Definition of running ahead

illegal practice of buying or selling a security for a broker's personal account before placing a similar order for a customer, also called front running. For example, when a firm's analyst issues a positive report on a company, the firm's brokers may not buy the stock for their own accounts before they have told their clients the news. Some firms prohibit brokers from making such trades for a specific period, such as two full days from the time of the recommendation.