I asked this question of myself a couple months ago and thought it would make a great blog subject. One of my Facebook friends attempted the Barkley Fall Classic this past September. She stated in a post that she knew she would never finish it, but she ran it because she wanted to see how far she finished.
So, this got me thinking, is it OK to sign up for a race that you have no intention of finishing? Of course, it’s OK in the sense that it doesn’t break any rules. As long as you fill the race’s requirements, you can sign up for any race you want.
But is it ethically OK?
I would never in a million years sign up for a race I knew I couldn’t finish. If there’s a slight glimmer of hope of me finishing, I’ll attempt it. Maybe that’s me being unrealistic thinking I could finish, but I’m not going into a race knowing I won’t finish it. The guilt of me taking the spot of someone who could finish but now won’t get the chance because I’m there, for whatever reason, would be too much.
And, let’s be honest, is it really fair? Many ultra races are very difficult to gain an entry. Others are working their hardest to get that finish. You’re not doing it to finish, you’re doing it merely to see how far you get.
Instead of doing something so self-centered, choose another, less difficult race and work your way up to that harder race.