This dork tried to cheat his way into Boston. Probably not the first, or the last.
So who is the phantom runner???
Cheating at the Twin Cities Marathon?
You have to admire the stats put up by Hassan Ibrahim at this year’s Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. The University of Minnesota physician shaved more than an hour off his previous four finishes in the Twin Cities Marathon, and in doing so qualified for the prestigious Boston Marathon.
Just one problem. Ibrahim never ran the race. In a phone conversation with KARE, Ibrahim admitted that he gave his race number and electronic monitoring chip to another runner.
Brian Mastel, Race Operations Manager, confirms Twin Cities Marathon Inc. has launched a review of the apparent identity swap, after receiving a tip. “In my three years (with the marathon) this is the first time we’ve had to deal with somebody potentially doing that,” said Mastel.
Race photos from the Twin Cities Marathon website show a man wearing Ibrahim’s number who bears little resemblance to Ibrahim. Ibrahim first referred to the man as “a friend,” then later described him as the brother of a co-worker. Ibrahim said the man was visiting from out of town, and said he doesn’t know his name.
But Ibrahim must have liked the other runner’s finish time of just over three hours, ten minutes. A race official in Boston confirmed that Ibrahim registered himself for the Boston Marathon under the time run by the other runner.
“It’s hard to qualify for Boston,” said Mastel, who himself has been trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon for years. But Mastel says the biggest issue is safety. “If a runner were to go down on the course, if we’re trying to take care of them and they’re running under someone else’s number we don’t who they are.”
So why did Ibrahim give up his number? When asked by KARE, Ibrahim initially said, “It’s none of your business.” He later called back and said he only wanted to run the Boston Marathon to raise money for a medical charity. Ibrahim said he planned to seek $25,000 dollars in pledges. “I wanted to do something good.” He said he now realizes he shouldn’t have given the other runner his number.
If race officials rule that he cheated, Ibrahim’s 2006 Twin Cities Marathon results would likely be disqualified, which would prohibit him from running at Boston. He could also be banned from future Twin Cities Marathons, though Mastel says permanent bans are generally reserved for runners with multiple rules violations.
“Regardless of the outcome I hope that people get that we’re serious about keeping this sport safe and people following the rules,” said Mastel.
As for the runner that ran in Ibrihim’s place, Twin Cities Marathon Inc. isn’t sure who it is. But if race officials find out, Mastel says the other runner could face sanctions, too.
(Copyright 2006 by KARE 11. All Rights Reserved.)
