Running a half marathon virtually is not the same as the real thing.

I saw this in the news today, and I wonder how common it has become.

Rocky Mountain Half Marathon is — for the first time in its history — letting participants run virtually.

Virtual participation is made possible by the combination of MapMyRun.com and a Garmin GPS watch, which would seem to be secure in terms of reporting total time and the actual distance run.

That is, I do not know whether anyone has ever hacked either the website or the watch to fake the results.

But participants anywhere other than on the real course will not experience the actual terrain, let alone the weather and presence (or absence) of fellow runners, of the actual event.

The idea is interesting from a publicity point of view.

But can you imagine someone in the real race learning that he or she was beaten for first place by someone else who ran the race virtually — especially if the real race were hilly and the virtual race were on flat streets or around a track?

I would be upset. How about you? Please leave a comment here. Thanks!