Thousands disqualified from Mexican Marathon for cheating
Around 11,000 competitors have been disqualified from the 2023 Mexican Marathon after their tracking data showed that they did not complete the required distance of 42.195 kilometres.
The runners are said to have failed to meet the checkpoints placed at every five kilometres to ensure they are not cutting the distance needed to claim a finishers medal.
The investigation began following anonymous complaints and some strategies are said to include using vehicles and public transport to reduce the length of the endurance challenge.
The organisers of the event are strict on cheaters as the marathon holds gold accreditation from the World Athletics and is famous in Latin America.
In a statement, the organisers said: “The Mexico City Sports Institute informs that it will proceed to identify those cases in which participants of the XL Mexico City Marathon Telcel 2023 have demonstrated an unsportsmanlike attitude during the event and will invalidate their registration times.”
The statement continued: “This great event not only represents an outstanding celebration for all the inhabitants of the capital, but also an occasion to reaffirm the transcendental values of sport.”
The story of the marathon
Marathons are held all over the world, including in some of the most iconic cities of the globe. Competitors bid to run 42.195km, or 26 miles, in the quickest time that they can.
It’s a challenge of physical and mental endurance that lasts over two hours for the fastest marathon runners in the world, who are usually Olympians. Ordinary people tend to average around 4.5 hours, with anywhere under four hours being considered good.
One of the oldest events of the modern Olympics, the story originates from Greek legend and is named after the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC
The story tells of Philippides, a messenger in Ancient Greece, who spotted a Persian ship change direction and suspected it planned to occupy Athens.
Legend goes that Philippides ran the entire 26 miles to Athens to tell the Greek assembly that they had won the battle, he is said to have ran the distance without stopping as Greece drove the Persians away for 10 years.
