The 2023 Mexico Metropolis Marathon, which passed off on Sunday, has been overshadowed by one other widespread dishonest scandal, ensuing within the disqualification of roughly 11,000 runners for failing to finish the required distance on the designated course. There have been 30,000 runners within the race, so meaning greater than a 3rd of all runners have been disqualified.
Based on race officers, these disqualifications resulted from monitoring knowledge, which revealed {that a} vital variety of runners didn’t cross obligatory checkpoints positioned each 5 km on the route. These checkpoints are meant to make sure that rivals cowl the total course and don’t resort to shortcuts of their quest to earn a finisher’s medal or time.
An investigation was initiated following quite a few complaints from different rivals who noticed athletes utilizing autos, bicycles and public transportation to chop sections of the course.
Race organizers issued an official assertion to Marca: “The Mexico Metropolis Sports activities Institute informs that it’ll proceed to determine these instances by which contributors of the XL Mexico Metropolis Marathon Telcel 2023 displayed unsportsmanlike conduct throughout the occasion, and their registration instances shall be invalidated.”
The assertion went on to spotlight the broader significance of this historic marathon: “This prestigious occasion not solely stands as a outstanding celebration for all of the residents of the capital metropolis but in addition serves as an event to reaffirm the transcendental values of sportsmanship.”
The marathon holds a gold accreditation from World Athletics and is without doubt one of the hottest races in Latin America, attracting almost 40,000 contributors yearly. Sadly, this isn’t the primary occasion of mass dishonest within the race’s historical past. In 2018, the marathon disqualified greater than 13,000 runners who had cheated in an try to safe last-minute qualification for the 2019 Boston Marathon.
Police determine the person who poured rum into Mexico Metropolis Marathon water cups
The race attracts 1000’s of registrants, because it serves as one of many ultimate North American Boston Marathon qualifiers throughout the qualification window for the next 12 months. The Mexico Metropolis Marathon historically follows the identical route because the 1968 Olympic marathon.
