An often-overlooked method of completing a marathon among the top finishers is to cut out some of the 26 mile distance. Shrewd, yes. Is it cheating? Definitely.
Sixty-nine year-old Anthony Gaskell took a short cut in April's London Marathon, although it took race organizers six weeks to remove his lighting-fast time from the official results. 3 hours 5 minutes is quick for a runner of any age.
Gaskell, who was injured during the race, says the whole thing was an accident:
I simply walked through a short cut to the end of the course where my belongings were waiting for me. I had no idea that anyone thought I'd won.Runners in all major marathons wear timing chips, which is what tripped up Gaskell.
I didn't bother to check the website for the final standings because I knew I had dropped out.
Colin Rathbone, whose finishing time was 38 seconds behind Gaskell's discredited time, was declared the winner of the over-65 competition.
As the sixty-six year-old pointed out, he performed well on marathon day:
It was the best time in ten years. When I was told I had been beaten I thought, "What the heck do you have to do to win this thing?."Sometimes all you have to do is wait.
Related post:
My 20th consecutive Chicago Marathon
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marathon 
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london marathon 
london 
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