I received a tipoff about an Instagram influencer who cheated her way into the A batch at the Two Oceans half marathon. The source, who prefers to remain anonymous, said, “I find this behaviour so entitled and exasperating in races nowadays and feel it’s part of a broader discussion on influencers in running, taking up spaces they haven’t legitimately earned in sweat and tears.”
The Insta influencer in question is Kelly van der Walt who uses the handle @thehealthyprocess and has a following of just under 30,000. She has achieved a large following documenting her weight loss journey and is a Institute for Integrative Nutrition Multidimensional Health Coach which “refers to a holistic approach to health and wellness that considers various aspects of a person’s life, not just physical health, but also emotional, mental, spiritual, and social well-being.”
Kelly had a Q seeding for the half marathon whilst her husband Neill, a respected orthopaedic surgeon, was starting up front with an A seeding.
After the race, which Kelly finished in 2:54:32, she uploaded a series of photos to her Instagram account showing a doctored race bib that allowed her to fake her way into A batch with her husband. She presumably realised her mistake and quickly deleted the post but not before it was noticed and screen captured.
My exasperated source complained, “The deception involved, to fake it when she was actually in the Q batch, to push right to the front of some brilliant runners, and then run a 2:54 HALF MARATHON?!?!?! WTAF”
In one of the subsequently deleted photos before the start Kelly celebrates, “My brother in law ended up getting a last minute ticket… so special”, it is clear that she has doctored her bib. The ‘Q’ has been replaced by an ‘A’ which is printed out in the same pink background as the authentic race number. Zooming in on her race number reveals a lighter shade of black and a slight misalignment to the race numbers.
In later pictures during and after the race the ‘Q’ is once again visible although it is unclear if the fake ‘A’ was deliberately removed or fell off whilst running.
It is also noteworthy that the brother-in-law was running as a bandit in race number B81744 which was registered to a Nicole. I guess in these gender fluid times anything is possible.
The brother-in-law did remove the timing chip from the race numbers and therefore no official time was recorded. However, the brother-in-law is pictured at the finish with a medal which, with the medal shortage at the half marathon, robbed another finisher of their medal.
READ MORE: Where did all the medals go? (Board greed threatens future of Two Oceans)
So why did they do it? I contacted both Kelly and Neill to provide the right of reply. Neill opted to act as family spokesperson. In a telephonic conversation he claimed that Kelly had been feeling ill the day before the race but he didn’t want her to miss out on all the hard work and training she had put in, “It was our medical decision to make. My wife is not a runner. The intent wasn’t to cheat. It was to keep her safe and it was my decision to make and I made the decision for her.”
I asked whether, as a doctor, it was wise to even allow her to run if she was indeed ill. Neill said that doctors typically don’t diagnose their family members due to not being impartial.
Neill further elaborated that the email sent out by Two Oceans warning of heatwave conditions had played a role in their decision to doctor the race numbers, “Because of the heat we made a medical decision to move forward. It was not to advantage her. It was the email that scared her. I didn’t want her to miss out.” However, he did concede, “At the end of the day the heat was not that bad.”
I queried why he decided to alter the bib and move Kelly forward into A when moving back to both start in Q would have been a much easier and ethical action. Neill mentioned the heat again, mentioned that Kelly was “shit scared that people were going to run over her” and then explained, “I asked somebody involved in the race what we should do and he said that what he’s seen people doing before is covering the front of their race number to get into faster seeding batches.”
I also had a look at Neill’s running times which do not suggest he should have been in A batch himself. His two previous Two Oceans halves were completed in 1:57:24 (2022) and 1:59:47 (2023). Neill acknowledged that his fastest ever half marathon time was 1h46 “in a training run” and his best official time was 1h52 which was completed as part of a triathlon.
I asked Neill how he earned an A seeding as this is usually reserved for the fastest runners in the field, “I entered based on previous time. That’s the thing that I don’t understand from a seeding point of view.” He mentioned that “40% of the people in A were novices. My other mate was in A and he runs a 2h20 half marathon. He’s also none the wiser as to how he got an A seeding.”
