Noted Anti-Cheating Website Goes After Runner’s World Editor Kate Carter

If you’re a prominent member of the running community, it’s probably a bad idea to fake your race results.

Kate Carter, the acting commissioning editor at Runner’s World UK, has recently come under scrutiny due to alleged discrepancies in her race performances. 

The website marathoninvestigation.com did a deep dive on the editor’s 2023 London Landmarks Half Marathon and the London Marathon results to shed light on the accusations raised against her.

Derek Murphy, the man behind Marathon Investigations is could put an entire subreddit community to shame with his deep dives on course cutters, bib forgers and sketchy influencers.

Murphy made a name for himself by going after a Philadelphia area DJ who faked his Boston qualifying time. The story went viral back in 2015, and Murphy gained quite a bit of attention for his antics, including feature profiles in Wired Runner’s World (oh, the irony).

Since then, Murphy has compiled spreadsheets in order to track discrepencies between a runner’s BQ and their actual finishing time, along with many other deep dives into the murky world of bib mules, race bandits and folks who hop in an Uber for part of their marathon experience.

Think of Murphy as the Dark Knight of recreational running cheaters.

So when he caught wind of a venerable Runner’s World staffer allegedly modifying the race course to her benefit, he took a deep dive on her recent performances.

Here are some of Murphy’s findings:

First, the sleuths at Marathon Investigation identified a missed 5K split:

Murphy did a bit of quick math and discovered that Carter would have had to have thrown down one heck of a 15-20K split to close in the time she recorded crossing the finish line.

The 2023 London Landmarks Half Marathon

These anomalies led to suspicions about the accuracy of her results, and to Murphy tracking down photos of the RW editor on course.

Notably, there was no registered time at the 15k mat, and her fastest split coincided with the missed split, raising questions about the consistency of her pacing. Additionally, the visibility of Carter’s bib during the race and its subsequent folding near the end further added to the intrigue.

Bib Manipulation

Photographic evidence revealed that Kate’s bib was visible during the initial part of the race, but towards the end, it was folded, partially obscuring her bib number. 

While this could potentially explain her absence in certain photos, the software’s ability to identify her in other pictures diminishes the credibility of this explanation.

GPS – Strava Inconsistencies

Contradictions emerged regarding Kate’s use of GPS during the race.

Although she claimed her Garmin had “died completely,” photographic evidence showed her watch face visible in multiple photos during the final mile. 

Furthermore, discrepancies were found in her Strava entry, with speculations arising about the manual creation of the route and deviations from the official course.

London Marathon Controversy

In the London Marathon, Carter allegedly ran without her chip, leaving her without an official time or finish. 

Concerns were raised about the legitimacy of her run, especially considering her role as a journalist and Runner’s World editor. 

The Strava entry raised further suspicions, as it appeared to be manually created, following a different course than the 2023 London Marathon.

The accusations against Carter, if proven true, could undermine the integrity of both her work as a journalist and her standing in the running community. 

As a trusted member of the running media, the alleged anomalies in her race performances demand a thorough investigation. The running community, particularly around prestigious events like the London Marathon, expects a high degree of respect and integrity. 

Carter hasn’t yet commented on the accusations, and further examination is necessary to determine the veracity of these claims and their implications.