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

theREALsmokingGunner wrote:

But to have no respect for the thousands of people who make it into Boston because of a cheater is downright stupid IMO.

I'm not sure, but I think for people it's not about the people who qualify legitimately, or even Mike Rossi per se, but the organization and the "myth of Boston". People buy into this mentality that Boston is the pinnacle for marathons, because it has a qualifying time and good marketing. But, it really is a house of cards, and the whole fiasco with Rossi, where it become obvious how easy it is to cheat your way into Boston and nobody actually cares as long as the money is still rolling in, well, the bloom is off the rose.

Anyway, I'm just guessing. I've never been interested in running Boston, maybe because for me personally the qualifying standards are easy and I hate the Boston Bruins. Kidding, somewhat. I've actually always been turned off by the hype, not just for Boston, but anything like that. Always makes me feel like someone is trying to sell me something.

I'm gonna go out on a limb a say that qualifying for the race is pretty easy for most people on this forum. If that is why you want to think less of the people who work to qualify and pay to run it, then fine.

But I just think it is idiotic to have no respect for people because some loser cheated in a race to sneak in.

You can always find a POS in a big enough group. That doesn't mean it is logical to disrespect everybody in that group if the POS is an exception.

I don't get it. Whatever.

Did the Rojos ever think about offering the money that would have gone to Rossi (or Rossi's charity) directly to VIA if Barb DQ's Rossi?

Yasso says he wants the VIA team thinking about fundraising, not about a cheater from 2 years ago. Well, this is one way to do good.

To summarize my post - I said it had nothing to do with the people who work hard to qualify. Nobody is thinking less of the people who work hard to qualify. Let me repeat that again, nobody is thinking less of the people who work hard to qualify. Can you understand that? Nobody is thinking less of the people who work hard to qualify. They think less of the administration and the mistique of Boston.

Finally, also, nobody is thinking less of the people who work hard to qualify.

Hope that helps explain that nobody is thinking less about the people who work hard to qualify.

Hobby Ironmanner wrote:

Did the Rojos ever think about offering the money that would have gone to Rossi (or Rossi's charity) directly to VIA if Barb DQ's Rossi?

Yasso says he wants the VIA team thinking about fundraising, not about a cheater from 2 years ago. Well, this is one way to do good.

The money was offered because they knew it was safe and to make a point that additionally proves what fools Barb and Via are. I don't know the brojos but I don't get the impression they have $200 grand to toss to those idiots for doing the job they have been so far incompetent to do.

Derision, not dollars, for The Cheater Mike Rossi, Barb McKeever, and the Via run committee. And we're not letting them forget it any time soon.

Wow no profile pic changes in the last few days. Be careful Mike, you wouldn't want your followers to be bored and possibly drop you. If you don't post new pics with b-list celebrities people might actually start believing you are not an important person, imagine that! At first I thought you were just fighting an ego-based social media addiction, but now I'm certain you blocked your Twitter account because you couldn't take the heat anymore. We knew you'd crack at some point.

The irony that is your life is magical... You cheated to get to Boston and then your demise came from boasting about your achievement through a self-righteous letter. What a piece of $hit.

Not just b-list celebrities, but also lots of selfies.

A 48 year old "man" taking selfies just isn't normal.

Still in the game, baby. Philly to Boston.

But how else would he prove to us that #lifeisgood if not for the $hit eating grin?

EZPass Mike wrote:

Not just b-list celebrities, but also lots of selfies.

A 48 year old "man" taking selfies just isn't normal.

Still in the game, baby. Philly to Boston.

Hey Phil did you make it to your last Klan meeting?

so is phillips exeter cross country the epitome of kids who can't make it at football and kids who can't make it in regular schools so they get shipped off to "make it" in a nurturing paid for environment?

seems so

yes thing away my internet privileges is harsh, plus I would not have enjoyed taking drama with ol bateman

Mike would thrive in a non-honor code environment

Philip Exeter CC wrote:

call it like it is wrote:

so is phillips exeter cross country the epitome of kids who can't make it at football and kids who can't make it in regular schools so they get shipped off to "make it" in a nurturing paid for environment?

seems so

You wouldn't survive a day on bounds here at Phillips Exeter. Mike Rossi would be expelled.

Yeah just like blacks and Latinos if you had your way, huh?

Ballad of a Boston Bandit

A-, D-, E, A-

He decided that just running wasn’t enough

He had to do Boston but found qualifying too tough

So he came up with a crude scheme

That would allow him to realize his dream.

All he had to do was find him a race

That had timing mats in only one place

Cross the start and have the timer begin

Disappear then finish, no one’d know where you’d been.

But he made some mistakes in executing his plan

Which showed it wasn’t a marathon he ran.

First he had a race history from which one could tell

That his time was bogus, he could never run that well.

Perhaps excitement made him lose his head

But when he “finished”, 3:11 the clock said.

Now none of this would have ever been known

Had he not done something that meant his cover was blown.

