Boston Marathon Winner's Detour: Did He Cheat?

By: Stephen Smith
Topics: Video

When Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot won the Boston Marathon Monday, he broke the course record time - but he didn't break the rules.

That's the ruling made by race organizers after WBZ-TV video footage (below) showed the Kenyan running out of the pack and onto a sidewalk before coming back onto the street in front.

Local Video from WBZ in Boston

Organizers say there are no sidelines in road racing, and as long as he wasn't cutting any corners, he didn't do anything wrong. They say they've watched the video and don't think Cheruiyot gained any special advantage from the move.

What do you think?

Stephen Smith
Stephen Smith is a news producer and sports editor for CBSNews.com

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by Scimajor April 20, 2010 5:49 PM EDT: He actually used more energy than the other runners by hopping up on the sidewalk. I see no trouble with it.; Reply to this comment


by stupa5 April 20, 2010 4:49 PM EDT: Palin would cheat; Reply to this comment


by helloall34 April 20, 2010 4:16 PM EDT: The energy to jump the curb and run on uneven sidewalks makes it harder to run on sidewalks then streets. Running where he is in this situation is a disadvantage, not an advantage. To make that decision he must have been pinned-in. It's not a track, it's a road race, this story is stupid.; Reply to this comment


by anchower April 20, 2010 3:38 PM EDT: You don't even need to be 100% Kenyan for people to accuse you of cheating if you win something.; Reply to this comment


by doch48 April 20, 2010 3:22 PM EDT: You get behind a pack slower than you, you pass. Sometimes they're all passing each other and blocking you, and it takes more energy (and lost time) to figure out how to get around them.; Reply to this comment

by beachbumsage April 20, 2010 2:59 PM EDT

I find it incredibly unfair to this race champ to have such a salacious headline, when in fact it is a non story according to the event organizers. Pathetic attempt to get page hits.

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