A few months ago, my wife ran in a trail race where a woman fell and dislocated her finger. She had to be driven to the hospital while the race director filled out an insurance form for the park with the information on her registration.
Thankfully, she was okay in the end, but had she hit her head than there could have been a very real possibility that nobody would have known who she was had she not been a part of the race. Many runners are not in the habit of carrying identification when they run.
A 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 and left a comment, which read as follows:
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.
Now, Tom recognizes that he is a thief, and probably even does a better job at it than somebody that illegally downloads software or music off of the internet. However, he doesn’t see the harm that he is doing, so he assumes that there is no harm.
Let’s tie Tom’s theory that there’s no harm in banditing a race and let me tell you the rest of the story about the trail race that my wife ran.
In that same race, there was a gentleman up front who bandited the race. He failed to read the trail markings and jumped over a big sign with an arrow pointing left, continuing straight down the wrong trail. The next few runners followed him.
At the end of the race, he apologized for banditing to the race director, and he claimed that he had the same reason as Tom for not registering; he didn’t have the money. (I did notice that he had the money to drive across the state to run, however.)
I know the race director pretty well, and he probably would have let the bandit run the race without paying or could have come to some sort of arrangement had he asked before the race. What would have happened if instead of the woman who dislocated her finger, the bandit had fallen down the mountain?
There would not have been time or resources to revive him and find out who he was before sending him to the hospital. The park would not have been able to fill out their insurance forms, and my friend would have lost his club insurance and would not be able to put on future races.
Had there been more people registered for the race, or a few more bandits, then the race may have been larger than the permit would have allowed and again would have involved no more races at that park or excess damage to the trail.
Banditing a race is theft, and it is dangerous. Banditing a race is unethical. If you can’t afford to run the race, or you don’t happen to like the race beneficiary, or for whatever other reason you do not feel like paying for the race, then go run on your own. There are ample opportunities as a runner to find great places to go out for a run; there’s no reason that you need to bandit a race.
(Photo Credit: Sean Dreilinger)
I’m still trying to wrap my brain around that concept of tips = theft that Tom suggested. Yeah…servers pay taxes on a percentage of their sales, as it is assumed that they will be receiving income in the form of tips from said sales.
People who are too cheap and/or broke to pay for services or wares have used this sort if inaccurate reasoning to justify a lot of illegal and immoral activities over time. The restaurant scenario of “not tipping because I can’t afford it” has always angered me. If a person cannot afford to tip, then they cannot afford to eat out. The same holds true for races. If one cannot afford to race, then they need to run for fitness and enjoyment and not partake in competition. Lack of funds is never a valid reason for taking advantage of race organizers or other runners.
I agree. I would never bandit a race. I could care less who else knows. I would know.
WOW!!! I am shocked here… (?!!)
Naively (maybe) I didn’t think it was possible to “bandit” a race… Does a ” race bandit” run without a bib number?
I agree w/you, Kirsten; somebody else’s illegal activities have no bearing on my illegal activities (or lack thereof). It’s one of the reasons that I hire an accountant, to make sure that I pay my taxes accurately (regarding both income earned and credits/deductions I’m allowed.)
Great posting, Blaine. You are right about the RD. I know for a fact he agreed to let a girl enter the last race for free because she really wanted to but was broke. Not surprising, he’s a great guy. The girl did end up scraping the money together though.
Regardless, I think banditing is pretty unethical.
Tom is what evolutionary game theorists call a “hawk” in the hawk-dove game (game theory is what the movie “A Beautiful Mind” was all about). Hawks can exploit games that are full of doves but this trait is generally kept at low frequency in small populations because of community “policing” and guilt over being thought unethical. In larger communities, where people don’t know each other (too many people), the frequency of hawks rises tremendously (ever tried driving a car in Boston?). Hawk behavior is unethical – it doesn’t matter if you are a race bandit or bank thief – despite the protestations (like Tom’s) of the thief. And most people recognize it as unethical, especially in small communities like trail racing in Portland Maine (don’t know where Tom is from); I hope Tom lives in a big city – he’d have few friends here (that’s the community policing component).
Jeff (Middle Professor)
it is good to think about it deeply.. yeah i agree with jamie, it is unethical.
So here’s another concept that’s common in big races especially — pacing a friend without officially entering. You know, the people who jump in to run the last six with someone or the middle miles, etc. Technically, they are bandits because they didn’t pay for the privilege of being on the course at that particular moment — whether they use racer water/hydration stations or not.
A lot of people don’t consider this banditing. But many others do. Thoughts on the legality of this?