I sent an email to Finish Time asking for confirmation of Neill van der Walt’s submitted qualification time. They referred me to race manager Hilton Kearns as “Two Oceans owns the data.” After not getting any response from Kearns, I sent several individual emails to various Board members asking for confirmation whether Neill submitted a faster time than he ran, whether granting him an A seeding was a ‘clerical error on Two Oceans part’ or whether he was given an A seeding on some other special dispensation.
Unfortunately my request for information was rejected (and I don’t have the energy right now to go the PAIA route), “Unfortunately, we are not in a position to assist with your request to provide supporting data for your article.”
Based on the plethora of issues experienced at Two Oceans 2025 I think it’s fair to give Neill the benefit of the doubt on this one.
READ MORE: Two Oceans 2025: Questions for the Board
Afterword: The Dangers of ‘Pirate Running’
I’d like to share a cautionary tale from the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon that illustrates why it is imperative that runners do NOT run with somebody else’s race number, unless properly and fully substituted. In other words, don’t be a pirate runner in races… because it may be fatal! – BY SEAN FALCONER
A few years ago, shortly after the race officially ended, I remember standing at the finishline of the Two Oceans Half Marathon, chatting to a long-time running friend who was working in the medical tent at the finish that day. He told me that a young athlete brought into the tent for medical treatment was not fully conscious upon arrival, so the medical team looked up his race number in the entrant database, and the medical information submitted with his entry. My doctor friend did not share the specifics with me, but as I recall, he said they found a note about a specific medical condition, which dictated what steps they could take next in treating this patient.
Fortunately, the young man ‘came round’ before the treatment could be administered, and this may have prevented him from suffering serious medical issues. It may even have saved his life! You see, it turned out that the young man was running with somebody else’s number, and had not gone through the proper substitution process, so the medical history listed for his race number actually belonged to the original entrant. As I understand it, if he had been treated according to those records, the young man would have ended up in a far worse condition than when initially brought into the medical tent! Thankfully, he made a quick recovery instead.
[Side note from me: If you really want to be a pirate runner then I would suggest a better route is checking out the running club in Greenside – although that comes with its own hazards like getting stuck in the Bones Bar with Pirates runners!]
I don’t know what happened after that – specifically, whether both the original entrant and the ‘pirate runner’ were subsequently disqualified and subjected to further disciplinary action, as per the race rules – but I think it is far more important to focus here on the dangers of pirate running versus the punishment for running with somebody else’s number. This story could have ended in disaster, and should serve as a cautionary note for any race entrants thinking of giving their race number to another athlete, and those thinking of running with somebody else’s number. There is a reason that the official substitution process should be followed!
Sean Falconer is well-known and respected Freelance Journalist, Editor, Author, Commentator, Presenter and MC in the South African running community.
Neill van der Walt’s LinkIn profile indicates that he works at the Sports Science Institute. I am sure they will not support this.
I trust that these 2 “cheats” will be banned from Two Oceans in future.
As a Professional Doctor, I would never consider using him for any medical procedure.
His reasons for this blatant cheating by both him and his wife are really a load of crap 🤬
This is just shocking, can’t believe people would stoop to such low levels. Was just speaking to a runner friend this morning, that’s been running for years (a blue and green number holder at oceans and comrades), and he says it’s sad that social media is one of the contributing factors to things like this, running was never like this before. I remember in 2013 my husband only bought his 56km entry in February. Thanks to you for trying to keep the authenticity with running, hope 2 oceans bans them (that too if oceans happens again 🙆♀️). Appreciate articles like this.
Stuff like this really, REALLY irritates me!! I ran a 2:54 Two Oceans Half Marathon, and I was in M batch. I stood at the start and slaw MANY people run past in earlier batches with later batch letters!!! I still said to myself family afterwards, thatbthe seeding process is really accurate, because the other M people around me were running my exact pace and made me feel so good. As a slower runner, I’mnoften last in training runs, and running with “my” people at TOM boosted my ego!! It helped me understand that I may be slow, but there are still 1000’s more like me, and THAT’S OKAY!! So a cheater just makes me want to vomit!!
