That probably means that our friends the Condra’s are triple cheaters. They did not start in their time group, probably jumped in at the halfway mark just as the elite runners were coming through, and ran a 36 minute 5k. Congratulations! Wear that shirt with pride Scott and Robin! Everyone can now improve their finish position by AT LEAST 2. WhoHoo.

I agree with what you have written.
In the marathons that I have run with the timing chip, they provide splits at various other points in the race. Usually the time is captured at three other points in the race.

If the ATC is going to provide timing strips to every single runner, then the next logical step is to capture splits at 2-miles and 4-miles. That would prevent the type of cheating that may be possible here.

It is certainly plausible (and an easy thing) to cross the start line, then run off the course and get in a car. Drive (or get driven) close to the finish line, then jump back on the course. Using Marta to cheat is unlikely, because on race day the Marta trains were running a delayed schedule, and the Marta stations down track are too far away from the course to make it feasible to use it as a time advantage.

Then another possibility is system error… which I know happens, because my time was erroneous. I did not put my timing strip on my shoe; I put it in the pocket on my shorts. I did not want to get timed, so I decided not to install the strip onto my shoe. When I pinned my number onto my shirt as I was standing in the 90,000 starting chute, I pulled-off the timing strip and put it in my pocket. Apparently something got picked-up because I see that I am listed with a recorded time that is twenty minutes slower than my actual time. The time is very slow, so it is inconsequential in anyone’s examinations of the results. But errors can happen.

So, those specific cheaters mentioned definitely did NOT cheat.”

It’s not as straightforward as that. It’s possible for runners to take MARTA or a car to Midtown after crossing the starting line. Alternately there might have been a computer error. In the case of these particular three runners with 9xxxx numbers that ran just under 37 minutes, one of them Cameron Reid in 225th pace looks legitimate. A quick search shows that Cameron is a 4:27 miler and was a top high school runner in the state last year. However Scott and Robin Condra in 223rd and 224th don’t look right, Robin in particular stands out. A 36:58 for a 39 year-old woman is very, very fast. She’d be one of the top women runners in Atlanta if she could run that fast and would certainly turn up in race results from other races. However the only other two race results I found for her were a 36:32 at the 2007 Gobble Jog 5K and a 36:20 at the 2008 Polar Bear 5K. Those were 5Ks not 10Ks! So I think it’s safe to conclude she didn’t run a 36:58 at the Peachtree. I didn’t find any race results from other races for Scott Condra, which is unlikely for a sub-37 minute male masters runner, but not impossible. Maybe somebody else that was really fast used their numbers. Maybe there was a computer glitch in the results. Maybe they took MARTA to Midtown after jogging across the start line.

When 60% of the people out there do not run at all… and when at least 25% of the people out there liesurely stroll… it may be called the Peachtree Road RACE. But an overwhelming majority of people out there are not racing. They are treating it like a social event.

I am not saying that is what it is supposed to be. I am merely making a statement of what is happening.

And, as I said in my previous post… the Atlanta Track Club can easily change that. But I believe that the Atlanta Track Club does not want to change it. ATC wants to have bragging rights that they sponsor the biggest 10K in the world. If the ATC restricted the PRR to real runners and real racers, then the field would be smaller and they would no longer be able to tout having the largest “race” in existence.

July 6th, 2009
2:31 pm

…It is not a “road race.” It is a social event, and “the thing to do” on July 4th. The tee-shirt is not about bragging rights for running the full 6.2 miles. The tee-shirt is a statement that you were there on that date.

———-

It is called the Peachtree Road RACE, not the Peachtree SOCIAL EVENT.

July 4th, 2009
11:40 pm
In the past I have been seeded, subseeded, and this year (after 14 races) I walk-ran in TG 3 with my wife and son because of a worn out knee.

You people need to get over yourselves, especially you idiotic twits running at breakneck speed in TG’s 2 and above (these timing tags for everyone is the stupidest idea I’ve ever seen–it just creates more midpacker jerks). If you are so hellbent on running a fast time, then run in a regular race and get a QT to run in TG’s 1 or better. Newsflash: if your number has more than 4 digits in it, it’s not a “race” for you!

I watched today as some middle aged jerk literally ran over about 10 people, including a much older woman, on the way to the finish line, checking his watch as he crossed. The “gun time” was about 1:33. And there are plenty more like him. If you want to run fast, earn your time and run with the big boys, rather than feed your ego by running over people in the slower groups while trying to shave 2 seconds off your meaningless PR.

It’s an event. Not a race. Enjoy it and chill out.

- – - – -

This has got to be the stupidest post on here. You’re chastizing runners for wanting to finish up with a good time? Are you serious!? And hey pal, guess what –it is the Peachtree Road RACE, not the Peachtree Road EVENT.

I check my watch at every mile marker, and certainly try to finish up with the best time possible. That’s what it’s all about, running and finishing.

With that in mind (that it is a social event, and not a race), it helps to keep you in the right perspective about the behavior of errant individuals. I am sure that the people who “cheat” in the Peachtree Road Race don’t see it as cheating. I am sure that they would rationalize their behavior. Despite that, all of the posters here have pointed out the problems with the cheating behavior, and why it is wrong – even at the Peachtree.