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RunDisney Bib Thief Finally Caught And Detained By Police At Disneyland Half Marathon [VIDEO]

By Danny Cox
Published on: 05:34 PST, Sep 2, 2017

Early this morning, thousands of guests gathered together to run the Disneyland Half Marathon and take pride in winning their medals, but there was something much more sinister going on at the same time. For months, there has been a lot of talk on the RunDisney circuit about someone stealing the marathon bibs of other people and cheating in the races. Well, it all caught up with that woman on Saturday morning as she was busted and caught by the police.

Back before the summer started, Marathon Investigation reported that there had been a “serial bib stealer” going to different Disney races. In the past, people have made copies of bibs and had fake versions, but this was different. This thief had actually been able to pick up the official marathon bib that was bought and paid for by someone else.

As it happened earlier this year, it has happened once again to a woman named Melissa Martin Mayorgas. On Thursday, she posted on her personal Facebook page that her bib for the Disneyland 5K was stolen and she asked for help.

“My Bib 40358, for the Disneyland 5k was stolen. Someone legit had my name and date of birth, printed my waiver and forged my name.

“If you see anyone running in 40358 / Melissa tomorrow morning, PLEASE BLAST THEM ON SOCIAL MEDIA. This has been handed over to RunDisney investigations.”

Well, the power of investigation and social media works quickly as the case was solved on Saturday morning as many runners crossed the finish line.

As the sun was coming up in Disneyland and the racers were heading to the finish, a camera caught up with one runner. She approached the finish line where the medals were being handed out, grabbed one, and was immediately approached by police and Disney security.

She looked a bit confused at first, but Marathon Investigation has the video to show that the RunDisney bib thief has finally been caught.

UPDATE:

Per Marathon Investigation, the woman known as “Patty” stole a bib for the 5K race and was identified during the 10K race in which she had purchased her own bib. She has not been charged with a crime at this point as in relation to the marathon bibs she has stolen.

Patty was indeed cited for parking in a handicap accessible space and using a handicap placard that belonged to someone else.

She has reportedly been banned from all future RunDisney events and Disney properties as well, but that has not yet been confirmed by Disney.

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As you can see, she was handed a medal upon crossing the finish line, but that volunteer likely didn’t know the severity of the situation at hand. As the thief was being led away by police, the medal was taken from her by Disney security.

Per the report from Marathon Investigation, this person has been strategically stealing bibs and doing it with a lot of knowledge of how the races are run. This woman apparently had the proper information needed to sign up and receive the bib while avoiding races where her picture would be taken at registration.

Not only did she steal bibs, but she was also cheating in some races and stealing finish times of other people to make hers appear better.

RunDisney has become absolutely huge and it is only getting bigger with every single race that takes place in Disneyland or Walt Disney World. A lot of people do this in serious competition fashion, to keep in shape, or just for fun, but they spend a lot of money on it too. The investigation and social media help that was done to catch the marathon bib thief on video and have her apprehended is a huge help to all those that take running seriously.

[Featured Image by Matt Stroshane/Getty Images]

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