Men disqualified in SA marathon
Race officials in South Africa disqualified two men who were caught competing in the women’s category of a prestigious marathon. (clickorlando.com) Reports say both finished in the top‑10 of the women’s results before being discovered and removed from the standings. (whio.com)
Two men were disqualified after running in the women’s half-marathon at Cape Town’s Two Oceans Marathon using bibs registered to women. (clickondetroit.com) Race officials said the men finished seventh and 10th in the women’s results on April 12 before they were removed from the standings. The women whose bibs were used, Larissa Parekh and Tegan Garvey, also face disciplinary action that could include two-year bans. (clickondetroit.com) The race was the 21.1-kilometer half-marathon, one of the headline events at the annual Two Oceans weekend in Cape Town. Organizers say the broader event draws more than 16,000 runners and also includes a 56-kilometer ultramarathon. (clickondetroit.com) The fraud changed the women’s top 10 before officials corrected it. Two female runners who had been pushed out of those places were later reinstated after the disqualifications. (clickondetroit.com) The case was not a dispute over eligibility rules; officials said it was a bib swap. In road racing, the bib is the runner’s identity tag, and using someone else’s bib can distort results, qualification times, and prize standings. (runningmagazine.ca) Officials said a board member, Stuart Mann, started looking into the results after social media photos showed Luke Jacobs wearing a bib with the name “Larissa.” Race staff had also noticed a finish-line mismatch: 12 women’s times were recorded even though only 10 women were seen crossing in that segment. (runningmagazine.ca) Mann said Parekh was accused of letting Jacobs run on her behalf, while Garvey admitted giving her bib to Nic Bradfield after a hip problem left her unable to run. Jacobs said in a written apology that he “made an error in judgment” and “should not have taken part.” (clickondetroit.com, runningmagazine.ca) Two Oceans’ own coverage from race day highlighted the official women’s winner, while the event’s results pages list top-10 finishers and category standings that are central to club recognition and race prestige. That made the corrected placings more than a clerical change for the women moved back into the top 10. (twooceansmarathon.org.za, admin.twooceansmarathon.org.za) Mann said bib swapping has become more common and creates medical risks because emergency staff may rely on the wrong identity and health details if a runner collapses. The investigation now moves to the race’s disciplinary process, with the standings already changed. (clickondetroit.com)
