OC Marathon Winner Fadil Disqualified

Published by the Daily Pilot on May 6, 2014

The 10th annual U.S. Bank OC Marathon winner was disqualified Tuesday for breaking a USA Track and Field Competition rule that prohibits runners from receiving assistance or advice while participating in the race.

Mohamed Fadil, 32, of Albuquerque, N.M., finished the 26.2 miles on Sunday in 2:21:42, coming in under the previous record of 2:22:45, set in 2011 by Peter Omae Ayieni of Kenya.

However, after organizers looked at a video and conferred with race officials, they announced their decision to disqualify Fadil, according to a news release.

Race Director Gary Kutscher reviewed recordings of the race and found that Fadil had violated two rules.

He said Fadil had a friend bicycling next to him while he was running, a move that Kutscher calls "illegal pacing," and that the runner accepted water from someone other than a race official.

Pacing gives runners the advantage of having another set of eyes on the course, providing information about other runners or the race itself, Kutscher said.

"It's an unfortunate situation," he said. "It sounded like they were unaware of the rule, but it's something that all runners need to be aware of."

Fadil declined to comment on the allegations.

Stephan Shay, 27, of Huntington Beach, who finished the race in 2:23:09, less than two minutes after Fadil, is the new marathon winner.