Also, at the finish of the Ultra, German ran past like the machine that she is! And, shortly after her, while only A runners were passing us, along came a fresh youn thing, with a perfect blonde pony, showing no signs of sweat or fatigue, proudly showing off a K bib!!!! Don’t know who she fooled, obviously the incompetent organizers fell for her ploy, but we as spectators were not convinced in the least!!
Shame on all of the cheaters! Sies man! 😡😤
Berlin Marathon last year was the biggest marathon in October until New York Marathon in November said hold my beer. But not without consequences. Berlin for me was a struggle. For the 50th it was definitely not typical German organization. They have a lot to learn but what I found out is they don’t check qualifying times if you submit a time slower than 3:15. I submitted mine (3:35) not knowing the process but I know for Boston and New York they check EVERYTHING for qualifying times. So at the start of Berlin I was ceded in corral F along with other people I got to know who would possibly run a sub 4 hour marathon. Not more than 5 K into the race I was battling to pass incredibly slow runners. I witnessed a man plow down a woman and then pick her up. Not only that she was right in the middle of the road with a lot of faster runners coming up behind her. As were there so many other slower runners I was passing ten to the dozen. Berlin is a fast course and I was on target to run a 3:47 but after the half marathon mark I gave up the effort to have to weave between these slower runners who had started in corrals B,C and D ( I looked at their bibs). It was frustrating, my time was 3:52 and change. But the amount of near misses of people being knocked down was taxing on my concentration to keep my pace but also incredibly dangerous to both the faster runner and the slow runners.
If he’s wife is not a runner why enter her into the toughest 21km in Cape Town! Every year people die because of not being fit enough or have underlying conditions they don’t disclose. As a doctor he should know this and advise her accordingly. Starting in A batch is looking for trouble and could’ve had negative consequences for her. But they decided an A seeding is better and now look!
Definition of Cheat:
act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage.
If you knew Neill or Kelly vd Walt for 1min you would know they are not cheaters.
They did not gain any advantage and did not negatively impact any party involved. She ran a 2:54 21km, what’s the big deal!! Surely one could have had different approaches at Nr 99 in order for husband and wife to run together. But for all people that participate in these big events regularly, one knows very well that it’s basically impossible to make last minute changes to seedings. The medical explanation makes sense. Again, they did not impact anyone else and no one were advantaged
It is common knowledge and practice that people swop around and make subtle changes to seedings in order to run together. Not that I say it is right.
Rules are rules I agree, and they must be enforced as far as humanly possible, but why make such an example of these two people as if they are such bad people. I’m sure they have good reasons and even more sure that looking back, they would probably have done things differently.
At the same time, Neill’s qualification as an orthopedic surgeon has got absolutely nothing to do with this. Even so does Kelly’s life as an influencer not have anything to do with how they ran the TOM 21km. They celebrated a goal for which she trained hard for.
Stuart Mann @runningmann. I can’t help but notice that 99% of all the media you post is super negative accross all your social media platforms. You literally criticisize every single running event from planning to finishing stages, all but “humurous” as you so boldly claim.
Again, rules are rules and I support that 100%, but there’s a way to handle this. Go sort it out personally, behind the scenes, with the people involved.
Your continous negative rants as a self-appointed keyboard warrior righteous judge from the side makes more damage to the running community.
You are joking of course. He a supposedly well respected surgeon, and she, a well respected “influencer” colluded to produce a passable forgery of a race bib, he possibly lied regarding his running times in order to obtain an A seeding. Even if it was an administrative error, he made no attempt to self seed. By standing at the front, he was starting with runners expecting to complete the race in 84 minutes or less, he and his wife would would have impeded many faster runners, and the irony of it all is that he quotes his wife of “being shit scared of being run over by faster runners”.
For the record, The Running Mann does not enjoy being a whistle blower, elsewhere in this article he lists times where has been issued with threats intimidation, and on one occasion even high court action. He does this all for people like me and I hope you who just want to be out there enjoying the camaraderie that is associated with running.
If you read his usual race reports, you will find them light hearted and amusing, and full of fun.
Please read them, and help keep our sport free from cheats.
No, ‘sorting things out behind the scenes’ is NOT needed, whatsoever.
