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

rojo wrote:

Happy New Year's everyone.

New article is up. We have doubled the $100,000 challenge to $200,000.

http://www.letsrun.com/news/2016/01/viral-marathon-dad-suspected-marathon-cheat-mike-rossi-fails-claim-first-part-letsrun-com-100000-challenge-doubling-200000/

Rojo, do it RIGHT and make it $1,000,000

He won't run 311. Drug test him. He can't do it.

He won't make it and you would get national press. If he refuses $1M he will be known forever as the Boston cheat.

200k is enough to solidify the argument. IF anyone out there still believed he was somehow capable and might not have cheated the only way they will continue to believe is if he at least makes an attempt. I sure as hell hope he lines up for any marathon. Mike can't even sniff a 3:25, and even if he did that is eons away from 3:11. I say if he's got any brain cells left he would just disappear until the summer.

This is really the worst case scenario for Mike. 6+ months later and there are several articles about his cheating, he still defies anyone who calls him out on it, he's mentioned as one of the top losers in Philly, and the offer is now doubled. What this all means is he's a lightning rod for negative press. There have been smart people in his shoes that have been able to capitalize from this kind of situation, but we are dealing with a very different creature. HE STILL THINKS EVERYONE BUT 12 BASEMENT TROLLS BELIEVE HIM.

Mike, your head has just disappeared inside the quicksand.

$200k is good. But $1,000,000 would be even cooler.

He can't run 311 without loads of drugs, tailored diet, coaching, recovery massage, find a perfect course, and a hell of a lot of luck.

If I were in his shoes and has $1,000,000 for grabs, I would invest $100k in all of those things (being a wonderful cheater I'm sure he could get around the whole doping test thing) and give myself 2 attempts before the deadline.

If I make the 311, that is a cool $900k profit. Though very risky, it is tempting.

If Rossi did that, he would obviously fail. He is weak and couldn't put in the work. Moreover, he would bankrupt himself and STILL fail at he supposedly did in the heat.

NO 311 RUNNER WOULD TURN DOWN $1M TO RUN A 311.

then again, it's not my money :D

rojo wrote:

Speaking of the new year, maybe it's got me in an extra good mood to say something I've been meaning tos ay for a while. I don't get why people want to see his life ruined. The guy cheated in a race and lied about it - he didn't molest a little boy and get away with it. I just want him to confess. I want him to be embarrassed in the running world, I don't want to see his kids suffer.

Agreed, I don't think anyone looks good doing the "but he started it" child level stuff. Some of the nonsense and personal attacks he has come out with

should rightfully be mocked but no more.

I think that the Haddon 5K shenanigans ensured that this isn't going away because what he did there proves he hasn't learned a thing. A person secretly filming the start/finish area that day would have got the equivalent of the Zapruder footage catching him sauntering over the start last then walking over to the finish.

From "dad of the year" to "loser of the year".

Mike is winning!

I love this new 200K offer. But Mike isn't going to take the challenge. He won't even unlock his Twitter!

TheDudeAbides wrote:

That was...disappointing

rojo wrote:

Yep. Only 3 hours until we are going to publish a new story on Rossi. Once midnight strikes, we've got another front page story for you all.

Sorry, my prior comment was based on an older article, not the new one.

The new one is $200,000 worth of awesome. I'm sure Mike jumped right on it, right?

I agree with Rojo - I don't like to see his personal life impacted. For me, it's the psychological aspect that keeps me coming back. I just can't imagine carrying on that burden everyday of my life. And it does have to be taxing for his family life. I just don't see how you keep going forward like that.

The other thing that kills me is the idea that you can prance around all of those medals knowing that you did not earn them. I'm not much of a trophy person, but i love having my stack of medals from marathons that I have run. It's like the one souvenir of the hard work that led to the race, and then the work that you put in during the race...the fighting through pain and fatigue. If i had dropped out of the race or cut the course, it would have negative value to me. Just difficult for me to understand it.

theREALsmokingGunner wrote:

$200k is good. But $1,000,000 would be even cooler.

He can't run 311 without loads of drugs, tailored diet, coaching, recovery massage, find a perfect course, and a hell of a lot of luck.

You left out one thing: warm, humid weather is required for his second race of a lifetime.

Offer him the cool mil to break 3. If a dude can go from 3:43.52 to 3:11:45. there should still be room in a newer runner to improve that much at least, probably more.

