Overall, I consider myself to be a fairly ethical person.
I try not to knowingly break the law, and when I do I pay the consequences (literally pay: yes, I'm looking at you, Cape Cod police officer who gave me the $170 speeding ticket Labor Day weekend). I don't download movies or music illegally. I don't use prescription drugs that aren't prescribed to me and I don't use them for anything other than their intended use. I haven't used any illegal drugs since I smoked pot a few times in high school (and got really sick and threw up for days, but that's another story). I've never jailbroken an iphone. I try to be a fair and honest person in my dealings with coworkers and acquaintances.
And yet, I recently had someone tell me that he considered me to be terribly unethical. And it was because of a running-related issue that I hadn't even given a second thought to: an "illegal" bib transfer. (Not that it makes a difference for the greater ethical question, but I was technically only a conduit in this bib exchange - I helped a friend find someone to run a race when she couldn't.)
Here are the rules, as you know: Most races, with the exception of Marine Corps, do not allow bib transfers for any reason. When you buy a bib, you are committing to run the race. If you get injured, if your plans change, if you die, or if you otherwise just don't want to run the race, that's too bad. You're out the money and no one can race in your name.
Thing is, racing has changed a lot in the past few years. I signed up for my first marathon about two weeks before the race (by mailing a check! I'm so old). Nowadays, major races sell out months in advance - sometimes on the day registration opens, months before training even begins, long before you have any sense of what your plans will be. I also remember, fondly, paying about $60 to register for this race (and thinking that was expensive) - this year's NYCM cost $266 to register. Obviously races count on non-participants, overselling their events safe in the knowledge that many people won't toe the line. So why does it often feel sort of like they're taking advantage of you?
Naturally, this creates a large market for bibs. Search craigslist shortly before a major race and you'll find loads of people trying to unload their bibs and recoup some of their registration fees.
Typically, I've treated bib transfers as a victimless non-crime. In fact, I honestly saw it as completely harmless and never even gave it a second thought. Someone paid for a race registration, thus reserving a slot in the race. What difference does it make who the person showing up is, whether they're different from the one who signed up or not? As long as they're not being intentionally deceptive - i.e., making large sums of money off the transaction or getting someone to run the race in their name in order to qualify for Boston - what's the harm? I can give away my theater tickets to a friend - what's the difference? Plus, it has a rather David and Goliath/Robin Hood feel to it, with the greedy race directors taking advantage of the innocent runners. And here's your chance to get something back from the big guy!
So is it unethical, or is it our prerogative as consumers? Have we bought the bib, in which case it's ours to do with as we want? Or should I be thinking of it like airline tickets, and accepting that non-transferable does mean non-transferable?
I try not to knowingly break the law, and when I do I pay the consequences (literally pay: yes, I'm looking at you, Cape Cod police officer who gave me the $170 speeding ticket Labor Day weekend). I don't download movies or music illegally. I don't use prescription drugs that aren't prescribed to me and I don't use them for anything other than their intended use. I haven't used any illegal drugs since I smoked pot a few times in high school (and got really sick and threw up for days, but that's another story). I've never jailbroken an iphone. I try to be a fair and honest person in my dealings with coworkers and acquaintances.
And yet, I recently had someone tell me that he considered me to be terribly unethical. And it was because of a running-related issue that I hadn't even given a second thought to: an "illegal" bib transfer. (Not that it makes a difference for the greater ethical question, but I was technically only a conduit in this bib exchange - I helped a friend find someone to run a race when she couldn't.)
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| My first marathon. Whatever happened to Race Ready shorts? They were the RAGE then. |
Thing is, racing has changed a lot in the past few years. I signed up for my first marathon about two weeks before the race (by mailing a check! I'm so old). Nowadays, major races sell out months in advance - sometimes on the day registration opens, months before training even begins, long before you have any sense of what your plans will be. I also remember, fondly, paying about $60 to register for this race (and thinking that was expensive) - this year's NYCM cost $266 to register. Obviously races count on non-participants, overselling their events safe in the knowledge that many people won't toe the line. So why does it often feel sort of like they're taking advantage of you?
Naturally, this creates a large market for bibs. Search craigslist shortly before a major race and you'll find loads of people trying to unload their bibs and recoup some of their registration fees.
Typically, I've treated bib transfers as a victimless non-crime. In fact, I honestly saw it as completely harmless and never even gave it a second thought. Someone paid for a race registration, thus reserving a slot in the race. What difference does it make who the person showing up is, whether they're different from the one who signed up or not? As long as they're not being intentionally deceptive - i.e., making large sums of money off the transaction or getting someone to run the race in their name in order to qualify for Boston - what's the harm? I can give away my theater tickets to a friend - what's the difference? Plus, it has a rather David and Goliath/Robin Hood feel to it, with the greedy race directors taking advantage of the innocent runners. And here's your chance to get something back from the big guy!