In my opinion it depends on whether the race is on a closed course and whether the race has a policy about this. I personally have no problem with somebody running a few miles with a friend on a course that’s open to the public anyway. I have done races that are on running paths (or roads) that are fully open to the public and there are non-race participants there doing their own thing. If that is allowed then I don’t know why the other would be a problem. On the other hand, the Portland marathon (for example) has sections that are roped off and marked that no non-participants are allowed on course. I think people should use their good judgment on what is appropriate.
I tend not to enter races unless its by way of the start line. Whenever I’ve paced somebody, it’s been as a fellow runner.
That said, I did ride my bicycle along a race course once. (Well, more than once, but one time I was not a race official.)
The t-shirt, the medal, and the water on the course are only part of what the entry fee pays for. There are also the police who direct traffic that day (they aren’t volunteering their time and usually get overtime for the event, paid for by the event itself), the lowly salaries of the volunteer coordinator, the guy on the microphone, the race director, etc. All those cones, temporary fences, mile-markers, and traffic signs aren’t free, either. Those are purchased with money paid by legitimate runners. Yes, they can be re-used for other events, but they wear out and need to be replaced, too.
Think those porta-potties are free? Think someone just donates them for the day? No. How about the trucks that haul them there and then haul them off to be emptied? Where I live the local sanitation plant takes porta-potty contents for a fee, and they don’t waive that fee for event waste. The guys who drive sanitation trucks work hard to make a living wage. Their services are rented, along with the plywood tables at registration, the nice canopy tents that shield you from the heat or rain at the expo, and the very grounds on which the expo is held. Really, do you think all of this is free? Think again.
Putting on an event is an expensive proposition. Most do it for some charity so they hope there is money left over to give to said charity, too. Oftentimes they fail, are unable to give anything to the charity, and go bankrupt themselves.
Then there’s the logistical aspects of a certain number of people. Races are capped for a reason. That means this venue can handle this many people on the course, estimating that they drive this many cars and so need this many parking spaces. They will probably have this many people coming to spectate so they need this many porta-potties in addition to those needed by the racers. The course itself can handle this many runners. More people on hand than anticipated and you get congestion, cars backed up, race start delays, long lines, runners tripping over other runners, and overall a bad day.
Next time you think about running bandit, I suggest you offer to volunteer in some aspect of race directing or event planning first. If you are a rational human being you’ll never say, “but I didn’t take the t-shirt” as justification for your actions again. You’ll see just what that race entry fee is used for, and you’ll feel like the leech you are for ever running bandit in the past. To assuage that guilt, I suggest donating generously to a worthy charity. Then pay your fair share at all events going forward.
Races are becoming way to expensive for my blood. When a race is held on my home turf trais that I run every week on and I wear a pack and am self sufficent I have a right to be on that trail. Respecting others and not being in their way. Not using aid stations having a phone and running with a partner is safety for me.I love trails and ultrarunning and evry once in awhile I don’t think its wrong. Starting hours befre the others. No shirt,no timing except for own GPS.I TAKE PHOTOS OF EVRYONE AND THEY LOVE THEM.So there!
Bunch of self-righteous people here. I am planning to bandit a race for a first time, because of uncertainty of my injuries. Hopefully, I finish
I’ve never bandited yet. Have just read about what it is. Give me a break. With so many people out there that are overweight/unhealthy I say any runner/jogger/walker is my friend and welcome to join me even though I’ve paid as long as they’re not counted officially in the results. The roads are free and what a bunch of baloney about people earning the right to do things. We make do with what we’re born with. The guilt I’d feel would take some joy out of the run. Do you really think that I think the winner of any race is better than me. I was trained as a football player and at 250lbs. I will never qualify for the Boston yet I’ve run two marathons and I’m just as good and tough and suffer as much as the winners. I do the best I can at every run. If I’m ever in Boston at the right time I’d bandit since they wouldn’t except me for who I am. How does anyone answer they’re being prejudicial against big people? So how can I prejudge people that don’t really have the money?
