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

Found 2 pictures wrote:

I found 2 photos. 1st photo he is on the left.

Second photo you can see him behind the guy in the neon yellow shirt in the distance.

http://images.partypics.com/events/26764939/00134/13321.jpghttp://images.partypics.com/events/26764939/00134/13307.jpg

Thanks. The final stretch (which includes the times these pictures were taken) are covered within the finish line video posted and analyzed much earlier in the thread. It has been established that MR ran at minimum, the final 200 meters. There are still some that think they can see him jump in behind the neon green shirt dude, but most agree that it isn't him jumping in, and he was behind green shirt dude for the entire final stretch in the video.

Side note - it's amazing watching that finish line video, how poorly the majority of runners run the tangents in a race.

About time this thread came to an end I think.

lvm guy wrote:

We've decided to give Mr. Rossi the benefit of the doubt as to having completed the BQ here. Thank you for helping to bring attention to ways that we can improve as a marathon.

From back on p 128. No one has commented on this. I'm guessing it is not legit?

I will set an example for Rossie Ruiz and own up to my mistake. I have read every page of this, some comments get scanned, I must have scanned and missed this one!The dog body slam was high comedy.

Try and keep up. wrote:

WWRD wrote:

See if he signed up for a ride,

You need to read this, hard to keep up I know, but no excuses for not reading the page before your post, one a hundred pages back maybe...

gatorade&vodka wrote:

You are correct, last year only had bus service to the start, so legit runners either parked at the finish and took the bus to the start, or got a ride to the start.

I don't remember being asked about whether I planned to use the shuttle bus, but even if they polled runners about if they planned to use it, the bus option definitely didn't require preregistration or a ticket.

It would be an interesting thing to ask Rossi about, but if he had any brains he'd say he was on that shuttle and I doubt anyone can prove he wasn't.

I'm FB friends with Rossi and I shared this article that Hal wrote on FB bc I want it out there. I had a few friends share it too. He unfriended me. Another reason I think he is guilty. He couldn't stop talking about his letter to the principal, meeting with reporters wearing his medal and now...nothing. Silence. If this was happening to me I would do everything I could to prove I ran that race. I would defend myself. I wouldn't wait as he is doing until the ruling is in. Doing it this way still will leave doubt in people's minds. He is a tool bag.

Unfriended :( wrote:

I'm FB friends with Rossi and I shared this article that Hal wrote on FB bc I want it out there. I had a few friends share it too. He unfriended me. Another reason I think he is guilty. He couldn't stop talking about his letter to the principal, meeting with reporters wearing his medal and now...nothing. Silence. If this was happening to me I would do everything I could to prove I ran that race. I would defend myself. I wouldn't wait as he is doing until the ruling is in. Doing it this way still will leave doubt in people's minds. He is a tool bag.

"Tool bag" is so early 90s. Apparently, "douche nozzle" is the appropriate terminology.

Don't have inside info but I guessing this is MR, throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks. He seems like a real great guy, eh?

cn wrote:

lvm guy wrote:

We've decided to give Mr. Rossi the benefit of the doubt as to having completed the BQ here. Thank you for helping to bring attention to ways that we can improve as a marathon.

From back on p 128. No one has commented on this. I'm guessing it is not legit?

For the shuttlebus, I'm just speculating but maybe a wife was aware. His goal was Boston, who cared how he got there. Or she wasn't, and picked him up at the finish with his medal and he said he'd parked at the last relay leg instead of the start line cause there was some race snafu... I wouldn't think twice to question that. Or she wasn't there and he jogged back to the car (or took a taxi or uber) and then drove home. Sorry, my memory is totally fuzzy on this but did they say they went to a neighborhood block party or something like that, right after the race?

And out of curiosity, how expensive are timing mats?

runner felice wrote:

http://sarahbw80.blogspot.com/2015/05/catching-cheat-did-mike-rossi-cheat-to.html

Hadn't thought of this (and didn't verify if completely accurate), but she brings up good point if so -- his 3:11 pace would mean a PR at all the intermediate distances along the way.

No agenda - but a quick question. Are you more/less likely to run the LVM if they take action/don't take action? Is the next move of the race organizers important to their future?

I can't say one way or another right now how it would affect my decision to run , I really don't think it would though . What I can say is that I use runners reviews on many issues from course setup and organization to their race day experiences to help decide. I think Lehigh is very conscious about what is being discussed in these threads right now. I really don't think it will change their decision making process on this issue though. As far as the second question I think many race organizers and directors are watching closely how this plays out now and for the future.

Neutral Observertard wrote:

dsb wrote:

I agree...I am certain that he cheated. Unfortunately a lack of evidence that he didn't cheat doesn't necessarily constitute evidence that he did. Without concrete evidence I don't see any governing body taking any actions against him.

The rules of a race say (in effect) that you have to travel along a marked and predefined course. If it can really be shown that Mike did not pass a certain location (one is enough) on the course then that is evidence of cheating. Of course, if Mike did not cheat then he is probably the unluckiest person in the history of marathon running.

I'm just attempting to look at this from a legal standpoint...and no I am neither a lawyer nor do I play one on TV. A lack of photographs of him doesn't prove that he didn't run along the predefined course. Only a photograph of him in the act of venturing off of the course; or perhaps timestamped video surveillance of him ordering a double decaf latte, would provide absolute proof that he cheated. And without absolute proof I don't see anyone taking action against a recreational runner for whom the sanctions would be largely symbolic.

PR's wrote:

runner felice wrote:http://sarahbw80.blogspot.com/2015/05/catching-cheat-did-mike-rossi-cheat-to.html

Hadn't thought of this (and didn't verify if completely accurate), but she brings up good point if so -- his 3:11 pace would mean a PR at all the intermediate distances along the way.

