Banditing: Should You or Shouldn't You?

"Running bandits, or miscreants who enter races without paying, are the sweaty wedding crashers of the running world. They are also the scourge of race directors." --Banditing the Chicago Marathon, Chicago tribune, October 13, 2006

"As far as running as a bandit, I highly recommend it. I respect people that put in the dedicated training and qualify, but there are a lot of people out there who don't have the time. I wouldn't recommend doing one cold, but the level of training necessary isn't too arduous. If you think about it, the average fitness walking pace is about 15 minutes per mile. Translated that comes out to about 6.5 hours... I think most people would be able to cover 26.2 miles if they wanted to. Don't let the hype get to you." --Boston Marathon Report - A bandit's take

Well, should you? Or shouldn't you?

A few years ago, as I was coming into being a runner and hungrily dreaming of my first marathon, I heard that someone close to me "just missed running the Boston last year." All but "the last month of training" was completed, but something fell apart in the last minute travel plans. Duly impressed, of course, I thought that this person had qualified and was robbed of the opportunity. A fair assumption on my part anyway. Recently, I discovered the truth--this person's plan was just to bandit the race. Train, buy a plane ticket, get a hotel room, but not actually qualify (or get in with a charity or some other valid method) just to get in on the biggest and oldest marathon party in the U.S.

This isn't just about banditing for Boston, but Boston is sacred--it is the one race well known for its qualifying times. But also well known for its bandit tradition. Not everyone can line up at Hopkinton, and unlike other world major marathons like Chicago (first come, first serve) or New York (lottery or even more stringent guaranteed entry times than Boston), most people have to qualify to get there. So, if you couldn't make the cut, do you get the crash the party?

Some would argue that the bandits don't really take resources from other runners (carry their own stuff) or that the races plan for them anyway, so there is enough to go around.

I view it as at least pilfering. Not grand theft, surely, but yes, there are reasons race directors have a process for tracking runners. Let's say, the undertrained bandit has a catastrophic event. Without a bib, identification may be hampered should the runner become incapacitated.

Maybe some do carry their own gels and fluid, but I'm certain they all don't. Some take seats on race day provided transportation and create longer lines in porta-potties. And, frankly, much like the White House party crashers, they don't deserve to be there because they weren't invited or didn't follow the attendee process.

The point is, if you are thinking of banditing a race, you shouldn't. If you didn't qualify, don't run it. Instead, if you are trying to reach a minimum qualifying standard, work for it like most of us had to do. Enter other races. Work up to it. Besides, what would it mean to you some years later if you'd bandited your precious Boston, only to eventually qualify for it? It wouldn't be nearly as special to run it with a qualified bib.

If you couldn't get your entry process completed, petition race directors to offer bib transfer or waiting lists (Houston does this). So many of us purchase bibs to run races that many months later no longer make sense for whatever reason and would gladly offload the cost of the bib to another eager participant.

But if you're just too lazy to follow the process or need to get in a supported long run, figure out some other option. Don't crash the marathon if you don't hold a valid bib for it.