Pacing in Elvis – Update  

Subject: Pacing in Elvis – Update Message from Martin Clarke June 19, 2022 6:37 am Hi Folks, Following my previous email I thank all who have provided input to allow me to come to a final decision on the alleged pacing incident at last Tuesday’s race. I’m especially grateful to Darren for speaking to both athletes that were involved.
From our collective findings I am satisfied that there was no pre conceived plan or intent to pace although it was unwise for Gemma, Morgan’s training partner, to participate in the race without a number. I also believe that no real advantage was gained and the result was the same as it would have been had Gemma been absent from the race. I think this was simply a case of both ladies not realising that their actions might cause a problem.
Given the circumstances and in the spirit of Elvis I don’t wish to take too hard a line on Morgan and considering both ladies have now apologised I have decided not to void Morgan’s result in Elvis and her 2nd place still stands.
Although the runners concerned do not belong to an Elvis Club may I ask club reps and organisers to ensure their members are aware of both the rules and spirit of Elvis moving forward. As I said in my previous email it is quite acceptable for officials to request that anyone running without a number immediately leave the course regardless of whether or not pacing is suspected.
For further clarity it has been brought to my attention that sometimes club runners will return after finishing to help out slower runners at the rear of the field. They may or may not still be displaying numbers and are also sometimes joined by non participants. In such cases this is perfectly acceptable as it is not classified as pacing and is simply encouraging slower runners at the rear of the field to finish and if anything exemplifies rather than contravenes the spirit of the series . It is also seldom likely that this has any tangible effect on the results.
Please let me know if you have any further questions or comments. I hope we can now draw a line under this and look forward to our next race at the Olympic Park hosted by our friends at EERR. Many thanks Martin