The story about the Meat Train 3 year ban is true. There was initially a 3-year ban instilled for the members of the Meat Train team. This came as no surprise to anyone who witnessed their deceitful attempt at cutting the course during a Michael "Where's the exchange zone" McCarty leg on Day 2. This "short-cut" was their downfall as it easily took 3-4x the normal amount of time to run, and allowed several teams to catch up to them at the exchange zone and catch their cheating red-handed. It was over for Meat Train - a DQ was filed that night. But as legends go, Meat Train showed up on the morning of Day 3 and obliterated the rest of the field. Not that it made a difference as their fate was sealed and listed on the results as DFL. Done was the self-proclaimed greatest GLR squad ever assembled.
A week later the notice went out to all GLR 2015 Meat Train members that they were banned for the next 3 years - the minimum penalty for an offense as inhumane as the one they committed. Three years may not seem like a long time to you, but to these men, in their mid to late 20s and some early 30s, this was a GLR death sentence. In three years many of these men would have wives, children, ailing grandmothers, ex-wives, divorce filings and alimony. There would be no Meat Train in 3 years, and they all knew it. Something had to be done, and there was only one person who could do it.
A team at its core is not about the individuals, but about the ideals that those individuals uphold together. The testament of whether a team is good or great comes at a time when they are being tested in a way they never have before. Much like how on Day 1 of GLR 2015, Meat Train went up against the best competition ever seen at GLR. An immensely fierce battle - not a David vs. Goliath type battle, but a Cavs Vs Warriors, a Pacquiao vs Mayweather, you get the point. As a great team does, Meat Train was able to rise to the occasion, fronting immense pressure from Meat Grinder and beat them to the finish line on Day 1. In the face of certain banishment, Meat Train was able to do the same with the ban. This is their story.
A great team has at the center a great Leader. Meat Train's leader is Leo "The Godfather of GLR" Foley. He is known well throughout GLR and the midwest running communities for his competitive nature, sharp wit, and his *receding* hairline. His role as Meat Train team captain in this story is essential, but it was his role in civilian life that got the ban lifted and will bring Meat Train back to its former glory as the still self-proclaimed best team at GLR. For those who may not know, Leo is trained in the art of US Law. It was with this select set of skills that he was able to search through the legal literature and find recourse for his team. The story goes, that when fronted with a lawsuit, the GLR coordinators tried settling out of court, but Leo insisted on taking them through the proceedings as he knew his case was bulletproof. Legal mumbo-jumbo aside, it was a landslide victory for the Meat Train 2k15 members. The judge ruled in favor of unbanning the members of the team, but for other emotional and financial damage that the GLR coordinators caused, Meat Train was awarded comped entry every year going forward indefinitely and hotel and food expenses covered (not alcohol because Meat Train has a beer sponsor anyway). Meat Train even worked into the deal pulling Jerome "I need more Vanilla Java Porter" Recker away from the Meat Grinder to fill up their roster.
That is how Meat Train was banned in 2015.