I never said I wanted his life to fall apart. My point was that holding onto this stupid lie that he ran Via in 3:11 isn't doing him any good. There is absolutely nothing wrong with what Mike has... a job, pays the bills, raises two cute kids, wife and house in the 'burbs. HE was the one who seemed dissatisfied with it, so he cheated to run Boston to be something he wasn't, then used the publicity machine to tout his "father of the year" status (embarrassing a principal in the process). Now it's all backfired on him, and while he's getting the attention he craved, it's just loads and loads of the wrong kind. A narcissist like Mike looks down his nose at the average guy (I'm happily average). I was pointing out he is exactly what he fears, and what all the lies, and tweets, and pictures are meant to hide... He's just an average, everyday kind of bloke. Most people are happy with that, but I don't think that sits too well with him.

ALWAYS EARNED NEVER GIVEN

Don't you think being named one of the top losers in Philadelphia would impact one's personal life? My point being, what possibly is the rationale to keep piling on at this point? The man has been completely humiliated, regardless if he admits it or not.

I admit that it was satisfying to see his nastiness and arrogance totally backfire. But at some point you have to admit victory and move on. I repeat, the man has been completely humiliated and in my opinion, continuing to humiliate him to gain a confession seems unsportsmanlike at this point.

And darn it .. I've already broken my New Year's resolution to move on from this and stop wasting a half hour a day reading this thread!

HAPPY NEW YEAR MIKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IT IS NOT THE CRITIC WHO COUNTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GO GET THAT 200K!!!!!!!!!!!!!

STILL IN THE GAME, BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dude, he would end up having to take so many drugs to even break 3:20 that he might get killed by the offer

theREALsmokingGunner wrote:

$200k is good. But $1,000,000 would be even cooler.

He can't run 311 without loads of drugs, tailored diet, coaching, recovery massage, find a perfect course, and a hell of a lot of luck.

If I were in his shoes and has $1,000,000 for grabs, I would invest $100k in all of those things (being a wonderful cheater I'm sure he could get around the whole doping test thing) and give myself 2 attempts before the deadline.

If I make the 311, that is a cool $900k profit. Though very risky, it is tempting.

If Rossi did that, he would obviously fail. He is weak and couldn't put in the work. Moreover, he would bankrupt himself and STILL fail at he supposedly did in the heat.

NO 311 RUNNER WOULD TURN DOWN $1M TO RUN A 311.

then again, it's not my money :D

Whyamihere wrote:

And darn it .. I've already broken my New Year's resolution to move on from this and stop wasting a half hour a day reading this thread!

Until the $200k challenge expires no one could blame you. It is far more entertaining than most other avenues like tv or concerning ourselves with the hologram principle.

I am looking forward to any races Rossi claims to do now, imagine going to even the smallest trot and knowing everyone there knows your sordid tale. What joy could you find in running ever again? Mike may be able to publicly deny much, but I guarantee that disjointed subconscious is working overtime.

It would probably be wise for him to take the Rosie Ruiz approach and just say "no comment" from now on. Denial and lying just angers people, but "no comment" is an admission of guilt without actually saying so. Rosie Ruiz has held out for 36 years now and has changed her story from "I didn't cheat" to "no comment." She's 62 now, so it seems pretty certain she'll go to her grave sticking to "no comment." It probably isn't how people like to be remembered, though.

Rojo - as you know from our correspondences, I too don't want his kids to suffer and don't appreciate those type of comments often associated with one poster (albeit from many different accounts).

However, I want him DQ'd because he will never confess as he has no integrity, courage or intestinal fortitude to do so. A lot of media attention has been focused on him as of late, although usually in the context of bigger articles, What would be ideal would be media attention focused on Barb McKeever and VIA in contrast to other races, and there has been quite a few notable ones over the last several months, that have DQ'd people, even ones somewhat similar to Rossi. The light and heat needs to be turned focused on Barb and those decisions makers at VIA and the Board Directors of Via Net, Inc.

I like this: How can we reapply pressure to the negligent Barb McKeever? Mike will not admit he cheated, he needs DQ'd. She has to know of the firestorm that has built since their inexcusable decision.

abingtonrunner2 wrote:

Rojo - as you know from our correspondences, I too don't want his kids to suffer and don't appreciate those type of comments often associated with one poster (albeit from many different accounts).

However, I want him DQ'd because he will never confess as he has no integrity, courage or intestinal fortitude to do so. A lot of media attention has been focused on him as of late, although usually in the context of bigger articles, What would be ideal would be media attention focused on Barb McKeever and VIA in contrast to other races, and there has been quite a few notable ones over the last several months, that have DQ'd people, even ones somewhat similar to Rossi. The light and heat needs to be turned focused on Barb and those decisions makers at VIA and the Board Directors of Via Net, Inc.

abingtonrunner2 wrote:

Rojo - as you know from our correspondences, I too don't want his kids to suffer and don't appreciate those type of comments often associated with one poster (albeit from many different accounts).

His kids will suffer. Not because of this thread, but because their father was named top loser of the year, ahead of Bill Cosby. And only Mike is to blame for that.