I am planning on bandit running Boston in 2010. I would gladly pay twice the entry fee to run officially. I have asked, pleaded, and begged sponsors and race officials for the opportunity. I did qualify and injured myself in the process. I went through months of physical therapy. I earned my spot, I qualified with one minute to spare. I just did not get registered before the registrations closed. If you read through the history of the Boston Marathon you will see that they have had more than the 25,000 participants in past races. Even though some people will not be able to run even after they have registered, they still do not have a waiting list. Even though they filled up the registrations months in advance they declined to open it to say 5,000 more runners. The registration fees would cover the added expense. I checked into running for a charity. I had to guaruntee to raise anywhere from $3500 to $4800 dollars to get a spot. I come from a very small town in a rural area. These economic times are hard on our community. I am also not from Mass. so the money raised from my small community would go to support charities that would not benefit this community. Even with those obstacles I was still willing to try. The point I stopped was when I was told that I would have to give them my credit card number and the balance of what I was unable to raise would be charged to my credit card. I have always put the Boston Marathon on a pedestal and have trained for years for this opportunity. My experience has opened my eyes to realize that this is just another race. Just a lot of people running together. So tell me does this muddy the waters between right and wrong for some of you? Every excuse I have heard so far is lame. Are you people really trying to tell me that I am welcome to come as a spectator and use the port-a-johns, police and medical services, listen to the host on the microphone, look at those cones and fencing, look at the traffic signs and that is alright. But if I choose to run on public streets carrying my own water (hydration pack) and snacks to keep my energy up then I am not welcome. Well, so be it. I will still run proudly. And I plan on enjoying every minute of it.
I suspect Blaine and most of the rest of you are mistaken. I think you mistake your internal notions of righteousness with the concept of theft.
Does this really meet the common law understandings of theft, or larceny, or burglary? Hardly, I would suggest.
It might come closer to qualifying for fraud, except there is still no permanent deprival of property.
I think you’d really be a lot more sensible to try to claim criminal conversion, no?
But I suspect even a criminal conversion claim is a poor bet, really, if the race is run on public streets open at the time to public use. If they are still open to public use, exactly how are you arguing unauthorized use?
Claiming that it is unethical, but not criminal, is much more plausible to me.
Although to be fair, I’d say it is also unethical to call someone “thief” merely because they violated your internal moral and religious convictions, without regard for the law — you attempt to play verbal lynch mob, deforming the law to conform to your internal beliefs and desires. This is not how we want our law system to work.
Love is free. I used to jump in city runs in college, too poor to pay $10. I’m older now and I pay my way. I would pay extra to allow younger, poor runners to participate. The city and race coordinators do NOT loose money because they give away some water. If so, they’d use priceline to sqeeze every nickle from their fixed costs. Neither are people as self-righteousness as they may sound in a single paragraph. I do steer away from overly crowded runs, need knee and elbow room. Bandit running could be a course safety issue, but why be a cry baby. IMO
I have never run in an organized race simply because of the mentality of everyone posting here. I’ve run 2 marathons and it’s not unusual to do 30-40 miles/week just for fun. My marathons were on a dirt trail all by myself. I carried my own food and water. If I got hurt, I had a cell phone. Organized races are for people who want to be seen running in organized races. Running is free and always will be for me. Run bandit? No thanks, I don’t really want to hang out with self righteous joggers while I’m running.
Wow, what a bunch of boy scouts you all are! Apparently running on a street is “stealing” to a lot of you. I’m going to bandit every race I can just to spite you guys.
“a woman fell and dislocated her finger. … but had she hit her head than there could have been a very real possibility that nobody would have known who she was had she not been a part of the race”
Your argument is invalid. We all train for races on trails or road. If we don’t wear ID while training then it would be the same as if we didn’t wear ID while banditing. The only difference is somebody would find us rapidly if collapsed in a race. Even if we couldn’t be identified, we would be located quickly if knocked unconscious for some reason. Banditing a race is safer than running alone regardless if someone knows who we are. If we hit our head on a stump in a trail training run, it is possible nobody would know where to find us… period.
Morality, ethics, and legality are three distinct things which many people confuse as being one. If Bandit-ing a race is not illegal then you can do it. Period! It’s not stealing until its deemed so by law. It may offend, it may irritate and it may make some people feel uncomfortable but if its not illegal it’s going to happen. Should you do it? Just like getting married, that depends on you to decide. There is no right or wrong answer to it, just personal preferences. There are a million scenarios that could happen that could be used to make it sound ugly and bad, but seriously your talking to a bunch of people that pay to run? The whole rest of the non running world thinks that runners are insane anyways for paying for running!!! They think running should be illegal!
People need to chill out. Seriously. It’s just a freakin’ race. It’s not like sneaking into a fancy party that you weren’t invited to. Besides, why should people have to pay to RUN?
If you don’t use the shared resources, you have a right to run the course. My taxes pay for the road or the trail. I run the same road and trail when there is NO race on it. I have a right to run on that same road or trail when there is a race on it, as long as I’m not using the resources of the race and stay out of the way of the racers.
Don’t take the schwag.
Don’t use the water or food.
Don’t use the porta-potties.