CHORUS: G, C, D, G, G, C, D, G

“I did it I did it

“You’re just jealous of me

“Cause when I was young I was on the TV

“I did it I did it

“I don’t need to show proof

“You have to believe me, I’m telling the truth.”

His kids’ principal wrote a note saying he had done wrong

When he pulled them from school to take them along

To make his Boston adventure a family affair

He should have left them in school and not taken them there.

Now this was too much for our hero to take

He’d tell Madam Principal that she’d made a mistake

He wrote her a letter telling her so

How could she think she was in a position to know?

“What’s best for my kids, I will decide

“I went to Boston and they came along for the ride”

He sent his letter but wanted to do more

So he posted it on Facebook to even the score.

Somehow it went viral and word got around

About the marathoning father who had stood his ground

“I took my kids to Boston to watch my great run

“And they learned a lot, that’s what I have done.”.

And so he was interviewed all over the place

Never failing to mention his glorious race

This sounded suspicious to someone he knew

Who said there’s no way he got a BQ.

And who looked at the race where it was supposedly done

For proof that the course had really been run

Like Holmes or Miss Marple no photo was found

This was the key, like the non-barking hound.

For course-photos were taken of all in the race

Of young and of old, of whatever pace

Except for our hero, who never is seen

At the start and the finish but none in between.

“I did it I did it

“You’re just jealous of me

“Cause when I was young I was on the TV

“I did it I did it

“I don’t need to show proof

“You have to believe me, I’m telling the truth.”

After his brief, 15 minutes of fame

He found himself in the runners’ hall of shame

He said “I did it, twenty-six miles and some

“If you don’t believe me you’re just a bum”.

“Or one of twelve gnomes who sit in the basement all day”

But no one listened to a word that he’d say

He to have proof, which he would show

If he were DQed, he’d let everyone know.

"I have friends who’ll vouch for my training runs”

When a call went for them, the response came from none

So folks went to the RD where they could complain

“I don’t think he ran it, and let me explain.

“There’s no way he could run that fast, and no photo proof”

But it apparently was not an effort to get to the truth

He told her he ran it, proving a negative was elusive

The result stood, they said things weren’t “conclusive”

“I wasn’t DQed, and they vindicated me”

And he wore Boston logos for everyone to see

But runners aren’t fools, and everyone knew

That he was not cleared when there was no DQ.

“I did it I did it

“You’re just jealous of me

“Cause when I was young I was on the TV

“I did it I did it

“I don’t need to show proof

“You have to believe me, I’m telling the truth.”

The Brojos decided to settle it once and for all

So they offered rewards, one large, some small

"Run 3:11 again, we’ll give you 100K

"Or 10 for a time you should be able to do any day.

"If, that is, your BQ was legit

"You can do sub-20 without sweating a bit

"So those are the carrots, a get-out-of-jail card

"And if what you say is true, it wouldn’t be hard."

He took the bait, and Twittered big talk

“I’ll take your money, and I might even walk”

He bragged of workouts that didn’t make sense

By then there no one would come to his defense.

He entered a race for a sub-20 5K

After the race, he Twittered that “looks like my big day”

When the times came, he wasn’t even close

He deleted his tweets and became more morose.

Did he really run it? There was much reason to doubt

It didn’t much matter, his time left him out

He began threatening people, nearly out of control

Convinced anyone who criticized was simply a troll.

It became like a car crash, you couldn’t look away

And it kept going, til this very day.

It might well have ended if he’d simply come clean

Instead he insisted and then he turned mean.

The saddest part was that he never understood

That it isn’t your time that makes you feel good

It is the effort and the joy it brings on

And not how much Boston gear you can don.

That his family would love him the same

If he never ran Boston, and few knew his name

Runners don’t care about time, except for their own

But lie about yours, you’ll be running alone.

“I did it I did it

“You’re just jealous of me

“Cause when I was young I was on the TV

“I did it I did it

“I don’t need to show proof

“You have to believe me, I’m telling the truth

“I did it I did it

“I ran all the way

“And that’s what I’ll say till my dying day.

“I did it I did it

“I don’t need to show proof

“You have to believe me, I’m telling the truth”

Hobby Ironmanner wrote:

Did the Rojos ever think about offering the money that would have gone to Rossi (or Rossi's charity) directly to VIA if Barb DQ's Rossi?

Yasso says he wants the VIA team thinking about fundraising, not about a cheater from 2 years ago. Well, this is one way to do good.

No we did not. If we offer them money to do something that's basically a bribe. Plus we don't want hiim DQd. This thread would be dead long ago ;)

Major props for writing this. You got a big mention in our Weekly Recap:

+200,000

I think many people can relate to your feeling -- albeit with different targets. Just saying: Think about it!

Thanks for posting the lyrics, gave me a good smile.

Same here - and not the "these a$$holes don't know I cheated my way into this race" smile.

ExpertKipWatcher wrote:

Thanks for posting the lyrics, gave me a good smile.