A recent incident at the 2024 Delaware Marathon has raised doubts about a runner’s qualification for the 2025 Boston Marathon. Evidence suggests that a man ran under his wife’s bib for much of the race, calling into question the legitimacy of her Boston qualifying time and second-place finish in her age group.
The Incident
Jing, officially registered for the race, started and finished the marathon. However, after reviewing over 1,100 pages of race photos, no images of her were found during the race, except for brief appearances in video footage at the start and finish. In contrast, photos of a man appeared at two of the three photographer locations along the course.
Others have identified this man as her husband. It strongly suggests that he ran most of the marathon, likely to help her secure a Boston Marathon qualifying time. He, not being a registered runner, was seen near other runners with similar split times to Jing’s. In the photos where he was identifiable, he had his head down, a jacket around his waist, and no visible bib. Notably, Jing was never photographed at the same locations where this man was spotted.
Motivation: Completing the Marathon Majors
Jing may have been motivated by her goal of completing the prestigious Marathon Majors series, having already finished four out of the six races:
- TCS New York City Marathon (USA)
- Virgin Money London Marathon (UK)
- BMW Berlin Marathon (Germany)
- Bank of America Chicago Marathon (USA)
Her fastest marathon time among these was 4:21:12 at the 2023 Berlin Marathon. The Delaware Marathon, if legitimate, would qualify her to run Boston as her fifth, leaving only the Tokyo Marathon to complete the series.
Inconsistent Performance
Jing’s 3:30:00 finish at the Delaware Marathon raises questions, especially when compared to her previous marathon times. With a best time of 4:21:12 in Berlin, improving by nearly 51 minutes to achieve a 3:30:00 finish seems unrealistic. This significant improvement further casts doubt on the validity of her time at Delaware.
Race Splits and Pacing
Below are the splits from Jing’s race, along with the calculated paces for each segment:
- 5 Mile Split: 44:23 (Pace: 8:53 per mile)
- 7.7 Mile Split: 1:03:59 (Pace: 7:17 per mile from 5 to 7.7 miles)
- 9.8 Mile Split: 1:20:59 (Pace: 8:05 per mile from 7.7 to 9.8 miles)
- 19.4 Mile Split: 2:35:58 (Pace: 7:49 per mile from 9.8 to 19.4 miles)
- Finish (Full Marathon Time: 3:30:00): 7:57 per mile from 19.4 to 26.2 miles
The significant pace variation—especially the slowest pace during the first miles—suggests that Jing’s husband likely ran most of the race. This raises serious concerns about the legitimacy of her Boston qualifying time. The first split aligns with Jing’s historical marathon performances.
Jing finished 2nd in her age group, but the questionable nature of her time pushed legitimate finishes lower in the rankings.
Boston Marathon Qualification in Question
Jing is currently entered in the 2025 Boston Marathon using her Delaware Marathon time as her qualifying mark. However, since her husband apparently ran most of the race in her place, her time should not be valid for Boston qualification.
As of now, Jing has not been disqualified from the Delaware Marathon, and Boston Marathon officials are unaware of the situation. Marathon Investigation plans to notify the Delaware Race Director about the bib mule violation, which could lead to a review or rescinding of her Boston entry.
Conclusion
The Delaware Marathon bib mule incident raises significant concerns about race integrity and the validity of Jing’s Boston Marathon qualifying time. Although Jing officially finished the race, the evidence—such as her absence from race photos and the presence of a man at key points—suggests her qualifying time cannot be considered legitimate.
This incident also casts doubt on Jing’s goal of completing the Marathon Majors. Having already finished New York, Berlin, Chicago, and London, she was one step closer to her goal. However, with her Delaware Marathon time now in question, her path to completing the Marathon Majors is in jeopardy.rs and running the Boston Marathon is uncertain if officials agree with my assessment and issue a disqualification.
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*leaving only the “Tokyo” marathon
Sounds like the dude jumped in way before the first split since that’s still a sub 4 pace and Jing is nowhere near that