Posted: November 3, 2005

Athletics: Ethics of Charity Runners Questioned

(Editor's Note: The Runner's Web received the following email from an Ottawa runner who witnessed the recent Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC)

My faith in some of the charities that raise funds for running events is now questioned.

I had the fortune to be in Washington, DC this past weekend and was able to watch some of the Marine Corp Marathon. It was a great day for a race, sunny and about 16 degrees, with a breeze. "The People's Marathon" truly is a range of runners. However, my faith is now questioning the honesty of some of those runners and their "leaders". I witnessed several runners (actually they were walking at this time) at about the 10 mile mark (at 3 hours) being told by the Team in Training support group(one with "Sweeper" on the back of her shirt), to cut across the park [via 17th Avenue] to catch the other runners heading in the other direction [on Jefferson Drive], thus cutting off 4 miles and avoiding the sweep truck. I could not believe it! These runners have raised funds for their charity with the understanding that they will COMPLETE a marathon. When I asked one of the supporters what she was telling the runners, she told me that she was telling them to cut across and thus save 4 miles off the course. When I questioned the ethics of this, I was told that these people would avoid the sweep truck, that they had worked hard for this, that it was for charity.

Charity or not -- it's cheating and misleading to those who sponsored. Jeans Marines was also a part of this, with "The Jean" herself directing her "team" to save 4 miles. (A note: runners not members of these "teams" were not, thank God, privilege to this information.)

There were other points along the course, where this same action could happen again. I can only wonder if it did. They may have made it to the finish line, but they DID NOT complete a marathon. They may have received a medal, but they DID NOT earn it. They may have raised the funds to get to Marine Corp Marathon, but they cheated those who pledged them. They may celebrate, but they have no conscience. And I, for one, am appalled and will choose my charities carefully.

From: Fiona McMillin

According to the JeansMarines website, "JeansMarines is a group of Canadian women who dare ourselves to do the impossible – to run the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington D.C., and to want to finish it upright and smiling, no matter how fearful, reluctant or out of shape we were when we began.")