I like the ‘magnifying glass of scrutiny’ being used, to expose cheating; this was NOT a simple bib swap to enable a run (still against the rules), but rather a ruse used for personal ‘gain’…
Cheating is cheating, and she was dishonest, most likely for the benefit of (her own) Social Media/influencer status.
Quite an elaborate deception. His non-apology – for both of them – is lame, pure & simple.
I strongly disagree with your views and cannot overstate how disappointing it is that you can defend these gross misconduct and malpractice.
Besides, you said it yourself, rules are rules and you support it. So, support it.
My message to the Running Mann: I support your work and you’re doing a great job. Thank you, sir
To Nico Oosthuizen, your views and opinions are totally skewed.
For many years my daughter and I started Comrades and Two Oceans together and followed the rules in that whoever had the better seeding would move back into the slower seeded batch (invariably my batch as I had permanent numbers) so that we could start together. My motto in life is “do the right thing”. For years I have seen some runners falsify qualifying times and witnessed them jump from slower seedlings to perceived better seedlings only to come short like these two have done. This is blatant cheating, fraud and lying and they deserve all the negative publicity they have received.
Actually Nicole they disadvantaged nearly 20000 athletes by changing batches. Amazingly they were up at 2am and had time to fabricate their lie before the start.
This just seems like a witch hunt.
Why enter these races if you feel like is such a disaster and negative experience every time?
Always focused on such negative things, taking people out. Neills profession has nothing to do with anything at all.
Why dont you go and find every single person that run under a fake name, or ran in the wrong batch and list them all? Why try and go on a witch hunt and drag 1 person down that you dont even know.
Take these things up with race directors, don’t try and ruin people and their personal lives and careers. They don’t deserve the hate mail for such a minor things.
Be better.
You mean altering your ceding alphabet is not cheating? If they got approval from some race offfocial then there would have been no need to alter a race number. That was an intentional act to benefit( read cede in A batch). For someone who was “sick” why not rather run at her feeding with her DR husband. Lastly given her “career” as an influencer it proves again how dishonest and deceitful that industry is, not once did she share she wasn’t well and had to start with her husband. The only thing highlighted was her completing the race with deleted photos of the lies. Well it says a lot about a whole DR too.
Oh my word
I cannot even believe how over dramatic these reactions are . Look at the intention people . They were not trying to cheat . Come on !!! You are messing with people’s livelihood.
I cannot believe people can be so mean and try to take people down .
Social media is dangerous .
Till the next social media drama …..
By starting in a batch you did not qualify for, you are cheating. He should have moved backwards into her batch if he was so concerned. If she is an influencer the hedge she is sending out is that there are short cuts to getting what you want. I hope this hugely impacts his practice as a doctor and hope all her sponsors pull the plug. If you cheat in one aspect of life, you’ll cheat in others. Did he pass his exams or take a short cut there as well? Thanks Stuart, for being brave enough to bring these scumbags to task.
“Social media is dangerous” Yes Alison you’re right. “Influencers” such as Kelly put out fake personas and take short cuts to their own benefit. Not exactly a role model worth looking up to. I would be pretty disappointed if I was following her program or if she were my coach.
So much effort for cheating…. very immoral and embarrassing for a supposed professional surgeon 🙄!!
Cheat is Cheat. As a doctor he should definitely know what is right or wrong. They both would surely know the rules of the race they enter. Imagine if everybody bends the rules to suit them. Hopefully the race organisers would take note of this.
If you broke the rules. Admit it. Apologize. And learn from your mistake. We ALL make mistakes. But, DO NOT begin to try to excuse and explain your wrong actions.
I can’t help thinking about all the time and effort that went into the colour matching, font size and printing of the fake bib. And how much discussion and decision-making as to how to stuck it and remove it again. That tells me the cheating was really premeditated and planned ahead.
People must be held accountable for this level of dishonesty. I’d say it’s even more important for leaders and influencers to hold themselves to a higher standard. Shame on them both.
