Race report: Firecracker 5k to support Ronald McDonald Charities

Hubby and I finished the Firecracker 5k, benefiting the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Florida. Great race. Great cause (100% of proceeds benefit RMHC). Great way to start a day!

The start:
Hot. Sticky. Humid.
But there were flush toilets available, and the starting area offered plenty of shade.

Starting line at the Firecracker 5k

The bad:
Hot. Sticky. Humid.

The good:
So. Much. Good.
I'll list just a few of the ways in which this race rocked:

• Day-of-race registration and day-of-race packet pickup.
• Flat (if not terribly fast) course.
• Did I mention that 100% of race donations benefit RMHC?
• Incredible volunteer support. The volunteer-to-participant ratio was overwhelming. There must have been more than 100 volunteers handing out water, cooking hot dogs, filling juice cups, baking cookies...
• Yes - baking cookies. One of the goodie tables was laden with home-baked cookies, cakes, and muffins.
• Awards three-deep for each age group, including separate categories per AG for runners and walkers.
• Cold towels and a misting station at the finish line.

Just a few of the many dedicated volunteers. Thank you!

The finish:
The after party was entertaining. I (again) wound up doing the post-race Cupid Shuffle.

If there were an Olympic competition that involved racing, and then line dancing, I'd be a gold medalist!

Cupid shuffle with runners and race organizers

And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the buffet... Famished runners could feast on hotdogs, three different kinds of fresh fruit, donuts, muffins, cookies, and a plethora of other pastries. They could wash that all down with water, sports drink, any one of half a dozen different kinds of juice, and beer.

(For those interested, I posted more photos on Examiner.com)

The stats:

• Time: 25:59 (8:23 pace)
• Overall: 205 out of 1,005* 
• Females: 34 out of 561
• AG: 6 out of 95
• Weather: 80 degrees / 70% humidity at the starting line

*Results are only posted by sex and age group, so both the "205" and "1,005" are best estimates based on the data available. Also, I should note these stats are for "runners." "Walkers" were reported and counted separately even though plenty of "walkers" were in the 27-30 minute camp.

Do you think it's odd that people who signed up as "walkers" clocked 9-10 minute miles?
Does that count as cheating? (I might not be peeved by this if there weren't AG awards at stake...)

Cheater cheater pumpkin eater!

Quiz Question: How do you place third in a marathon?

A - You outrun all but two other people.

B - You take a bus for 10k of the 26.2, and conveniently hop back onto the course right before the finish line (making sure to do so only after runner 1 and 2 have passed, because cheating to win would be too obvious).

C - You find a way to get some obscure IAAF rule changed so that only people with your last name are eligible for third place.


So, folks, which of these things actually happened last weekend at the Kielder Marathon?

Source: The Telegraph. For original story, see link below.

If you guessed B, you are correct!

According to The Telegraph, Rob Sloan (age 31) initially expressed shock at the allegations of cheating. In fact, to make things more surreal Sloan...

"was seen boasting to reporters minutes after completing the event. He described the race as 'absolutely, unbelievably tough'. When his placing was brought into doubt, he was indignant. 'I’m upset and angry that someone wants to cast these aspersions. It’s laughable, is what it is,' he insisted."

No, dude. Laughable is your attempt to claim a marathon was "unbelievably tough" when you skipped six miles of it, hid in the woods, and jumped back on the course when you thought the coast was clear!

After race organizers launched an investigation, Sloan finally admitted to taking a bus to finish.

He has now been disqualified from the race and stripped of his medal. The race organizers have issued a press release summarizing the event.

What sort of penalty do YOU think there should there be for this kind of cheating? Suspension from running events? A fine? Tar and feathers?