How many people does it take to fake a marathon? About 1,000 apparently – as proved by a Kickstarter project that I can’t decide if it is genius social commentary or best racket yet.
For those of you uninitiated into the bizarro world of Kickstarter, it’s a website where you can propose a plan to do basically anything and have people give you money to do it. At its very best it’s crowd-sourced fundraising and micro-loans. At its worst, it’s a book about how hard it is to be a hot girl with shredded abs (which was the best sorry-I’m-not-sorry I’ve ever read). But today I came across a Kickstarter adventure so awesome, so hilarious, so inventive and so, well, thought-provoking that I had to share it.
Behold: The Greatest Race That Never Was.
“Run Free!” is the motto, born of a frustration with the hullaballoo that modern racing has become. Running used to be known as one of the cheapest sports there was. All you need are some shoes and a decent tolerance for discomfort. But if you’ve ever ran a race then you know that while running is cheap, racing is expensive, time consuming and you have to do things like show up at the right place at the right time. So what’s the antidote? February 2, 2013, over 1,000 runners all over the world donned “Run free, the greatest race that never was” shirts, snapped some selfies, uploaded them to the internets and… created the first faked marathon.
Don’t get me wrong. People have been faking running marathons probably as long as there have been marathons. And quite often people are terrible fakers. (Except that original Marathon-Sparta guy. He died. Definitely not faking that one.) There was the runner who jumped on the subway and took a ride to the finish line. (She was busted for completing the marathon at a world-record pace and not even looking sweaty.) There are the bandits who run under other people’s numbers (generally it’s faster people running for slower people but I have seen it go the other way a couple of times). And of course the many, many short-cutters. (One NYC race official DQ’d a group of European runners who took the Central Park shortcut and shaved 10 miles off of their marathon. They later said that in Europe, any long run is a “marathon” and didn’t realize that 26.2 was a hard-and-fast rule.)
But I believe this is the first time anyone has ever faked an entire race. And I kinda wish I’d been in on it.
They say cheaters never prosper but “Ridiculous” – the guy/girl who started the project – prospered to the tune of $23,000+. Plus they pulled off a social experiment on a grand scale. With their prize purses, corporate endorsements, ad-covered shirts, chip timing and money-making, racing has become quite the business. So are people really running races for the joy of racing? Or are they doing it for Facebook/Pinterest/Instagram/Twitter bragging rights? Having run some races myself, I would say probably some of each. Plus, I’d add, the opportunity to be an adult and wear a costume in public, a chance to hang out kid-free with my friends and – let’s be honest – the salted nut rolls at the end. (Yes I know I could just go to the store and buy my own nut roll but they don’t taste as good that way!)
I’d be lying though if I didn’t say the ubiquitous Facebook snaps weren’t a big part of the fun though. It’s guaranteed that someone will be taking camera shots from beginning to end. And what about the people who tie their timing chip to their Facebook or Twitter so that all their friends get a gritty blow-by-blow? It’s easy to laugh at the texting runner who runs into a tree but the truth is that all of us there are in it somewhat for the acclaim – or else we’d be running 26.2 by ourselves around the neighborhood. So when does that desire for acclaim get to the point where you’d be willing to cheat to get it?
Unfortunately the Run Free kickstarter project didn’t answer any of these questions. They proved that faking an entire race can be done. But they didn’t show why it was so interesting.
Would you have done the Fake Race? You know anyone who’s ever cheated in a race? What do you think of the slickly marketed, party-planned, modern races? What’s your fave race that you’ve ever done?
It’s funny, I was just talking about this sort of thing the other day.
It seems like any race/event you take part in these days has to be for a charity or some organisation.
I think it’s even worse here in the UK. Admitedly we are a nation of charity givers and bend over backwards to raise money for good causes. (Does my head-in sometimes!)
However, even in a local 10k run, 90% of people there are raising money for something. You almost feel guilty if you’re just doing it for the fun of it!
I expect the Fake Marathon scam has happened more than once over here (in the name of charity of course!).
Peter
P.S Could you sponsor me for the London marathon next week? I’m raising money for homeless, deaf, Taiwanese lesbians! 🙂
The charity tie-in drives me nuts; runners masquerading as humanitarian-philanthropists. It reminds me of “The Race for the Cure”: http://www.theonion.com/articles/6000-runners-fail-to-discover-cure-for-breast-canc,176/
I love the idea of a fake race. I don’t ride a bike, there isn’t a saddle on earth (except my horse saddle) that doesn’t make my butt hurt for days! But I follow http://www.thefatcyclist.com daily. (Read you first though…). He has an annual 100 Miles to Nowhere. For cancer, of course. ( his wife died from breast cancer). Sells out at 500 people within hours every year. You ride 100 miles in the shortest possible route. Like your block. Or a local track. Or a trainer in your garage. It’s nuts but fun to be part of. I would totally “run” a fake race. Nice medal. No crowds. No hassle. And if I1 cut the corse? Who cares… (I run only if a large animal with fangs is behind me…)
I’ve only ever run one race, well actually I walked, but I did the whole course. I wanted to be able to say I did it, mainly to myself because everyone else probably doesn’t care 🙂 I wouldn’t be able to cheat, it would defeat the purpose. It’s close to 20 years later and I still have the newpaper that published the race times, with my name in it. And proper runners would look at me politely then leave the room and laugh hysterically if I showed them my time
Did you see the latest Kickstarter project by these people ?
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ridiculous/your-face-in-space-a-quest-to-save-earth
I’m amazed what people will give money to !?!
Ha! I actually wouldn’t mind having one of those t-shirts!
That’s hilarious!
