Frank Meza 2:53:10 at LA Marathon (70 years old) unofficial time (just finished)

jesseriley wrote:

Amby, you’re a legend. There are a few jealous people on here.

There is nothing worse for the Latino community than phony heroes. Legends and jealousy have zero to do with calling the subject out.

Amby, this is an honest question. Do you consider yourself a journalist?

Just because someone writes for a living, that doesn't necessarily equate to being a journalist, and I am not sure why we would expect a write to take on every possible project.

Heck, even those writers who deem themselves journalists cannot write about every transgression (although I would say that this transgression comes fairly close to being noteworthy enough to warrant an article if one considers themselves to be a journalist working in the running arena).

He is not wearing sunglasses sometimes in the middle of a race (when it is dark out) and they are not on his cap. Yet he has them on later in the race. Where do you think they are?

Ed probably doesn't care anymore.

World's fastest over 70 wrote:

A person with no running pedigree whatsoever has ursurped (sic) Whitlock's legacy in plain sight.

No he hasn't.

Age Grouper wrote:

I won the Masters division once at one of the top 10 largest U.S. marathons once. My life didn't change one bit.

There's a reason no one has ever filed suit for this.

I got 2nd in Seniors (50+) division at a prestigious US marathon once. That 2nd place trophy is the only running-related thing I display in my home office. It would be bothersome, to put it mildly, to know that FM was displaying the 1st place trophy. It matters to us.

I have a lot more respect for Amby than I do for you.

As I'm sure everyone noticed, Amby Burfoot's article was the first time we've heard from coach Diaz and Dr. Bland. There was a threat of legal action from coach Diaz (how weird is that?) and this from Dr. Bland:

“When Gene Dykes came on the scene last fall, we were amazed, because we had never heard of him. He apparently got a late start. We wondered, ‘Where did he come from?’ ”

So even though Dr. Meza had been cheating for 10+ years, it seems that he decided to step it up to world class level when he started hearing about Gene Dykes.

I'm glad to see that someone was able to interpret my comments as expressing some level of doubt. I assume that most others can guess, rather accurately, what I believe.

thanks, Amby for dipping your toe in this proverbial mess that Dr. Meza caused. I have no overall problem with the tacts you have taken. I have a problem though with the tempering of criticism based on his non-running life. I don't care if he's a Nobel laureate or average joe/frank: He could be one of the most abusive cheaters ever in running. Yes, he's only a masters runner and no it wasn't for official records but it was so blatant that this begs for sharper criticism and condemnation from the journalistic running community. Not only of Dr. Meza but the events that let this abuse to continue. Letting him slide on his nonsensical statements, his representative's threatening phone call to you and the clear analytic and photographic evidence of cheating leaves most shaking their heads and wanting a little more. The intent isn't to ruin him but to make sure this doesn't happen again. Mind you, Meza WAS perpetrating these abuses well aware that a Marathon Investigation existed. Maybe he wanted to get caught? Or maybe he was so arrogant that he believed he wouldn't. Who knows...

In addition, the 2014 Runners World article proclaiming him as the 2nd best 65-69 year old runner in the world months AFTER HE WAS DQ'd at CIM is head scratching: How did this happen? What is the back story there.? Extraordinarily terrible "reporting". Maybe a correction is due?

Also, the races themselves bear responsibility. : For goodness sakes, LA/Phoenix/Long Beach/Santa Clarita, Pasadena Half all charge a fortune to run in. Keep you events "clean". Maybe don't let anyone in who's been banned from a major USATF sanctioned event. I thing this begs for more investigation and possibly revisions.

Again, you've done more than your colleagues in the running journalistic field as of today and glad you were seemingly on the case and hope you encourage your running journo colleagues to take up the charge...thanks

Dear Mr. Burfoot,

I do not see a compromise. A performance is authentic, comprehensible and plausible. In case of doubt, a sportsman does everything to explain this performance or to repeat it under witnesses. That is not the case here. His social commitment is meaningless in this context. PC does not help with the factual evaluation.

It looks like Loyola HS has taken the news off their website.

The original story...

http://athletics.loyolahs.edu/2017-2018/cross-country/news/loyola-trackxc-well-represented-over-the-weekend-setting-schoolusworld-records

... is now blank.

