Did Mike Rossi (viral marathon dad) cheat his way into Boston?

abingtonrunner wrote:

An inquiring mind wrote:

The implication of RossiCheated's post is that the marathon (Barb, Lisa, Bart and/or others) lied about its "investigation" into Rossi's cheating at the 2014 LVM. If I recall correctly, the marathon's statement said they had contacted runners (other than Rossi) as part of the investigation. But, apparently, they didn't contact some of the runners who likely would have the most relevant evidence, those who started with and ended very close to Rossi. This makes it look like they are either incompetent or they decided early on that they didn't want to be bothered by the Rossi cheating story (maybe because it highlights what a poor job they do policing their race), waited a bit to make it appear they were investigating, issued a phony statement, and then hoped the story would fade away. Either way, it would explain why they called the evidence inconclusive. After the statement was released, I thought LVM had no integrity. Now, I think they are incompetent and/or dishonest too. I guess when your focus is to raise money for charity (which, as a happy by-product, puts money in the pocket of Barb and her race management firm, not to mention the paid staff at Via of the Lehigh Valley, the Lehigh Valley Health Network, and the greater Lehigh Valley business community), you can justify just about anything.

There is no doubt the LVM Committee's "investigation" or "review" of Mr. Rossi is a combination of lies, ineptitude, lack of integrity, incompetence and lack of intestinal fortitude, among likely other things.

But let's clear up a few things in your post.

First, their official statement did not say that they contacted runners nor did they ever call the evidence inconclusive. What they did say was that "The LVHN Via Marathon has not received any reports from the more than 2,500 race participants, thousands of spectators, and more than 600 volunteers, course marshals, security personnel, medical personnel or race officials on the course of any wrong doing by any runner". That is not surprising and likely the extent of their investigation to the extent of talking with other people. However, in an NBC10 in Philadelphia report (http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Viral-Boston-Marathon-Running-Dad-Accused-of-Cheating-303010481.html#ixzz3gdhP2bLx ) it was written that "Organizers of the Lehigh Valley Health Marathon said they plan to review more than 19,000 photos from along the course to look for Rossi. They are also reaching out to 126 runners who finished the race around the same time as the man".

Second, the Committee's statement said "… there is not conclusive evidence that his time in the 2014 LVHN Via Marathon is inaccurate", which is not the same as saying that the evidence was inconclusive. In fact, they seem to imply that they have CONCLUSIVE evidence of some sort when they further stated, "Therefore the LVHN Via Marathon Committee concluded that Rossi will not be disqualified unless additional conclusive information arises in the future". The key word being "additional", which means in addition to the already in-hand conclusive evidence.

What is ultimately clear is that nowhere in their entire statement do they give a vote of confidence that Mr. Rossi ran the entire race or that his time is accurate. Moreover, they can't say that because if challenged, they wouldn't be able to provide any such evidence because we know and they do too, there is no such evidence.

Below is the full, official statement:

After a thorough review of the available evidence in relation to Mike Rossi’s participation in the 2014 Lehigh Valley Health Network Via Marathon, the Marathon committee concluded that while there is data from Rossi’s participation in other racing events indicating that Rossi’s time may not be accurate, there is not conclusive evidence that his time in the 2014 LVHN Via Marathon is inaccurate. The LVHN Via Marathon has not received any reports from the more than 2,500 race participants, thousands of spectators, and more than 600 volunteers, course marshals, security personnel, medical personnel or race officials on the course of any wrong doing by any runner. Therefore the LVHN Via Marathon Committee concluded that Rossi will not be disqualified unless additional conclusive information arises in the future.

Moving forward the LVHN Via Marathon has taken several action steps to verify runner participation and provide the utmost accuracy in timing and scoring the race for all runners. For the 2015 LVHN Via Marathon, the course will have a minimum of six timing mats - at the start, finish line and four additional on-course locations. In addition, there will be video surveillance of the course at several locations which Via will archive annually.

The Lehigh Valley Health Network Via Marathon is proud to be a Boston Marathon Qualifying event and will continue to support this race by providing athletes the opportunity to be a part of this longstanding tradition. The LVHN Via Marathon appreciates the running community’s support and vigilance in ensuring the integrity of our race and looks forward to continuing to provide a high quality racing experience.”

The LVHN Via Marathon raises funds for Via’s services for children and adults with disabilities. We all want the same things from life; a great job in a great community and plenty of friends with whom we share the experience. For people with disabilities, these life goals can be challenging. Via works every day to help people achieve this reality.

Serving our community since 1952, the dedicated and committed care providers at Via work to help children overcome developmental delays, help young adults find meaningful and sustainable jobs, and provide the resources and opportunities so people with disabilities may lead active and enjoyable lives right in their own community.

We will not be making any further comments on this matter.

An inquiring mind wrote:

abingtonrunner wrote:

There is no doubt the LVM Committee's "investigation" or "review" of Mr. Rossi is a combination of lies, ineptitude, lack of integrity, incompetence and lack of intestinal fortitude, among likely other things.

