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In the spring of 1981, London staged its first marathon. The field of runners included 1200 international athletes and 20,000 amateurs. An estimated 20 million viewers watched from around the world. The top international runners stayed together for the first twenty miles and then two runners, American Dick Beardsley and Norwegian Inge Simonsen, made a push for the finish. They were long-standing rivals and, as they ran the final mile each man challenged the other to see if they could get ahead and gain the advantage. Because of the fine balance human muscles maintain between anaerobic and aerobic metabolism, the small set advantage could prove insurmountable. The other runner would need to sprint to catch up and the resultant lactic acid generated would turn their legs to jelly. As the two runners neared the finish line they glanced at each other, smiled, reached out and held hands as they crossed the line. Who won?

We all instinctively know the answer. The race was a draw, but the rules of the International Athletics Federation are clear. Read rule 164.

RULE 164

The Finish
1. The finish of a race shall be denoted by a white line 5 cm wide.
2. The athletes shall be placed in the order in which any part of their bodies (i.e. torso, as distinguished from the head, neck, arms, legs, hands or feet) reaches the vertical plane of the finish line.

The organizing committee held a brief conference and the result declared a draw. They had interpreted the rules in the same way 20 million TV viewers already ‘knew’ to be true.

This story should set your minds thinking about the nature of rules and truth and how the two are often different. According to the rules, one person crossed the line a little ahead of the other. The truth, as we all instinctively know, is that the race was a draw. Maybe the rulebook is missing a rule – ‘The contact draw rule’. Clearly you could amend the rulebook to add this one rule. I checked the current athletics rules and they don’t contain this amendment. If the rules were amended the mischievous amongst you will realize an unsporting athlete could grab the hand of their opponent as they crossed the line to force a draw. The rules would have to stipulate that holding hands must be voluntary for both parties, and refinements could go on for some time. What if I held your hand but you tripped and let go? What if my attempt to hold your hand

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