Nico, it’s important to clarify some points that seem to be overlooked in your defence of Neill and Kelly. While you argue that they did not gain any advantage or negatively impact others, the essence of cheating lies in the unfairness of their actions, irrespective of the outcomes. Rules are put in place for a reason, and when they are bent or broken, it undermines the integrity of the event for all participants.
You mention that it’s common practice to swap seedings, but that doesn’t justify the action. Cheating, by definition, is about dishonesty, and if we start to make exceptions based on perceived intentions or personal circumstances, we open the floodgates to further rule-bending.
Moreover, while their personal accomplishments are commendable, Neill’s profession and Kelly’s influencer status don’t extricate them from the consequences of their decisions. Celebrating individual achievements should not come at the cost of the ethics that govern competitive environments.
Your critique of Stuart Mann’s approach also misses the mark. Holding individuals accountable for their actions in a public forum is a necessary part of maintaining the community’s standards. Constructive criticism can drive positive change, and the integrity of sports must ensure that everyone plays by the same set of rules.
Handling situations behind the scenes is ideal, but when public trust is at stake, transparency is essential. Let’s foster a culture that prioritises fairness and integrity over leniency just because the individuals involved have other redeeming qualities. Bravo, Stuart, get the cheaters out one by one. Maybe you should look at the cheater’s supporters next, as they might have something to hide and worry that you will investigate them next. SA has become a disgrace with all the corruption and cheating. When I read about the person who died, my blood boiled; these fools like Nico and others try to shame you while they endanger others who don’t “feel well” and cheat to still run. Alter a Q to an A is an automatic disqualification. I will share the hell out of this cheat story.
So let’s get this straight, cheating is apparently fine as long as there’s no “perceived” advantage? If that’s the case, why even bother with seedings, qualifying sessions, or regulations at all? They exist because advantage matters. What about other slow runners that started in Q that had not been feeling “well” that retained their integrity. Were they not disadvantaged or just simply too stupid to game the system.
Would Nico, Matt & Alison White be just as forgiving if Zuma were cleared of all charges simply because someone decided the Guptas didn’t give him a net benefit in the end? Ramaphosa hiding money from his diamond mines in the Congo inside a couch to be ignored, after all nobody was disadvantaged. Highly doubtful. That’s the kind of selective morality that erodes both sport and society. Integrity isn’t optional. It’s either enforced for everyone or it means nothing. Cheating doesn’t become excusable just because it’s your mate behind the wheel and if so, apply the same principle to all athletes, politicians and others who lack integrity in life. Only report if in your opinion they gained an advantage!
Nico, Nico, what are you thinking. These 2 got caught blatantly cheating. One can’t help but wonder if the ‘if you only knew them’ is code for them being White people with White privilege. All 3 should get a 5 year ban from all ASA events.
Crabs in a bucket. That’s what this feels like. If there’s a broader issue around how people with influence engage with races, then let’s talk about that. Let’s address the systems, the race management, and the grey areas — not single out individuals and try to destroy them in the court of public opinion.
Because if we’re honest, this piece feels less like a call for accountability and more like a personal vendetta cloaked in virtue.
Let’s be clear: when I choose a surgeon, I don’t care what his personal views are. I care if he can do the job well. In matters of skill, especially something as serious as surgery, competence will always matter more to me than character.
So unless we’re going to start vetting people’s moral purity before letting them run a race, maybe let’s keep the focus where it matters.
As for the influencer in question — yes, the bib was doctored. That’s not ideal. But are we seriously acting like she robbed someone of a podium finish? She ran a 2:54 — that’s not gaming the system for glory, that’s just trying to stay close to someone you know in an overwhelming environment. Is that wrong? Probably. But is it deserving of this level of public flogging? Absolutely not.
If anything, it’s the tone of the article that feels most entitled — using a platform to pursue a grudge while painting it as moral outrage. And dragging in her husband’s career and private decisions? That’s not journalism, that’s just gossip with better punctuation.
Should we now dig into your family’s privilege and parade it online for public judgment too? Or is this selective scrutiny only for those with followers?
If the real issue is about race integrity, let’s talk to the race organizers. Let’s fix the systems. But public shaming isn’t accountability — it’s just performance.
Where to begin here: “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone!” John 8:7?
