The Nike Women's Marathon....really!? NO. No...REALLY!?

I stumbled across a recent post from John Bingham about the events which took place at the end of the Nike Women's Marathon in SF this past weekend. As someone who has been in the back of the pack, I find the actions of the race staff truly infuriating, insulting and disheartening. As a result, I would not recommend this race to women in the future. A marathon finisher of any pace deserves to be celebrated and receive their medal, especially when they're completing the race within the pre-determined and announced time frame.

The below post has since been removed but has been taken from the cached site through Google.

How Not To Run A Race

Congratulations to everyone who completed the 2010 Nike Women’s Marathon and Half Marathon this weekend. It was, in many ways, a very difficult day and anyone who crossed the finish line deserves a lot of credit.

I want to give a special shout out to the nearly 4,000 Team In Training participants who, collectively, raised over 13 million dollars this weekend. The event has raised over 105 million dollars for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and has become a real anchor event. It truly is special.

Which is why what happened at the end of the race is so upsetting. I don’t want to go off on a rant, but I can’t keep silent. What I witnessed on Sunday was the single most cruel, heartless, and outrageous displays of – well, I don’t even know what to call it – inappropriate behavior by a race organizer that I have ever seen.

With 20 minutes to go before the published close of the event, a time that the announcer was counting down, some cowboy hatted jerk decided that the race was over. He turned off the sound, stopped the clock, at literally TORE the banners off the finish line structure. He looked ridiculous climbing around tearing off the banners and it would have been funny if it wasn’t so sad. Worse, those who finished after the premature closure were denied the finisher’s necklace.

I have been a participant, and staff member, a race producer, and an event owner and I can assure you that there was NO legitimate reason for what he did. The excuse given was that the road had to be opened, but there were tents, etc. that needed to be broken down as well as the finish line – which – was on wheels and could have been moved.

Shame on anyone and EVERYONE who allowed that to happen. Shame on Nike. Shame on the finish line operations crew. And same on the cowboy-hatted clown for being such a jerk.

Waddle on,

John

What are your thoughts on the matter?

You'd think they would be working extra hard on their positive media presence considering they've still got egg on their face from 2008 when the fastest running time (by 11 minutes!) wasn't declared the winner of the race. SHAME ON THEM!