So is it unethical, or is it our prerogative as consumers? Have we bought the bib, in which case it's ours to do with as we want? Or should I be thinking of it like airline tickets, and accepting that non-transferable does mean non-transferable?
You sound like a libertarian with all this talk of free trade and pot smoking ;)
ReplyDeleteHaha. Would that you knew my politics... :)
DeleteThe main argument as you should know about bib transfers is that unlike attending a theater performance, your chances of becoming hurt or dead are much higher than watching a play unless you are Abraham Lincoln. Hm. For instance. Say we had a father who is 62 years old and decides he really can't run the marathon so he sells his bib. The person who runs with Dan's bib is now identified as a 62 year old man running the race. Heaven forbid something should happen to him, how will he be identified? I think insurance has something to do with it too.
ReplyDeleteI've heard these arguments before, and that's a good point, Mandy. But how valid is it? We sign a waiver that says that we're doing it at our own risk and the race is NOT liable for us if we get injured. So wouldn't we be better served putting our names on the back of our bibs for immediate (without looking it up) data on us?
DeleteI'm all ok with bib transfers. If the race organizers wanted to end that because they're "concerned about safety" then they should do like the MCM, or the Army Ten Miler, and allow a transfer period (heck, those transfers are not free!).
ReplyDeleteAnd most bibs for major races also have an "in case of emergency" thing to fill out in the back, I'm assuming that the paramedics would at least check that.
I like MCM's way of doing it. They still get a good idea for predicting their numbers, and they have the chance to make extra money off of transfers. I've wondered why more races don't adopt that! And I kind of agree that the "safety" thing is just an excuse. I mean, you can easily get injured at a concert, too...
DeleteI'm a fan of the transfer-policy process. I sort of understand the insurance liability. (Ok. Let's be honest. I don't understand what insurance has to do with it. At all. My hunch is that insurance is a bogus excuse. I think race organizers are just trying to prevent bulk dealers from buying up all the entries and scalping 'em for a profit. But that's an ok motive, too, I suppose.)
DeleteGetting back to my point... regardless of the reason, I - like you - tend to play by the rules. So I like races that are less draconian in their transfer policies.
That said, I don't think anyone is going to hell for transferring a race bib. I haven't done it. I don't plan to do it. But I also swore I'd never "bandit" a race... yet I've been yelled at for "being a bandit" for pacing a friend along a course for a mile or two.
I'd never considered that legal transfers could mean scalpers, but I realize that you're absolutely right. Huh.
DeleteI don't think I would ever run under someone else's name (because I want the results , good or bad, in my name, dammit!) but I also do not think it is unethical. It bugs me that only MCM allows bib transfer. These races are often a company within their own, can they provide a service to do that? Like you mentioned, so many things can happen to a person that prevents them from running! Deferment or a transfer would be nice options.
ReplyDeleteI do get an odd feeling when I see people try to sell a bib on Facebook or their blog though. I guess I feel it should be more discreet. But then again... Craigslist is open to the public!
I agree about the discretion! I mean, we all check the box that says we understand that there are no transfers. Even if you don't think it's wrong per se, aren't you afraid that there would be consequences? (Like a lifetime ban for selling an NYCM bib!) Of course, that begs the initial question again, though... If you're afraid that there would be consequences, why don't you think it's wrong?
DeleteThere's a difference between unethical and illegal. I think if you are injured, or have a legitimate reason that you can't run the race, it is ethical to give/sell your bib to someone for no profit. If that person happens to be very fast and BQ's, it is unethical for you to use that time to register for Boston.
ReplyDeleteI understand that giving people refunds are hard--the money is spent way in advance of the race. Theoretically race directors can maybe put aside 5% of the race entries to account for refunds, but then it gets complicated. I like the way MCM does it, like you said, they get more money too, but again, most race directors probably don't want the headache of having to deal with it.
I signed up for one of the really expensive NYRR halves last year, and got injured about a week or two before the race. I could not run AT ALL, and would have had to walk it. (Fuck no) I tried to sell the bib, but no one even wanted to pay half price for it, so I was stuck -$80, and the feeling that I'll never sign up for that race ever again.
Yeah, that's kind of become the bottom line for me, too... When I register for a pricey race, I know that I might be making a $150+ donation to... to what, exactly? This is part of my problem, I think: a lot of the policies that govern racing wouldn't bother me at all if there weren't so freaking much money involved these days. Don't run a charity race and a charity gets your money, NBD. Don't run a RNR race, and a for profit company has just eaten your cash.
