Comments on: Never bandit a race under any circumstances

By: no guilt

no guilt — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 22:05:19 +0000

I’ve been a runner for many years. I ran in jr high, high school, college and as a mom age 35. I’ve never ran as a bandit till today. I registered my 12 year old in a 10K. I ran beside her as a bandit to support her. It was really fun. I started with the crowd and moved aside at the end. I did eat the food since my daughter was registered anyway and they allowed all the registered and their family (unregistered to eat as well). It will do it again if ever I am running a race to support someone. My 12yr old ran a 45:37 by the way!:D I’ve paid for all of my races (which are many) up to this point and I have no problem with bandit runners who just simply can’t afford to run in a race any other way however, I don’t think they should eat the food and drink the sponsors water or run through their finish-line. I also think It would be cool to give a donation of what you can afford when you are finished:D

By: Will

Will — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 12:29:06 +0000

The last time I checked, my taxes pay for the upkeep of the roads. So long as I don’t take their water, food, swag – I’m not stealing anything. Our local marathon literally overlaps the same course I run 4 times a week. Because someone else is paying to run through MY neighborhood does not mean I am going to stop.

By: Just a human like you

Just a human like you — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 00:12:41 +0000

The name of this website explains everything wrong with this article.

I have ran cross country since I was 12 and quit racing in college because of how elitist, competitive and exclusive this “sport” has become.

I haven’t raced for 8 years but noticed I my love for running has grown exponentially since. I do run marathons frequently alone, with just a debit card and phone to buy water along the way. Recently I’ve grown interested in running an official marathon but when registering saw it would cost 150$. I cannot afford this in my budget. My friend told me to bandit run it and I thought “great!” After reading this article though, I now want to vomit out of disgust for the people who think if you can’t afford $150 for someone to block traffic then you are not welcome to participate in this intrinsically communal activity which shouldn’t not exclude anyone. I haven’t felt this way since college.

I hope you enjoy your $150 “free swag bags” with “green” materials which are made out of plastic and shirts by slaved children who can’t afford to be in your race either. All of which will probably be thrown away by nightfall.

I agree with the previous post in regards to reasonable pricing/ getting rid of the commercial machine behind racing.

hopefully you’ll realize someday running isn’t all about “winning”

By: Hmmm

Hmmm — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 14:34:07 +0000

I agree. Especially, if they later brag about it in RUNNERS WORLD! (Elizabeth Hasselhoff) However in a race that isn’t a big deal (Not BOSTON) and you dont start at the same time, you don’t use their water, snacks, etc.: ITS a public easement. They can’t keep runners off. Sorry but in the case of Boston and NYC, they should be arrested.

By: lightenup

lightenup — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 06:46:39 +0000

It seems those of you with strong feelings against banditing a race have a one-sided view. Yes, it’s true they didn’t pay the fees, but what are they really “stealing” or “taking away” from you? Why does that bother you? Would you get made if they ran the course any other day? Are you just mad that you paid and they didn’t? Is this a moral issue? A financial issue?

How do you feel about those people that work so hard during training, pay their fees, and suffer an injury, and cannot get a refund, nor can they transfer their registration information to a friend? Would you say the race organizers are “stealing”?

My point is, there are multiple ways to look at a situation, and before you step up on your soap box and point your finger saying you’re right and they’re wrong, know the world is much bigger than just what you personally see and feel. It’s not just about you. Lighten up and stop casting judgement on others. There is a beautiful life to live, and you should concern yourself with more important things.

(Please note, I did NOT say I have or have not bandited a race, and I did not express my opinion on bandits. Don’t interpret what I said as such.)

By: maybenot

maybenot — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 16:15:54 +0000

When my husband was running for the Boston Marathon last year, Couple of our friends were running as bandits for the last couple of miles with him. This was to show their support and kept him going. He said it really helped. I think I rather see people running as bandits than seeing them sitting at the sideline eating burgers and drinking beers.

By: Anon2

Anon2 — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 17:31:02 +0000

Agreed anonymous. The cost of races these days has gone through the roof. $28 for a 5k? Seriously? Keep your t-shirt, keep your goody bag, keep your awards. I’ll even time myself. Let’s keep it simple.

I’m banditing a race tomorrow. I will also be donating $10 to the race at the finish. Not the $28 they require, but then again, I’m not taking anything they’re offering. I just happened to be going for a run at the right place…

By: anonymous

anonymous — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 20:48:17 +0000

i promise, i will never bandit some huge race like the boston marathon, you are right, it isn’t safe. but i am very sorry, when the city i live in allows streets to close, inconveniencing the entire community and using my tax dollars to benefit the corporation active.com, and there is not a cap on the number of participants (because the race doesn’t generate enough intereste) i will happily run it free of charge. the streets are still “open” to pedestrians and cyclists (they’ve only closed the road to non-local vehicular traffic), it’s my right to use the street. when the race organizers come to their senses and stop contracting out the organizing to a huge for-profit corporation and brings their entry fees down from $50 to $150 per person to a more reasonable $10 (for the smaller events, of course), then i’ll pay up. besides, i don’t need a goodie bag, t-shirt, and automatic addition to every stupid mailing list under the sun (since your entry information is sold)

By: Isabelle

Isabelle — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 17:38:26 +0000

I don’t think I could ever bandit a race. I do not see the point anyway. If I want to try myself at a course, I can run it on my own anytime… right?