But let's clear up a few things in your post.

First, their official statement did not say that they contacted runners nor did they ever call the evidence inconclusive. What they did say was that "The LVHN Via Marathon has not received any reports from the more than 2,500 race participants, thousands of spectators, and more than 600 volunteers, course marshals, security personnel, medical personnel or race officials on the course of any wrong doing by any runner". That is not surprising and likely the extent of their investigation to the extent of talking with other people. However, in an NBC10 in Philadelphia report (http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Viral-Boston-Marathon-Running-Dad-Accused-of-Cheating-303010481.html#ixzz3gdhP2bLx ) it was written that "Organizers of the Lehigh Valley Health Marathon said they plan to review more than 19,000 photos from along the course to look for Rossi. They are also reaching out to 126 runners who finished the race around the same time as the man".

Second, the Committee's statement said "… there is not conclusive evidence that his time in the 2014 LVHN Via Marathon is inaccurate", which is not the same as saying that the evidence was inconclusive. In fact, they seem to imply that they have CONCLUSIVE evidence of some sort when they further stated, "Therefore the LVHN Via Marathon Committee concluded that Rossi will not be disqualified unless additional conclusive information arises in the future". The key word being "additional", which means in addition to the already in-hand conclusive evidence.

What is ultimately clear is that nowhere in their entire statement do they give a vote of confidence that Mr. Rossi ran the entire race or that his time is accurate. Moreover, they can't say that because if challenged, they wouldn't be able to provide any such evidence because we know and they do too, there is no such evidence.

Below is the full, official statement:

After a thorough review of the available evidence in relation to Mike Rossi’s participation in the 2014 Lehigh Valley Health Network Via Marathon, the Marathon committee concluded that while there is data from Rossi’s participation in other racing events indicating that Rossi’s time may not be accurate, there is not conclusive evidence that his time in the 2014 LVHN Via Marathon is inaccurate. The LVHN Via Marathon has not received any reports from the more than 2,500 race participants, thousands of spectators, and more than 600 volunteers, course marshals, security personnel, medical personnel or race officials on the course of any wrong doing by any runner. Therefore the LVHN Via Marathon Committee concluded that Rossi will not be disqualified unless additional conclusive information arises in the future.

Moving forward the LVHN Via Marathon has taken several action steps to verify runner participation and provide the utmost accuracy in timing and scoring the race for all runners. For the 2015 LVHN Via Marathon, the course will have a minimum of six timing mats - at the start, finish line and four additional on-course locations. In addition, there will be video surveillance of the course at several locations which Via will archive annually.

The Lehigh Valley Health Network Via Marathon is proud to be a Boston Marathon Qualifying event and will continue to support this race by providing athletes the opportunity to be a part of this longstanding tradition. The LVHN Via Marathon appreciates the running community’s support and vigilance in ensuring the integrity of our race and looks forward to continuing to provide a high quality racing experience.”

The LVHN Via Marathon raises funds for Via’s services for children and adults with disabilities. We all want the same things from life; a great job in a great community and plenty of friends with whom we share the experience. For people with disabilities, these life goals can be challenging. Via works every day to help people achieve this reality.

Serving our community since 1952, the dedicated and committed care providers at Via work to help children overcome developmental delays, help young adults find meaningful and sustainable jobs, and provide the resources and opportunities so people with disabilities may lead active and enjoyable lives right in their own community.

We will not be making any further comments on this matter.

Yeah, my memory isn't what it used to be, and never was.

I must have been thinking of that NBC10 news report. Note the last paragraph of the report: "Organizers of the Lehigh Valley Health Marathon said they plan to review more than 19,000 photos from along the course to look for Rossi. They are also reaching out to 126 runners who finished the race around the same time as the man." Obviously, LVM told NBC10 they were going to reach out to 126 runners. NBC10 wouldn't have pulled that number out of thin air.

Here's what Walkiewicz said when contacted by Philly Magazine about the complaints about LVM's so-called "investigation:"

"We reviewed every piece of data available to us and searched extensively for additional data like police surveillance video and media coverage," she says, adding that United States Track & Field — the national governing body for the sport — acted in an advisory capacity for the inquiry. "Our goal was to find conclusive evidence from which we could make a decision. In this process, we uncovered no evidence of wrongdoing on Mr. Rossi's part … The investigation is concluded. In the future, should anyone supply us with conclusive evidence that shows Mr. Rossi's time in the 2014 race is inaccurate, we will reopen the investigation."

What a load of crap! Based upon what RossiCheated posted, LVM didn't reach out to at least some of the runners who would be most likely to have relevant evidence. And, we know that Rossi didn't appear in however many of those 19,000 photos they said they were going to look at that were taken between the starting line and just before the finish line. No integrity, no intelligence, and no honesty. That's LVM for you.

As a final comment, the question isn't, as LVM frames it, whether "Rossi's time in the 2014 race is inaccurate," the question is whether Rossi ran the entire 26.2 miles of the 2014 race. If you are too dumb to know what the question is, you are highly unlikely to stumble upon the correct answer.