Don’t take a medal.
Be friendly and get out of the way of the paid racers, this is only fair.
When I first started running, clubs put on events for the love and joy of the sport and money was only there to offset expenses.
Now, people have turned running into a big, moneymaking thing.
I ask one thing of my fellow runners:
Must we charge a price for EVERYTHING? Is this REALLY the kind of world you want to live in?
I just ran a half marathon yesterday… through the woods all by myself. I took my own water, food, ID, GPS, and extra socks. The world did not come to a screeching halt because there wasn’t a water table with an EMT worker and a bunch of snobby runners nearby bragging about how many bibs they have hanging up in their cubicle at work.
I just bandit the Chicago Marathon, got a medal and drank five beers, I’m Going to hell!
Good job dude
Why do bandits want to run on a public street when a race is being staged? They could easily run the race route the following or the previous day. It is because the organization of the race itself is a thing of value even if they don’t take a shirt or aid station goodies. The opportunity to run against other runners, a measured course and timing are things that bandits are benefiting from. I am not an anti-bandit crusader, but I believe those who would justify banditing are being disengenuous. They wish to participate in the group activity without paying for the priveledge. Attempts to rationalize the behovior are simnply excuses.
bingo
I live in Washington state. Around here they’ve turned the runs into money makers. They just keep raising the prices and hawking goods. If its a new race and you hear about it late they want twice the price or more for signing up the day of the race. I’ve started feeling like a sucker for doing them and have skipped some. The reason I don’t run alone is I need the motivation and a reminder that there are others as slow as me. Also I like being around people especially those that love what I love.
can I bandit on a race that is free anyway?
Earlier this year I paid for two half-marathons that I had to skip because of injury. No Refunds! Great! I bandited a marathon and got it back (same race director). Stick that in your pipe and smoke it!!!
Spectators are encouraged to attend and they get to use the porta-potties. Think of bandits as roaming spectators…on public streets.
I have paid for dozens of races. My first marathon cost my 50 bucks and that was only 8 years ago. At that time I thought that 50 bucks was a lot for an XXL t shirt and some water. Every year since then the race fees have gone up and up. I held on until they got over $80 and then just started bandit running. Private race organizers that run a profit make me sick. They are taking an activity that is free and wonderful and brings hundreds of people together and ruining by making it impossible for younger and poorer runner to enter. Modern marathons are designed for middle aged, white, upper middle class, weekend runners. The barrier for entry is far too much ($140) for most people. $140 is my food budget for three weeks. I think more people should bandit run and give 40 bucks to a charity of their choice. Band ON The Run can keep their goody bag and XXL shirt. Stick it to the man
So your opinion is that the costs for putting on an event should be shouldered by the race director and that races should only be put on by volunteers with limited time and resources?
If you aren’t happy with high-priced events, why not just take part in cheaper events instead?
For me, I’ve basically started limiting the events that I run that cost a lot of money and instead have been running multiple events that are cheap or free. I have found I actually prefer smaller events with fewer people and amenities and that are cheaper to put on, but I don’t begrudge the market that would prefer to have more water stops or entertainment along a course or that don’t want the challenge of running on trails or in the mountains.
Tom, quoted in the story, is being hypocritical. He wrote “To me, that’s being responsible – imagining my actions, multiplied 7-billion-fold.” So let’s imagine a large number of bandits enter the race. That will clearly harm the race due to the impact on resource mentioned by others (water, port-a-potties, space, etc.). He might respond that one person won’t have much of an impact, but that’s contrary to his expressed philosophy of life and it’s also the source of many of the world’s ills – the social dilemmas mentioned by Middle Professor.
I’d gladly pay a reasonable but small sum just to run the course. I don’t want their t shirts, their food, their water or their timer ( I use my watch). I don’t want anything other than to run the course. They can provide a convenient exit chute for those that only paid for the rock bottom fee. I certainly don’t need nor want their bib. I am now only getting back into running and will soon want to look into local 10ks, but I was shocked to see how fees have skyrocketed since I stopped years ago. Either give the basic option for people like me or we will bandit them, and I have no compunctions about it. If they have a donation box at the end or beginning I will be more than willing and happy to put in what I can afford or what I think it is worth. 15 bucks is about the most I’d even consider for the privilege to join a 10k without all the bells and whistles. If the race is important to me and I want or need an official time, then I’ll pay the bib-food-entertainment-expo-water price. When I used to run 10ks, ran them every week. If I did that now I’d have to come with $200-250 a month. Sorry, but if you don’t give me a bare-bones option, I bandit.
…and they get nothing instead of something.