“Thou shalt not bear false witness!” Ex 20:16 or The Ninth Commandment.
We could go on here.
Was this a case of cheating? As a qualified road official my answer would be YES! In this context it seems innocuous.
However taking all of the factors into account these folk brought this upon themselves by being so very public. An “influencer” who is trying to shape the lives of others should be more honest and or at least circumspect.
Is it right to put them out in the public eye? They did that themselves and hopefully will have learned a lesson.
In athletics right now there is a serious battle going on for the soul of the sport and Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) are battling KwaZulu-Natal Athletics(KZNA) for control of this event. The current president of KZNA is himself guilty of a TOM Number incident. I do not recall all of the details but if urged, we can drag that back into the public domain.
I am not a mind reader but I believe that the writers of such articles are themselves in the athletics circles and understand what is going on in this sport and if we take a more general view, sport in general.
Was skulduggery involved in the election of Kirtsy Coventry? Would Lord Coe be a better President of the International Olympic Committee? We simply do not know. The record of both people is very public.
I find the justice and jury system to be so interesting. Twelve people are picked to adjudicate in the trial of a murderer. The justice system in SA is a little different but in general terms, this is how it works. In athletics we have a “Jury of Appeal”.
Who gets to judge whom, why and with what consequences?
Should we just leave such seemingly frivolous matters alone and get on with our lives? Why have any laws? Why bother with minor laws, like stopping at a Stop Sign? Paying for food when shoplifting is so common?
We are divided by the likes of Trump and his ilk. Personally, I despise this person – not hate, I hate nobody! My reasons are that this is a despicable human being who seems to think it is ok to molest women and cheat his creditors. As for his “policies” they are not his – he does not have the brains for such things nor does he have a provable education.
The simple point is that we are all in this thing together and nobody is getting out alive. I would prefer to live my life as a good person and be judged as such by “The Karmic Board” if they exist!
If they do not I will never know!
The “cheating” happened at a race in the public eye.
The “cheaters” were exposed in the public eye.
(Their private professions/lives are irrelevant to their dishonest actions at the race.)
If the “cheaters” did not like the race rules – they should not have entered the race (or they both could have started in Q batch as per the race rules).
I’m guessing many other “seeding cheaters / batch jumpers” will think twice before again “cheating / batch jumping” at any future race (wherever and whenever that race may take place) – or risk being similarly exposed.
As someone who has run the Two Oceans half marathon eight times, I find this situation deeply disappointing and frustrating. Cheating—no matter how it’s justified—is still cheating. We work incredibly hard for our seedings, often through years of disciplined training, early mornings, and physical sacrifice. To see someone skip the queue through deceit, particularly at such an iconic race, is not only unfair to every legitimate runner but deeply disrespectful to the spirit of the sport.
The attempt to frame this as a “medical decision” or downplay the intent is frankly insulting. If she was not well enough to run from her seeded start, the responsible decision—as both a health coach and a medical professional—would have been to sit the race out, not fake an elite start position and undermine the system that so many of us respect.
Thank you for shedding light on this. The running community deserves better than influencers who think their visibility entitles them to shortcuts.
@Alison – this is not about ‘personal views’. It was an action not a ‘view’. When you probably are going to choose a surgeon, are you ok to turn a blind eye to blatant disregard for the rules? If he did it in a half marathon, chances are he might have done it in his exams. Once a cheat, always a cheat. ‘Competance matters more than character’? How do you know that competance was gained through hard work or through cheating and taking half measures? If you haven’t read the previous dozen comments – if he wanted to stay close to someone he knows, he should have moved back to her batch. It might seem like a public flogging but there is no other way to bring these cheats to the fore. Let’s hope they are disqualified from SA Athletics and therefore will never get the option to make such reprehensible decisions in the future
SO disappointing that they consciously fabricated a new race number. I’ve been a runner for years and always put in the work before any race so when it comes to being seeded I have the best chance possible to see the results of my hard work.
I fell ill 3 days before the NY marathon a few years ago, I had to withdraw. That’s what you do.