I have done a half-marathon just to say I did it (my time was pathetic). Other runs I do because of the social aspect mostly. I’m doing the Glow Run on Saturday and I can’t wait to wear a tutu and glow in the dark nail polish with my friends. I realize this makes me no better than an 8 year old, but I’m ok with that.
Saturday morning my city is having a memorial run for Boston and I may do that as well. There is no registration, no fee, and there is a long route and a short route. That one is all about showing a little love for my home state.
That’s a really interesting website. Would have been fun, I think.
So…any long run is a marathon in Europe? Welp, in that case, I know exactly where I plan on running my marathon, though I have a sneaking suspicion that the Berlin or Paris or London marathon organizers would DQ me for taking 10 miles off their courses. Just saying.
I generally pick races based on whether or not they’re fun, and then secondarily on the cause- and I generally only support friends if they’re running races for things that are near and dear. That being said, I do agree that the fundraising aspect is getting out of hand, but I also think it might be for tax-purposes, and because it’s easier to pull in volunteers that way, and convince cities to provide free use of parks, etc.
I haven’t fake a race… maybe I just walk or run really slow every time I could feel the tiredness but I still go in the right path. Hmmm.. I haven’t heard similar cases but I do heard about someone who accidentally brought all of the numbers of his companion because they are late, I think that’s 3 of them and them, and then it turns out that they run too but they really didn’t. I think, facilitator of the race must be very watchful of the participants.
As of now, I like Milo Marathon.
Can you write a post about you going dairy free and how you have made it work while living in a family unit? I think a lot of us know we should not be eating certain things or food groups but have a tough time making it work while taking care of family, husbands, and kids while trying to keep a budget and ourselves from going insane with meal prep.
I wouldn’t do a fake race. I totally agree that the race fees are way out of hand. I was pacing a friend in the recent Rock n Roll Usa Marathon, and he paid $140 for my entry 😕 Don’t forget there are a number of free marathons, ultras etc, that go by the term “fata$$ and are free. I think the theory behind the name, is that you only have to get your fat a$$ up and to the run-no fees, but you usually are asked to bring water or food for the aid stations.
No, I wouldn’t do a fake run, but I been apart of a “No Bake Sale” rather than spend time and $ on baking sugary goodies to sell everyone donated what they would have spend on baking the goodies and maybe some for time and didn’t have one and Money was raised. I loved the time I saved and probably calories as well.
I have also been invited to Non-Banquet with the same idea for a charity and you just send the Money you might have on clothees, travel, food, entertainment and you get a write-off to stay home.
My son recently paid his fees for a June marathon and was surprised it is now $90 and few years ago when our daughter ran it maybe $45. I told him all those porta-potties that are so important cost $$$ since this race has increased to a 10,000 person run. It all costs money doesn’t it!
This is great!
I really don’t like the fact that people cheat on races. Seriously what is the point. The person you are really hurting is YOURSELF.
Honestly though I love the fact that there are so many “stupid” races out there. Races where you can be zombies or humans. Races where you can dress up. Races where you can have colored powdered thrown on you.
They make people excited and interested in exercising.
I don’t care what gets people to move as long as they are moving! (Even if it is a Fake Race!)
Never cheated but I do vaguely remember an old film in which identical twins each ran half of the race. I am getting to the age where I can’t remember the details but it all ended in tears.
It seems like faking a marathon is at least as much work as staging and running the real thing.
Cutting on a race? Bogus. My favorite 5k is the one that starts literally at the end of our block. We live a block away from the hospital and they put on a cancer run every year. I sit on my deck in the a.m. cheering on the 1-mile fun runners, then get my butt up off my chair, walk to the end of our block to the starting line, run the race which is the exact same route I run every Monday, then walk home and make pancakes, which we eat on our deck. How can I NOT run the race that starts at the end of my block? I also did a mud run about 12 miles from our town last year which was super, duper fun. I am percolating a child this year, though, so prolly no racing for me this summer, but next summer, look out!
This is just so funny. I love the idea of kind of…taking it all back. Very renaissance.
I’ve NEVER cheated in a race!
Of course, I’ve never actually run a race
I’ve done walk-a-thons for charity (sorry!), does that count?
I totally remember the Rosie Ruiz scandal.It went on seemingly forever.
Finally, I have to day it: There’s a part of me that’s glad that Ms. “Oh poor me I’m so hot and so persecuted” only raised about $900 of her $20,000 goal. I’m not proud of that part, but it’s there.
I am so slow when it comes to marathons – but I do get a buzz out of doing it….but get ribbed for my poor timings that get worse each year not better. Like the thought of faking my run by getting someone else to run for me at a considerably better time. Guess Id get busted by all my family and friends though!
There are lots of “virtual” races out there where you run whatever the distance is and then write a blog post about it and share pics and then the hosting blog shares links to everyone who ran. 99% of these are free. Many come with prizes (given raffle style, usually). There are some that are paid (http://www.fit4liferaceseries.com/ for example) but you still get a medal and a shirt.
Having been behind the scenes for several races and as the current marketing director for a local 5K, I know how much money it takes to put on a race. Most don’t make a lot of money from the entry fee. So the idea of paying money to someone and not getting anything back or knowing that part of my entry fee went to a local organization kind of irks me.
I don’t really like the ideas of faking a marathon – if I can’t do the real thing, then so be it. The truth is, we can always do anything we put our mind to.
My boyfriend and I backed this KickStarter and definitely participated. We uploaded images to Twitter, not Facebook, and Instragram. It was a lot of fun.
Sounds like a lot of fun. I would not look at it as faking a marathon though, just a fun activity. If I were to run in a real marathon, I definitely would not want to fake that. There would not be any of that acclaim! 🙂
This looks hilarious and so much fun! The pictures of people running a non-existent marathon make me smile and laugh. Social experiments like this are a great way to get communities of people together and see something cool happen across the world.
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