I could be wrong, of course.
Out of the 30,000 participants at last month’s Mexico City Marathon, about 11,000 runners have been disqualified for cheating by using illegal means to beat the 26.2-mile course. More than 1 out of 3 racers used various non-foot methods of transportation or other unethical tactics.
Mexico has become a drug and crime infested hell-hole, with large portions of the country run by cartels. Its presidency has been license to steal and accept bribes for a couple centuries now. No wonder illegal immigrants breaching our laws to get here see nothing wrong with their conduct: their nation has been rotting from the proverbial head down for as long as they can remember. What constitutes ethics in Mexico today? In 2015, Donald Trump was accused of racism and bigotry for saying that Mexico wasn’t sending us “their best people.” It is beginning to look like Mexico’s “best” are the ones who are leaving, and even they aren’t trustworthy.
This can happen to any culture. Germany is nightmare case. It has been the downfall of Africa. Russia is in an ethics death spiral. Much of South America reached that point long ago. When a third of a nation’s runners will cheat to win a race, how many of its citizens will cheat for more substantial goals, like money, jobs, and power?
Ethics Alarms 
Well, we certainly have to admire Mexico City’s transportation system. I doubt either Boston or New York City could handle that many customers at one time.
And by the way, Mexico hasn’t descended into anything. It’s never been anything other than a territory fought over by warlords and their respective forces.
Is there really enough transport around to accommodate 11,000 runners. Maybe what really happened was that there was not enough proper directional signage around so many runners got lost and ended up taking a short cut by mistake. It is so much easier blaming the runners than saying that they couldn’t control the race properly. In my first half marathon I ran about 200 metres extra because there wasn’t a sign where there should have been one and in a race I ran in June the sign was hidden behind some parked cars and the marshal wasn’t where he should have been so the lead runners missed a corner and had to double back.
Why, yes, there is. The rules of physics and gravity simply do not apply in Mexico City. Picture this: The main thorough fair is Avenida Paseo de la Reforma, 15 kilometers long and 60 meters wide (which is about 197 feet wide). On either side of the avenue there are 6 to 8 (average 7 lanes) lanes traveling in either direction, with an esplanade down the middle with turn lanes. Now, if the average width of street lane is between 11 or 12 feet, that means that the average width of each street is somewhere around 84 wide (average of 7 lanes x 12 feet). Now, if an average lane can handle one vehicle, that would mean the street can accommodate 7 cars, right? Well, that is not what happens. I am constantly amazed that 12 to 13 cars can travel that avenue without destroying each other in the process. It simply boggles the mind. Now, if you can fit, say 4 people in a car, plus the driver (1 driver, 1 front passenger, and 3 in the back), you would only need 847 cars to drive 11, 000 runners from one point to another. As you can see, la Reforma is perfectly equipped to handle that load of traffic.
jvb
Well, it’s a city of several million, and it’s a 26 mile race. There’d be enough taxis, busses, and subways for 11000 to skip a mile or more here and there.
Mayor Pete would be proud. We should be more like Mexico. Personally, I think we should invade Mexico and pacify it. Everyone there would be here!
“…a drug and crime infested hell-hole, with large portions of the country run by cartels. Its presidency has been a license to steal and accept bribes…”
Well, the Democrats…. Oh, you were talking about Mexico! Never mind!
> It is beginning to look like Mexico’s “best” are the ones who are leaving, and even they aren’t trustworthy.
This is one aspect of immigration that needs to be spread far and wide– if we’re importing engineers via H1B’s and people with resources and aptitude to improve their lives, that undoubtedly leaves the countries those people came from poorer.
It’s colonialism, but instead of raw goods and spices, it’s importing the people who are the most capable of improving day to day life of the foreign country as a whole. Brain drain.
I dunno. My wife is from Mexico and there isn’t a finer person in the planet.
jvb
Careful with that reading comprehension, you just implied Mexico is better off now that she’s not there.