10 months ago
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A RECORD-holding Runner’s World editor has been accused of faking her London Marathon time.
Kate Carter has been hit with a wave of controversy for allegedly posting misleading timings on her marathons.
Not known, clear with picture desk
StravaMs Carter, who holds a world record for being the fastest woman to run a marathon in a full-body costume, is now under scrutiny for potentially faking her performance at last year’s event.
The Oxford-educated, 47, is a senior editor of the prestigious Runner’s World magazine.
Bombshell accusations have now surfaced accusing Carter of using a “forged map” on a running app to cheat her way through the London Marathon.
American blogger Derek Murphy revealed key evidence showing discrepancies in Carter’s recorded times and her actual participation in the races.
He accused her of running without her number bib – which tracks runners and their record official times.
Despite not having the chip, she posted her timings on Strava.
The training app, which is the social network for athletes, records timings of your activity for other users to see.
But Murphy claims Carter’s entries were inaccurate.
He said: “Without going into excruciating detail, the GPS entry was almost assuredly created manually.
“It most certainly does not follow the London Marathon course.
“The course follows the 2019 course, not the 2023 course.”
The controversy is now splashing other of Carter’s races – including the London Landmarks Half Marathon.
Records show she completed the race with an impressive time of one hour, 32 minutes, and 12 seconds.
However, Murphy raised questions about her participation in the 10-kilometer section of the race as he claimed there is no evidence she was there.
The sports enthusiast is now slamming the editor for “unethical” behaviour.
Murphy added: “Kate is a trusted member of the running media community, and is regularly flown abroad by clothing brands for articles and publicity in her capacity as a journalist.
“On account of her photograph of Eliud Kipchoge at the start line, it appears she was also a VIP at the 2023 event.
“This degree of access and privilege in the running community, particularly around an event as coveted as the London Marathon, should come with a high degree of respect and integrity.
“If these anomalies are what they seem to be, Kate’s behaviour regarding her results is unethical and completely at odds with the tenets of journalism, and with running at every level.”
Organisers of the London Landmarks Half Marathon claimed all runners are expected to complete the course legitimately.
The event has raised over £37.5 million for various charities since 2018.
A spokesperson said: “London Landmarks Half Marathon is a not-for-profit event which fundraises for Tommy’s and our many charity partners.
“Our aim is to deliver an event that is fun, inclusive and open to anyone no matter their running ability. Our runners range from competitive runners to fun runners and those running for charity.
“Everyone participates for a personal reason, be that fundraising for a cause close to their heart, the sense of personal achievement or a PB – and we expect any runner crossing the finish line to have completed the full course and know they have done so legitimately.”
The high profile editor now appears to have blocked both her social media accounts.
Ms Carter said she had never sought an official race time as she was not in peak fitness.
But she ran quicker than expected and wanted to upload it to her Strava account.
She told The Telegraph: “This is when I made the mistake of trying to create a route manually based on my time.” she said.
“Soon after I realised this was foolish and removed it from my feed.
“I also feel it is important to admit that part of this was about my ego. Even in the amateur running world there is pressure to maintain form and times.
“My own desire to be seen to be doing well at a time when I was feeling weak and below par, resulted in a momentary lapse of judgment which I very much regret.”
Addressing the London Landmarks Half Marathon, she admitted how she “very unfortunately and embarrassingly had wet myself and wanted therefore to step off the course to try and sort myself out” which is “something that happens to many runners”.
She added: “When I rejoined the race, it is possible that I did so at the wrong point on the course, though that was not my intention.
“I made some stupid mistakes in how I recorded my times on my personal Strava record” but that she “was in no way trying to deceive the organisers of either event about my times”.
London Marathon organisers have been approached for comment.
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