DeleteI don't think there's anything wrong with BIB transfers, but I think if you accept someone else's race entry, you shouldn't wear the timing chip. My sister recently did this for an NYRR race without thinking about it. Even if you're unlikely to skew the awards and results, you could end up getting yourself and the original bib holder banned from future races if you got caught. And if you do skew the results, people probably will notice! http://citycoach.org/busted-disgusted-cannot-be-trusted/
ReplyDeleteIf you ran a PR under someone else's name, would it mean as much you? I don't think it would for me.
I agree about the PRs, absolutely. Then again, I also don't think that it counts if you "PR" a training run (seriously) and do NOT get me started on people who say things like, "My Garmin said that I ran 3.4, so my time for 3.1 was..." And I agree about the timing chip.
DeleteHaha, yes I agree on the Garmin thing! I was just thinking about that this week-- I've ran a quarter of a mile extra in both of my last two marathons, which means my goal pace should probably be slightly faster than what I've been thinking. Grrr!
DeleteThe only other thing in your particular case, was that by having someone else run the race, it was guaranteeing the original bib holder a spot in a future race which is questionable. Otherwise, I think it's fine to transfer and let someone ,who would otherwise be locked out of a race, run.
ReplyDeleteAgree, I don't think it's ethical to help someone finish their 9+1 requirements to get into the marathon. You snooze, you lose, especially if you left it to the last possible race of the year. And I don't understand why someone would WANT someone else to get them into the Boston Marathon or something. A huge part of running Boston is the accomplishment of BQing!
DeleteFull disclosure here: As I suspect Kate knows and as I alluded to in the post above, I posted on my blog a while ago about having a bib for the Bronx 10 miler. A friend of mine (literally a friend of mine, not me-and-I'm-pretending-it's-a-friend) wants to do the NYC Half next year and needs to do all 5 borough races to get into it. But she also had a wedding to go to the weekend of the Bronx. So she had a bib to a (relatively) pricey race and needed her chip to cross the mat. This is also the case that caused my other friend to question my ethics.
DeleteAnd I *absolutely* agree about Boston. Just run it for charity at that point - you didn't qualify. I guess I could make an argument that the 5 borough thing is slightly different than the 9+1 (you have dozens of races to choose from for the 9+1, and only 5 for the NYC Half). But I see your point and I think I agree with you.
Honestly, giving it more thought, I probably wouldn't agree to help her out again in the future. Rules are rules, and I'm a rule abider whether or not I agree with them.
I completely agree that there is a difference between illegal and unethical. The race director or corporation made the rule and may provide the various safety justifications that you stated, but it's not a law, and it's not hurting anybody if someone takes the place of the original bib holder, provided they do as you suggested and fill out the contact information or wear an emergency bracelet or something if necessary. Asking for a refund is probably unreasonable for lots of reasons, but I don't see what the problem would be with another runner taking a bib holder's place! Especially if it didn't give some other benefit, like a BQ or a 9+1, there's no conceivable reason why someone else shouldn't get to benefit from my loss, whether it's an injury or a schedule conflict or whatever. I think the only reason most race organizers don't allow it is because they've built in the no-show percentage prediction as a part of their budget. Cynical? Maybe. But I can't see why else it would be a problem.
ReplyDeleteHere's my cynicism... I'd like more transparency, specifically as regards how many runners these major races register. Specifically: do Chicago and NYCM allow more runners to register now as compared to 10 years ago? 5 years ago? What I mean is, there must be more no-shows now that the races fill up months before training even begins. Do they take that into consideration, i.e. are the capitalizing on their popularity to make extra money?
DeleteNothing makes me feel worse than signing up for a race (small or large), getting sick or hurt or having someone die (because that's all happened) and not being able to go. What's worse is seeing my name listed on the "no-shows" at the bottom of the time list.
ReplyDeleteUgh.
Agreed. Agreed. Agreed. All of the money I've spent on my own good intentions...
DeleteI'm not going to go into my thoughts on the ethics of bib transfers or any of the other things that all your commenters are making very intelligent points about. You and I generally have a pretty similar worldview so I'm sure you can guess how I feel about the issue(s). I just want to say that anyone who calls someone "terribly unethical" because of a bib transfer (especially when they aren't familiar with any of the background, and don't know how the bib will ultimately be used) should probably reevaluate their idea of what constitutes ethical behavior. This is a case where hyperbole is doing nothing to further the point, it's just making the person trying to make the point sound foolish.
ReplyDeleteSo, my friend read this, and he clarified his position: his point was that it was unethical IF and only if the race was being used for something else (qualifying for another race, whether through the 9+1, the five boroughs, or Boston-type races). He agrees that bibs are ours to transfer, etc. as we please. So some of the hyperbole is likely my fault.
Delete