Mexico City Marathon Disqualifies 11,000 Runners for Cheating, with Some Taking Trains or Biking to Finish
According to tracking data, about one-third of the 30,000 participants in the August 27 race did not complete the required distance, officials said
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Approximately 11,000 runners have been disqualified from the Mexico City Marathon following an investigation which found that they didn’t run the full distance of the course, according to a report in Spanish newspaper Marca.
“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,” according to a statement from organizers of the event obtained by the newspaper.
According to tracking data, about one-third of the 30,000 participants in the August 27 race did not complete the required distance of 26.2 miles or 42.195 kilometers, officials said.
Data showed that some of the runners failed to hit checkpoints located every five kilometers, while the organizers logged complaints alleging that some runners used public transportation, other vehicles and even bicycles to compete in the race, according to USA Today.
Last week, the Mexico City Sports Institute issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter) regarding the impropriety.
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"This great event not only represents an outstanding celebration for all the people of Mexico City, but it is also an occasion to reaffirm the transcendental values of sport," the statement said. "As advocates of the integrity in any competition, we fervently support these values that reinforce the essence of sports competition and its positive impact on our society.
It continued, "Therefore, the Mexico City Sports Institute informs that we will proceed to identify those cases in which the participants of the XL Mexico City Marathon Telcel 2023 have demonstrated an unsportsmanlike attitude during the event and will invalidate their race times."
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The race has been marred in the past by similar cheating incidents.
In 2017, 5,806 runners were disqualified after they were found to have cut the course, according to ESPN.
“All of the people who were disqualified from the race were found to have crossed the finish line in a fraudulent manner,” Javier Carvallo, the race director for the Mexico City marathon, said at the time, according to the outlet. “Most cases, we found, was course-cutting via the skipping of checkpoints.”
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