By: The #1 Reason Not to Bandit a Race @ Run to Win

The #1 Reason Not to Bandit a Race @ Run to Win — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 01:55:18 +0000

[...] couple of years ago, I wrote an article about race bandits and offered up a general opinion about why you should never bandit a race. This evening, Tom came [...]

By: Tom

Tom — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 00:39:36 +0000

I am planning on bandit-ing an upcoming marathon. I would certainly pay if I had the money – gladly – but I don’t.
Maybe I’m a thief. But at least I’m an honest, responsible one.
Awhile ago I got arrested for ‘stealing rides on trains’ – they called it Theft Of Services. Looked to me like that train was going somewhere whether or not I was on it.
On the other hand I recently registered the car I just bought and paid all my taxes on it – I think I was the only person in the title office who hadn’t happened to come by their car as a ‘gift.’

I know bandit-ing is stealing. The same way waiters steal when they take tips under the table. The same way you steal from someone by paying them an unfair wage. The same way, if there’s going to be a middle class, there has to be a lower one.

Evidently some theft is ok in this world, but other theft isn’t.

I’m going to live my life by looking at my actions and asking, honestly, who they hurt, who they help, and, in the end, how the world will be different for my having been here. To me, that’s being responsible – imagining my actions, multiplied 7-billion-fold. That’s why I paid my taxes. That’s why I would pay for this run if I could. That’s why I wouldn’t be doing it if I thought it was going to hurt anyone.
But to me it looks like that course is going to be there whether I run it or not.

By: Alan

Alan — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 19:42:35 +0000

I can’t see what the distinction is between an unregistered biker and an unregistered runner who is pacing an entrant. If anything, the unregistered pacing runner takes up less space on the course than the biker. As long as the race isn’t already filled to capacity, and as long as the pacer isn’t mooching off the water stops, I don’t see anything particularly unethical about this form of banditry, in fact, it provides a service to the race organizer by assisting a race participant. Note that official pacers in marathons are not registered entrants( although they are serving in an official capacity). If everyone brought a bandit as a pacer, there could be an overabundance of runners, but this is unlikely.

By: Wes

Wes — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 18:41:08 +0000

Wow! I didn’t even know this was a problem. If I ever decide to bandit a race, do I need to wear a mask Just kidding. I can’t imagine banditing a race. The entry fees just aren’t that big a deal.

By: Blaine Moore

Blaine Moore — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 19:50:02 +0000

It doesn’t bother me if people don’t finish a race, or who pull off if they aren’t happy with their time, as long as they are actually a part of the race.

I personally do not have any problem with somebody riding a bike to support a runner, or somebody that waits on the sidelines with a bottle of water that they hand off to the runner, as long as that person does not interfere at all with the race.

Basically, I consider anybody on a bicycle during a race the same way that I consider anybody in a car during a race: they are either pacing the race to show the route, or they are just going along their own merry way and need to wait for the racers to go by.

If somebody is riding their bike along a race course, though, they should carry their own water and food and should not be mooching off of the official race support stations.

By: David Colby Young

David Colby Young — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 19:40:42 +0000

THere might have been as leasr two bandits in the Half Marathon on Sunday who finished about 90a & 90b
I have photos of them on my web site and I have not been able to ID them as I do not see any bib numbers and/or chip on their feet. That is not to say they to not pay a fee as they just might not wanted their times to be knowm. I have know some tunners not to cross the finish line because they were perhaps not happy with their time. aaathe caes of not crossing the finish line is their right to drop out of the race but they should be listed as DNF. At any point I have photos of most of the people that finish behind me so at least I can see how I compare to the field of runners behind me. Many times I get photos of family members who have been standing on the sidelines and in the excitemnet of the day the jump into the race to run the final leg of the race with their relations. This should not be done and in some races (i.e. Track/Field) the runners they are trying to support would be DQ The rules for road racinf must be different as I saw a few runners seem to have their own race support mounted in bicyles pacing the runners.

By: Blaine Moore

Blaine Moore — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 19:11:54 +0000

Many races will allow you to defer your registration for a year if you can not make it the year you paid; you often have to pay again but it can act as a guarenteed entry. Chances are at this point that it is too late, but you could email the race directors and ask if they mind if you pace some of the middle miles. Most of the time they probably will not mind at all, and you can then jump in with a clear conscience.

I do have to note that getting permission to be on the course does not mean that you are banditing.

By: Danielle in Iowa

Danielle in Iowa — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 18:47:06 +0000

Thanks for the thoughts, as I am in a really similar position. If the race wasn’t full, I probably would be running the whole thing. But alas it is, so I am just there for support. Although, I do have to say that I did pay for Chicago last year and didn’t get to run it because of injury – does that make it okay?