catch them and make an example

01

In 2017, there were two highly anticipated marathon races: one was the Beijing Marathon, and the other was the inaugural Chengdu Marathon.

In both of these marathons, there were several scandals that made people furious: some participants copied race bibs and sneaked into the race, and there were even scenes of four or five people running with the same bib number.

What was even more outrageous was that these bib-copying runners brazenly took group photos with the same bib number before the race and blatantly showed off during the race.

They felt no shame, but rather took pride in it.

I don't know what these smug runners were thinking. Maybe they felt they had taken advantage, or maybe they thought they were clever for participating in a marathon without paying or entering the lottery, and still taking home a finisher's medal.

But watching their behavior made me feel disgusted, even if they were all extremely attractive men and women.

02

A long time ago, I wrote an essay titled 'The Greatest Tragedy in This World is That Rule-Breakers Think Rule-Followers are Crazy.' To this day, I still believe that any behavior that gains benefits by breaking the rules is the greatest unfairness to those who follow the rules.

When we participate in a marathon, we follow the rules by paying the registration fee and anxiously waiting for the lottery results. Those who get selected cheer, while those who don't sigh in disappointment, wishing they could drag their lucky friends over for a beating.

We might try to find a sponsor slot through various connections or participate in the organizing committee's giveaways by soliciting votes, but we never think of forging a bib to sneak into the race.

Because such deceitful behavior is not only despicable but also illegal.

This is blatant fraud, shamelessly ignoring rules and laws. Honestly, I think such people don't deserve to be on the racecourse, now or in the future.

Their actions violate the most basic principle of sports—fair competition.

03

I once read a news story about a marathon where the organizing committee did a very poor job, even skimping on the number of finisher medals, leaving many who finished within the cutoff time without a medal.

Thinking back, the organizing committee must have had accurate data on the number of registrants. The shortage of medals might not have been due to skimping but rather because some rule-breakers took medals with forged bibs that should have gone to legitimate participants.

The bib is supposed to be the only credential for participants to enter, but with the increasing number of bib-copying runners, organizing committees have gone to great lengths to prevent this.

For example, in the races I've participated in, the Wuxi Marathon and Kangbao Grassland Marathon issued special wristbands, and without them, you couldn't enter. The Tianshan Tianchi Marathon in Xinjiang used facial recognition, and the current Beijing Marathon used fluorescent technology on bibs, with ultraviolet checks at security gates.

But what about the effectiveness? It's evident to all. Since a marathon isn't held in a closed venue, you can never fully prevent those who want to exploit loopholes.

04

Such things don't just happen in marathons; we encounter similar scenarios in everyday life.

When we respectfully follow the rules and queue up due to fear of punishment, there are always people who find ways to break the rules, occupying resources that should belong to everyone and disrupting the order we've painstakingly established.

For example, occupying someone else's parking space, driving on the emergency lane during a traffic jam, or riding a motorcycle recklessly on the sidewalk.

More importantly, the chances of them being punished are quite low. Even if they are punished, it's just a slap on the wrist. They can still smugly look down on us rule-followers, calling us cowards, fools, blockheads, or stubborn, to highlight their so-called cleverness and wisdom.

Undeniably, such behavior has a significant demonstrative effect, and it's an irreversible negative one. Just look at the highway; if one car takes the emergency lane, there will inevitably be followers.

If he can get away with it, why should I follow the rules?

05

Fortunately, the organizing committees of the Beijing Marathon and Chengdu Marathon have used technology to identify a group of bib-copying runners and are about to punish them according to the law.

I think this is a pleasantly surprising result. At least it can curb the increasingly rampant bib-copying to some extent, ensuring that those caught are duly punished and deterring those planning to cheat.

Moreover, these cheaters must understand that their cost is not just printing a bib but could include more severe consequences.

Lastly, I want to address some shameless people who always have the same excuse when caught: 'Why me, when so many others are breaking the rules?'

Well, you just happened to get caught! If you have the guts, don't break the rules, and you'll never get caught!

Sometimes, you need that one person to be made an example of to deter the rest. It's that simple.

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