Yes, there’s no cheating regarding her time, but it’s unethical and plain selfish what she did. Plain selfish behaviour towards her fellow runners. And – when you’re an Influencer you have to be VERY careful what you do, say & show – especially when you benefit financially whether it’s cash or free gifts. It’s your responsibility to err on the correct side of your moral compass. Unfortunately if being an influencer is your gig you become vulnerable.
I appreciate the fact that she has apologised etc and owned it but it was a very silly thing to do. BUT, this will be a huge life lesson to kearn from. We’ve all had them in varying degrees, how else do we learn and grow?
We all make mistakes. No-one died. But still very disappointing as I am (was) a follower.
But I simply can’t get the image out of my mind of them going to the trouble of printing their own number.
On another note, these races are getting too big, the fields are huge, they’re now a business. And this is even more obvious after reading about the City of CT withdrawal of sponsorship etc of the Two Oceans.
Has there been an analysis of the spread of race times for runners starting in the front groups?
I generally start C for Oceans Half, and am always surprised by how many far slower runners I need to get through and past, in the first 5 km.
Credit to them for running, but these are the 2h15+ type runners, starting in A or B (or C group, and some batch jumpers).
Then there are the runners who failed to get a seeding, and come flying by after an hour or so, having started in K or L, or somewhere really far back. What a slog, to get through everyone in front of them. But they started in their batch.
This pair had numerous chances to make better decisions, but failed to do so. These were bad decisions, with effort.
She was entitled to run, but from Q group, along with all the other runners who worked hard, spent time out on the road and got fit enough to run it in 3h.
Cheating is cheating, whether it’s big or small. Oceans must act, within their mandate and policies. They won’t censure everybody, but when it’s made this easy…
https://www.instagram.com/p/DItaYo6NVoD/?img_index=5
Here is the instagram “sorry, not sorry” post, with comments limited/disabled. She had the opportunity to own the narrative here, and failed.
She takes almost zero accountability here calling it a victimless crime. She actually has the cheek to blame RunningMann for “making a mountain out of a molehill” and making this ordeal a “living nightmare”. Kelly you did this, be an adult and face the consequences of your actions.
Printing/doctoring your own race number? What planet would that be considered ok, it shows intent to be dishonest.
One should get cancelled for this, nothing less. Who are her sponsors, they should be embarrassed and cut ties immediately. SARS should get an anonymous tip off – reckon she cheats on her tax returns too.
CAN WE ALL PLEASE STOP FOCUSING ON THE CHEATING ASPECT OF THIS STORY!!! Don’t get me wrong, what she did is premeditated and completely dishonest. But… The real issue here is the fact that she put other runners’ (and her own) safety at risk and completely disregarded other athletes. Runners are put in batches for a reason: to ensure order in a tight space with people running at high speeds. By jumping her batch, she’s putting herself directly on front of thousands of people moving quite literally twice her speed. This is not safe for anyone.
I’m peved by her blatant act of dishonesty, but I’m even more irritated by her entitled apology. She mentions that she deserves to have run this race because of all the training she’s done and that’s why she wanted to start earlier in the cooler weather. There is no apology for getting in the way of other runners (who also have their own goals on the day and deserved their places in their batches). It’s sounds like a small thing, but the rules are there for a reason. Imaging 100 slow runners decide to do this. Personally, I think her and her husband should be banned from the race for 2-5 years, and her apology completely misses the mark
For those questioning the premise of the article: ot seems appropriate for both of these individuals to have accountability in their public lives.
The husband’s profession is one governed by a formal code of ethics. His breaking of the rules and then attempting to justify those actions seems to be in the public interest.
The wife chose to make her race part of her brand narrative. If one has opted to be an influencer and document the steps one has taken to achieve a goal, it again seems relevant to know whether the rules were broken or not in achieving the outcome.
Commentators can debate about whether the ends justify the means, or whether the means we’re all that problematic. But asking the questions in the first place seem pretty relevant given the context.
Not sure what bothers me more, the lengths they went to to jump the queue, or the painting of the author of the article as a vindictive snitch (Sorry Individual) in the so-called apology.
How you do anything is how you do everything. I guess we need to examine his medical career and everything she says online, too, through a forensic lens.