And the News page ...

http://athletics.loyolahs.edu/2017-2018/cross-country/news/

... no longer contains a link to the now-blank page.

jesseriley wrote:

Then there are all the “charities,” etc who would defend FM, who thinks he’s Jesus the Healer.

This is what you're up against, such things as Amby's comment (not having a go at Amby here):

I chose to leave Meza alone because he seems a respected member of the Latin American medical community in L.A., because he has been a long-time high school coach, and because he was an early supporter of an early Latin American running club, Aztlan Athletics. I value these contributions.

They'll be a lot more to come, even the Loyola head coach is defending him now, who obviously knows Meza is incapable of the times recorded, and Bland, who we all suspected knew of Frank's cheating anyway.

Someone has posted that they've made contact with the Loyola Principle, so it'll be interesting to see where it goes from here.

He's not "Jesus the Healer" but he is seen as a "Giant" within the medical world and Latino community:

"It was Dr. Frank Meza, LMSA Lifetime Achievement Award winner, who inspired me to learn how to become an effective mentor. We are all standing on the shoulders of giants, like Dr. Meza, who came before us."

Respecting someone and what they do is one thing, but no one is above anyone else, even Amby who is a guy who wrote about a cheater and gave his personal opinion, which he is entitled to do.

Amby's time in 1968 was nowhere near being a record, but if he had lost the Boston Marathon to a cheater in 1968 and was robbed of that first place...I think he'd feel differently.

Ed Whitlock is a very well-known runner who sadly passed away. It doesn't matter if Frank's time doesn't qualify as a record, it's a slap in the face to the memory of an amazing runner, Ed Whitlock.

When Oscar Miranda crossed the finish line in an age group record time in the 1979 Boston Marathon, they didn't let it go. Will Cloney gave him the chance to run a 10k at the same pace that he allegedly ran the marathon. Oscar would not do it for obvious reasons.

There was no video back then, it was the runners behind him that said you know damn well who's ahead of you as the race got under way and that guy was never ahead of them till the end. That and him not being seen at checkpoints was enough to DQ him. Now we have clear and conclusive video evidence and it's not enough! Shaking my head.

Having respect for anything that he's done besides running is a separate thing altogether, but that doesn't give him the right to cheat let alone cheat with a time that rivals Gene Dykes and the late great Ed Whitlock.

Shame on a lot of you.

And for the record, I have the right to my opinion too.

That’s the MO, wait until someone’s dead, they can’t interfere with these scams then; it’s honestly that cold.

Shoulders of Giant. wrote:

They'll be a lot more to come, even the Loyola head coach is defending him now, who obviously knows Meza is incapable of the times recorded, and Bland, who we all suspected knew of Frank's cheating anyway.

Someone has posted that they've made contact with the Loyola Principle, so it'll be interesting to see where it goes from here.

He's not "Jesus the Healer" but he is seen as a "Giant" within the medical world and Latino community:

I would suggest that not only does Head Coach Diaz and Assistant Coach Dr Bland know of Dr Meza's shenanigans, but also Dr Meza's running companions doctors Sara Tartof and Francisco Meza (many photo links of the four doctors together in this thread) and the whole of the Loyola High Athletic Department.

If Loyola are smart they'll quickly nip this in the bud and get everyone involved to come clean before the whole Loyola High School gets dragged down in to the muck when it goes viral.

Just sayin'.

How could coach Diaz, a running coach, not know what was going on? perhaps the threat to Amby was because he knows or even assisted.

jesseriley wrote:

That’s the MO, wait until someone’s dead, they can’t interfere with these scams then; it’s honestly that cold.

Yeah but Gene Dykes isn't.

Just a reminder of the three sub three hour 70yo marathon runner we're talking about here:

Pick the cheat:

Dr Frankenstein. wrote:

I don't know if this was previously pointed out, but one of these three doesn't look like a sub three hour marathon runner:

https://imgur.com/a/64rHntB

But which one?

olddude wrote:

How could coach Diaz, a running coach, not know what was going on? perhaps the threat to Amby was because he knows or even assisted.

+1