Yes. And the summery temps in Allentown that day were hardly conducive for a massive marathon PR by a runner who logs curiously low weekly mileage.

I would be less likely to run the LVM if they do nothing. And it has been on my short list, I live in NJ so it is a pretty local race for me, I was actually thinking about using it for a BQ attempt.It would be my first BQ though, and no way I could do it there if they let this cheater skate. I know I would forever be getting my balls busted by marathoning friends implying I BQ'd on the same course Rossi BQ'd on. No thanks.LVM needs to step up and do the right thing - and I think they will.

EZPassMike wrote:

No agenda - but a quick question. Are you more/less likely to run the LVM if they take action/don't take action? Is the next move of the race organizers important to their future?

Good point but they did announce that they are adding a load of Rossi mats for this years race.

Maggie2 wrote:

Sorry, my memory is totally fuzzy on this but did they say they went to a neighborhood block party or something like that, right after the race?

It's been awhile since his Facebook was public, but I thought he posted that he was at a sports game later that day

Memes R Us wrote:

seriously... wrote:

What I like best is several posters (or one in reality) want to compare Mike Rossi to Rosie Ruiz because maybe or maybe not running or whether he was capable of a 3:11 is the same thing as cheating to win the Boston Marathon.

There have been some good summaries, SaraB's spreadsheet should win an award.

What I like best about his supporters from saved screen shots who say that those looking into this must be jealous. Ha hah! that is so funny.

Aww thank you, but will just reward myself with a Boston medal next year. Using the Rossi method of training I'm going to reduce my mileage down to say 15 a week, run every other race for fun and get myself from 4:42 to 3:30. Photographers all hate me though so don't bother looking for photos of me :D

dsb wrote:

I'm just attempting to look at this from a legal standpoint...and no I am neither a lawyer nor do I play one on TV. A lack of photographs of him doesn't prove that he didn't run along the predefined course. Only a photograph of him in the act of venturing off of the course; or perhaps time stamped video surveillance of him ordering a double decaf latte, would provide absolute proof that he cheated. And without absolute proof I don't see anyone taking action against a recreational runner for whom the sanctions would be largely symbolic.

Why would photographic confirmation of his absence not be considered proof? To consider it photographic confirmation you would need to eliminate all doubt that the camera would miss him. I would guess you would need two things:

1) The camera angle must clearly capture the entire course, where one would have to be off the course to be out of the field of vision.

2) The images must be taken at sufficient intervals (in this case 1/s) to make it impossible get through the field of vision between photos.

We pretty much have this., but it's not clear to ones who haven't seen the photos. Which is why I would like to put together the "video" with the downloaded photos from the bridge to more clearly demonstrate it. It seems though nobody (including myself) wants to take the time to download them, or to even organize a crowdsource download to a community dropbox.

FBcookiemonster wrote:

Sara - any more fun FB drama? Please share

Sorry, I'm in a different time zone to most of you so just catching up. He did post in the Dopey group last night, it got deleted by him before I saw it, by all accounts it was just him attention seeking (no one responds to the posts he puts on now because he just deletes them anyway). There's some type of balttle going on between Mike and a wedding photographer. Mike posted a couple of links

and

. I guess to descredit the guy speaking out against him even though it had nothing to do with the conversation. I asked Mike this:

"Mike my old chum, knew you were still watching and reading. I don't think you can resist. How about them splits though? Is a simple question to answer. Either you were on pace at 10k/halfway/30k or you were slightly ahead or behind by x amount? Did you run even, negative or positive splits? There's no way you weren't watching your pace in the only ever race you didn't run for fun so don't give dumb answers. Stop posting rubbish stuff and answer a serious question that could get you off the hook otherwise the DQ will happen and it won't go away."

Of course there is no answer because he only posts dumb stuff.

dsb wrote:

I'm just attempting to look at this from a legal standpoint...and no I am neither a lawyer nor do I play one on TV. A lack of photographs of him doesn't prove that he didn't run along the predefined course. Only a photograph of him in the act of venturing off of the course; or perhaps timestamped video surveillance of him ordering a double decaf latte, would provide absolute proof that he cheated. And without absolute proof I don't see anyone taking action against a recreational runner for whom the sanctions would be largely symbolic.

Why should a Race Director's burden of proof to DQ a runner be greater than the state's in a criminal trial? If a prosecutor needed a photograph or video of the defendant committing a crime to get a conviction, the prisons would be pretty empty places. Juries have convicted people of murder without a body, for goodness sake.

A guy gets accused of cheating, and by coincidence his time at Boston is 50 minutes slower than his qualifier. By coincidence, nothing in his limited < 2 years racing past would indicate the remote possibility of him being able to run a 3:11 marathon, on a hot day no less. By coincidence, the same guy who uses GPS for his races and training runs doesn't use it on the day of the greatest race of his life, even though he's wearing it. By coincidence, a guy who loves to yak about all of his races, posting times and multiple pics after each race, barely says a thing about a HUGE marathon PR and BQ. By coincidence, a guy who likes to make short films about his races doesn't take (or have someone film) even one second of video of himself during the race. By coincidence, a guy who wears clothes to call attention to himself during his races (flag shirt at Philly; Go Mike shirt at Boston; BAA shirts at just about every other damn race), wears a grey shirt, black shorts and black hat (which is a perfect ensemble to wear while running 26.2 miles on a hot, sunny day) for his miracle BQ race. By coincidence, the guy posts multiple pictures of himself in different BAA shirts and jackets before ever running Boston, showing a clear obsession with the race. Then by coincidence, not one picture is taken of this same guy by the official race photographers during the race, even though there are multiple photographs of EVERY OTHER RUNNER on different parts of the course.

As they say, if there are too many coincidences, it isn't a coincidence.