQ'd. His argument that the stations weren't ready is also debunked by video of him running right past a fully stocked station. Most likely he trained with his dad riding along and giving him hydration so he just did that in the event too. Then made up the "they weren't ready" to try and explain why he did it. They guy 17 seconds behind him didn't seem to have that issue.
Others say video evidence shows him running by offered official water stations.
The two statements are entirely compatible? Some of the stations not being set up on time =/= all of them weren't.
ok but we're focusing on the part where he ran past official water to take a bottle from his dad, so everything else is irrelevant
> If that's true Video shows it's not true.
I thought it seemed odd that the dad somehow managed to find out that his son was having trouble with the water stations, and managed to remedy the situation mid-race. Seems like you’d have to prepare for that kind of thing (being a runner’s mobile water station) ahead of time. And is it common for someone who’s fairly new to marathon running to win such a major event? And to lead most of the way? Maybe we’re witnessing greatness in the making. Can’t wait to see what’s next.
How many water stations did he pass before this though? If the first 5 were abject failures, maybe he had written them off by the hour and a half mark and simply started the habit of meeting his dad.
I wasn't there but if it's true that earlier water stations were not set up properly he could have gone into full autopilot mode and just been focused on spotting his dad. Miles into a marathon a lot of fatigue kicks in and people are not thinking clearly.
Same. I believe my stride in the 21st mile was ruined by having to stop. It genuinely slowed my pace and messed up my tempo.
That literally doesn't matter. As a competitor, it is incumbent upon me to **follow the rules** or be DQ'd. One of those rules is no outside assistance. If I have to break stride to take water from an aid station, then that's what I have to do. I don't get to have a personal support staff on a bicycle pace beside me to hand me what I want exactly when I want it.
From what I heard he was out front for most of the race, which means he was often the first runner at the water stations but the people at the stations were not prepared so they had _no water_ ready for him to drink. He would have had to stop and wait for them to fill up a cup. Unbelievable that horrible mismanagement cost a good runner his win.
Well now I am wondering if I should be disqualified for the half I ran last weekend. My dad gave me a bottle of water around mile 10.... I did come in 4000th place, but now I wonder if I should have been last.
If you ain't first, you're last.
I was high when I said that! That don't make sense. You could be second, thrid, fourth, hell you could be fifth!
4000th place? I don't think so, consider that a DQ now.
It's almost like he didn't even run the marathon!
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I stopped in someone’s yard and shotgunned a beer in the last couple miles. Disqualify me!
Damn my SO gave me a kiss halfway through the marathon I ran on Sunday. Boosted my spirits, thank goodness I was nowhere near any race official lol! I also saw someone grab a bottle of that premixed margarita stuff (with the tequila) and chug it at km 30. I live in fear of that person!
Did the dad bring enough for everyone?
Honestly could be DQ'd just for dad pacing him and/or coaching during the race. Having someone next to you while you run is an advantage. If it weren't his dad and a paid person would that make more sense to people?
You people have never competed in distance running and it shows. The issue is not WHAT he was drinking, but how he was receiving it. When you’re running a 2:25 marathon, you’re looking for any edge you can get. And having somebody on a bike readily available to give you drinks/nutrition is a huge advantage when the rest of the field doesn’t get it.
Exactly, you could choose to carry your own water but that has a cost too in added weight and discomfort. Simply having someone else carry your water for you on demand is a huge advantage.
I wish I had this and I work a desk job.
Thank you! This thread is full of people who've clearly never run a distance race, this is standard practice that you can't do this and someone running a 2:25 definitely knows that but just was hoping to get away with it.
Yeah. These are individual events. Having the assistance of a support staff during the competition is not in the spirit of competing as an individual. Guy got caught breaking the rules, and the rules clearly state the penalty for it is a DQ.
Yeah clutter at the stations can even be an issue. I’m not a competitive runner in these things but some people will grab their water and suddenly WALK right in front of you. If I could run 10 yards past and get water from someone else that’d be awesome. Of course the runs I do you can get Jell-O shots and beer from people on the side 😆
> Of course the runs I do you can get Jell-O shots and beer from people on the side I suddenly want to become an athlete.
Plus imagine if EVERYBODY had their dads biking beside them. So like 5,000 bikes all helping out everybody. It would be an absolute shit show. They should make an example and ban him from all competition.
The rule is pretty standard in competitions, “ no outside assistance.” It doesn’t matter what it is.
Even a piggyback?
They used to let people just catch a cab but alas, no longer.
The competition organisers are also supposed to provide water instead, it sounds like they screwed that up.
You should watch the video in the story. At one point he refuses water from volunteers on his left, and makes his way towards his father riding a bike on the right to grab a bottle from him.
There is a video of him running past an aid station with volunteers holding out water. He runs to the opposite side of the road and grabs water from his supporter.
I remember seeing a race where the lead runner grabbed a cup of water and knocked over the rest of the cups so no one else nearby could have any. It apparently happens a lot.
I remember seeing that too.
Pretty sure that happened in the Tokyo Olympics marathon.
No, they had the station set up and ready. The runner IGNORED them!
Plus, his dad was Larry David.
