The 7 Lesser Sins of Racing

Road running, like most sports, has its own rules of etiquette. If you're inexperienced you should be aware of these, or you're not going to make many friends.

1. Cutting corners short. Even tiny little short cuts, like cutting inside a cone or going through a parking lot, are no-nos.
2. Exaggerating times. 3:11 is not "about 3 hours".
3. Running as a bandit. Bandits are runners who haven't payed the entry fee. Doing this is like going out to dinner with your friends and snubbing the bill.
4. Cutting someone off. If you pass a runner, make sure you're several strides ahead before you slide in front of them.
5. Wearing someone else's number. I get hell for wearing a Boston shirt and having not yet qualified; I can't imagine the reaction to cheating to getting in.
6. Starting at the front inappropriately. There's nothing wrong with running a 10-minute pace, but if you do, you shouldn't start in the front with the 5-minute pacers. By starting in the front you will force other runners out of stride and off the road to pass you.
7. Chute passing. Passing someone in the finishing chute (aka shoot) is distance running's cheap shot. When you're in the chute, the race is over. If you had the ability to pass, you should have done it earlier so the other racer could react.