Marathon runner and Runner’s World editor Kate Carter came under fire recently after being accused of cheating at various races, including the London Marathon and the Berlin Marathon.
The allegations came after the Marathon Investigation, a renowned anti-cheating website, highlighted evidence of course-cutting that included questionable Strava posts, timing split discrepancies, and evidence of bib tampering.

Here’s What You Should Know:
If you’re not up-to-date on the whole Kate Carter situation and the evidence against her, here’s what Derek Murphy, the sleuth over at Marathon Investigation, had previously pieced together, before the latest revelations:
- The Oxford-educated, long-time running journalist is accused of faking multiple race results,
- Marathon Investigation was tipped off about a fishy performance at the London Landmarks Half Marathon. A missing 5K split from the race and a bit of quick math shows that Carter would have had to have throw down one heck of a 15-20K split to finish in the time she claims.
- At the 2023 London Marathon, Carter missed the timing mat, and early race photos show her bib fully visible, compared to photos from later stages in the race, where her bib is folded, only revealing part of her number. A deeper dive revealed that she may not have been on course in certain portions of the marathon.
- Suspicions emerged following the London Marathon when Carter claimed on Strava that her GPS died during the race. However, photos from late in the race and from the finish clearly show her watch face, which was certainly not dead. Carter later posted a Strava entry for the marathon, using a manually-created route – which she later deleted.
- Online commentators have been quick to judge Carter, an established figure in the running media world – stating that her position gives her access and entry to many events other runners don’t have.
For all the details, read our story on the initial accusations here.

England Athletics Investigation
After the accusations went viral last month, England Athletics conducted an investigation into the two London events Carter attended.
Following a five-week investigation into her alleged fake times and “course-cutting,” Carter was cleared by England Athletics of any intention to deceive.
As quoted by England Athletics, “there was no intention to deceive and no attempt to benefit from the results.”

A spokesperson from England Athletics said:
“England Athletics received information relating to alleged cheating by an EA-licenced athlete in two events during 2023. A thorough investigation into both incidents has been carried out, the results of which have found there was no intention to deceive and no attempt to benefit from the results.“
“As such, neither of these incidents meet the EA threshold for serious misconduct. In athletics – as with all sports – integrity is vital. EA welcomes the opportunity to scrutinise where there are concerns, and to put every adequate resource into arriving at the correct outcome.”
“Out of respect for the individuals involved, we will be releasing no further details of this investigation.”
Derek Murphy, the man behind Marathon Investigation, responded to the statement on X:
I don’t even know what to say to this. Nothing I have posted has been refuted or even questioned. The EA just did not feel her actions met the threshold for serious misconduct. A journalist should do better than twisting the facts to fit a narrative. Let the facts tell the story. https://t.co/0JufIYhfcZ
— Derek Murphy (@MarathnInvestgr) March 8, 2024
Carter expressed her gratitude that the situation has been resolved but reiterated how much the allegations have damaged her reputation.
“I will have more to say in the future about the damage these allegations have done to my reputation, as well as my mental and physical health. Running was a big part of my identity. Having been cleared, I really hope to find that joy again.”
“I would like to thank England Athletics for their diligence. And to London Landmarks, who have sent me a lovely message of support and invited me to run this year’s race.”
Sean Ingle, Carter’s husband, shared the following on X (the replies show that the running community is still split on the outcome of this decision):