Monday, May 20, 2013

The ethics of bootlegging a race

I was surprised that there really isn't that much information out there in regards to bootlegging a race.  This isn't unique to swimming.  It happens in a 5K, and other non swimming events.  People are cheap, and often can't afford to pay for registration, and may or may not realize the ethics of not paying.

I created the term "Bootlegging" in openwaterpedia, as well as posted a question in the marathonswimmers.org forum to bounce this topic off the open water community.

But I'll give my own two cents here.

A couple years back a swimmer showed up at the starting line of the GSL 1 mile event without a cap and swam the event alongside all the other swimmers through to the finish.  He didn't get a shirt, medal, cap, but he did get the benefit of safety kayakers, the excitement of swimming with, and competing against other swimmers, and I'm not sure, but he most likely took the shuttle back to the start of this point to point race.

Not sure if there was anything we could have done (except deny shuttle service) to this guy.  We had to pay the Utah State parks for a permit to use the land at the finish line, and at the marina.  Our expenses were split among those who paid their registration fees, so in a sense this guy was stealing from us and making the race directors lose money in their costs/revenue balances.

It came across as really cheap and made me mad.

On the other hand, is it bootlegging if a family member or friend is running a marathon and you run along side them for a portion of it as encouragement?  Some marathons explicitly mention this practice and that those who are registered that run alongside someone not registered during the course will be disqualified.  However I see many parents cross the finish line holding hands with their little kids.  If one runs the entire course then that may be more blatant, than say a few hundred yards or even several miles.  This can be a gray area.  But to run/swim an entire course for the purpose of participating for their own individual benefit without paying registration fees seems pretty black and white.  That's bootlegging.

And anyone who does it should be ashamed.  It's cheap and in a sense it's stealing.  What are your thoughts?

What if someone came to you before the race and said they couldn't afford to pay the registration?  Would you consider comping all, or a portion of the registration to accommodate them?  If so, would you still consider giving them a shirt/medal/listing in the results?

2 comments:

Josh said...

I am going to do a post about this as well, but will put in my two cents.

There are costs to putting together a race that are unseen by most participants (insurance, sanctioning, permits, parking). A bootlegger could reason that because they are not getting a shirt, cap, award, they are not costing the race directors anything. In fact, the swag is only a portion of the total cost to put together an event.

Bootleggers pose a safety risk as well. There is no emergency contact information in case something happens. If something does happen, they take away safety resources that the other swimmers have paid for. They may not have attended the safety briefing and would not have received email updates about conditions, potential hazards and procedures.

You'll be hearing more from me soon, but that's a start.

The Frugal Engineer said...

As someone just getting into triathlons on a very limited budget, I'm stunned anyone could justify this to themselves!

The cost of a race is miniscule compared to other equipment and training costs. If you can afford to train and get your gear, you can afford to pay for the race. Make it the reward for training, and only schedule what you can pay for.

And if you're that hard up for the money to register, contact the organizers ahead of time and find out if there is another way to cover the registration costs (barter for skills, agree to raise money if it's related to a charity, volunteer for another race organized by the same group, or volunteer this year to pay for the registration next year, etc.).

In my mind, there is no excuse. Organizing a race is far beyond just the "swag", and everything that Josh said about the safety aspects is also important.

If you want to race for free, set up your own training brick!