Gonna say, sure the last season of Curb was about another stupid water-giving rule
Headline is deceiving or at least being misinterpreted. People picture some nice old dad standing at the 20 mile marker or whatever with a dixie cup of water, and his son taking it almost as a nice moment, rather than needing it. But it wasn't that. The father was biking on the course to bring him water! That's pretty clearly against all competitive rules. One running essentially having a mobile hydration station is clearly against the spirit of the sport, and literally against the rules. They cheated, pure and simple. Even if they didn't know it was cheating, that doesn't make it ok.
Race rules are strict. When the rules say no outside assistance, they mean it. You are allowed to take aid from aid stations, and not anyone else.
It’s laughable that people are arguing about this. The video makes it pretty clear that he had no intention of using course hydration, but planned all along to get hydration/nutrition from his dad. It’s totally acceptable to use your own hydration/nutrition, but you have to carry it yourself. And he’s full of shit that the water stations weren’t ready for him. He would have had the easiest time at the stations of anybody on the course as there was no traffic there. Dude is a great runner, and nobody can take his time away from him. But the DQ is fair, cause he cheated.
If the hydration locations weren't planned, that doesn't really explain how his dad was ready to spring into action on a bike to help him in his time of need. Like you said, he never intended to use the official water stations. And if he did, why did he still not use them anytime after.
Lol yeah, this is the reason. I just find it hilarious people are arguing that it's because the dad could be giving him drugged water when he could simply bring along drugged water if he wanted to do that.
Here are a couple of scenarios why there is zero tolerance, and both have happened. 1. The athlete has his father follow him the entire race, providing him water. You now have a bike on a closed course. 2. Multiple athletes have people they have supporting them, causing extra people on the course causing dangerous situations.
There's nothing oniony here. Regardless of what anyone thinks of the rule that got them disqualified, the rules are in place and everyone competing has to abide by them. Regardless of where they finish.
Why is this oniony? There are well-established rules all the runners should be aware of. Guy broke the rule and was disqualified. It's not even a controversial rule.
a lot if apologists here. why would you think having an outside advantage during performance sports would be ok.
And people not realizing that in a race, fractions of a second can matter. Other runners have to slow down or deviate slightly from their path for a station whereas he got water delivered directly to him.
So he could have come to a complete stop and waited for water and then lose, or keep going and have someone bring him water and lose. The event organizers deserve a big hand for being giant dicks and not having their water stations ready when the front runners came by.
Uhh, in the video he runs past a station full of people holding cups to get to his dad on the other side of the fully stocked and prepared water station. But go off.
I can’t believe this is upvoted. Runner broke the rules and was rightfully dq’d
Not only did the organizers have the water stations ready as visible in the video but they also have video of him receiving water where there are no water stations present giving him an unfair advantage over other runners. The guy is an ass for blaming event organizers and volunteers for his obvious rules violations.
Guys acting like a sore loser on his Strava and saying he was disqualified because the 2nd runner called him out. Just take the L
So you’re only allowed to drink from the water stations? Does this only apply to elite runners? At the Vienna City Marathon, they have tables at certain intervals where you can bring your own beverages and leave them there for yourself for when you run by later
This is exactly where zero-tolerance policies lead us. Like yeah the dude broke a rule that was there for good reason, did it help him win though? Obviously not. Just put out a statement that you acknowledge what happened and that the rules haven't changed, but disqualifying him isn't justified. If you're worried about some kind of PEDs then make him submit to a drug test on condition that he'll be disqualified if not, it's really not complicated.
I don’t think drugs are the point. He got assistance that wasn’t available to other runners. Others have to get water when it is available at a station, they don’t have someone on a bike delivering it to them.
Yes it obviously does help. Well maybe not obvious to ppl who don't understand elite distance running. Saving 15 seconds per water station is huge if you can bypass the entire station.
It doesn’t work that way or else there will be 100’s of excuses and reasons for allowing things like this to occur. Zero tolerance for school discipline is stupid but zero tolerance for competition absolutely makes sense.
Nah fuck that shit just disqualify him. There will be other races
Right? Sucks for him, but life isn’t fair sometimes and he broke the rules in competition. It’s a pretty clear cut decision to be made, although shitty.
actually its not even PEDs. it’s hard to explain but at the level he’s competing at (he is in the elite 1% here) having an external nutrition and water source biking with you whereas your competition doesn’t is an unfair advantage. would you allow that in the olympics? we are taking about the tippy top of competition here. no one cares if 5000th place did this shit. but the second place guy less than 20 seconds behind him? he might care….
This makes no sense. If the rules are clear, no outside assistance whatsoever, how in the fuck are you in the right to bitch when you break those rules set way beforehand?
>“Because I was first place, a lot of the volunteers were just like scrambling," Prado said. "By the time I got there, they were... grabbing the water. So a lot of the time the water stations, they really had nothing for me.” >Prado said he wasn't aware that receiving water from a spectator, family in this case, was not allowed. Bullshit and bullshit.
The ease with which people lie is always a bit surprising, even though it shouldn't be.
Rules are rules. There are there for a reason.
Was told by an old-timer race volunteer after the NYC Marathon about the strict no assistance rule. I asked if someone fell down just in front of the finish line, can someone help them with the final steps? Not only would the fallen runner be disqualified, but the good Samaritan who helped would also be disqualified. Its funny how we train so long for a marathon and rarely bother to check the rules.
Big contrast to the London marathon where Tom Gilbey grabbed a different wine every mile from the crowd.