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About two weeks ago the 40th edition of the Mexico City Marathon took place. Some 30,000 runners took part in the jubilee edition. But the festival turned into a real sports scandal.
As various media now report, about 11,000 participants cheated and were disqualified. So they should not have covered the full distance of 42,195 kilometers. They shortened the route and sometimes even used public transport. The fraud could be detected via the electronic chips of the tokens, the investigation is still ongoing.
Boston Marathon as a reason
The reason for the scam lies in the US, more precisely in Boston. The runners wanted to qualify for the famous Boston Marathon. Only those who complete another run within a specified time 18 months before the start of the event are eligible. Men must stay under 4:50 to qualify, women under 5:20.
“The Sports Institute of Mexico City says it will identify cases where the participants of the XL Marathon engaged in unsportsmanlike behavior during the event. The times of their registration have been declared invalid,” the organization explains.
Problems already in 2017
And it is not the first time that the marathon in the Mexican capital has been rocked by a scandal. In 2017, 6,000 participants committed fraud and disqualification.
From a sporting point of view, the Bolivian Hector Garibay Flores (35) has written history this year. He was the first athlete ever to run the marathon under 2:10 hours (02:08:23). Even without a snack. (byl)
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
