I Am Sam wrote:
Leapin Lanyards wrote:
And what's he doing here?
http://d35l3oybk21k7h.cloudfront.net/photos/photos/6277416_race_0.3399940168106095.display.jpg?1406592670All I see is a sad old man, ambling along, not a runner sorry
...adjusting his stride before laying down an 18:30 5k split...?
I Am Sam wrote:
Leapin Lanyards wrote:
And what's he doing here?
http://d35l3oybk21k7h.cloudfront.net/photos/photos/6277416_race_0.3399940168106095.display.jpg?1406592670All I see is a sad old man, ambling along, not a runner sorry
Thanks, Sam; reminds me of Pink Floyd's Dogs:
"... You gotta keep one eye looking over your shoulder
You know it's going to get harder, and harder, and harder as you get older
And in the end you'll pack up and fly down south
Hide your head in the sand,
Just another sad old man
All alone and dying of cancer"
Except in Frank's case, it seems to have gotten, until LRMB 2019, easier and easier, to improve marathon times, er, cheat.
fisky wrote:
The burden of proof in a civil court is “a preponderance of evidence.” Analysis of the 2019 LA Marathon video posted on Marathon Investigation provides that level of proof AND shows us how it most likely was done.
The sequence of photos start more than a minute before Frank enters the course at 1:04. This freeze frame sequence shows every runner multiple times. About 200m in the distance in this video, spectators are on the road, which forces all the runners to go by them on the middle-of-the-road. Both sides of the road can be seen clearly from this point on so we know that no one exited the course from that point forward.
Frank is nowhere to be seen on this video until he abruptly enters the course at 1:04 in the video just behind Greek guy (GG) and the Woman in Black (WIB).
At the 15K mat, Frank is 17 seconds behind GG and WIB, yet he reenters the course just behind them at 18.7km. Running the video backwards, GG is visible in the distance from :55 on, yet Frank cannot be seen anywhere on the course until he reenters the course at 1:04. Since the still photos are taken every three seconds, we can definitively say that Frank was not on the course until he is seen jumping into the race at the 1:04 mark.
In order to be so far ahead of GG and WIB that he would not be seen in this sequence of freeze frame photos, Frank would have had to run from 15K to 18.7K faster than the current M70 5K world record pace.
Frank then drops back 1:40 behind GG and WIB over the next .78 miles to the 20k mat… running about an 8:23 pace.
Yet he hits the mats at close to the same pace as GG and WIB over the remaining 22km.
This should be sufficient to convince any reasonable person.
These photos also provide more insight into how this might have been done. I'll post that separately.
In addition to my comments above, a figure can be seen standing just in front of the cameramen from 30-40 seconds and 51-52 seconds in this video. The figure appears to be the right height, shoes, cap, and body shape to be Frank. The figure is definitely wearing a bib. It can be seen at the 32-second mark. A high-res of this photo might show the bib number. In the 30-40 second sequence, the figure does a calf stretch on the curb, similar to what we've seen in other photos.
Later at the 1:04 mark, Frank jumps in wearing a reversed t-shirt over a long sleeve T. No bib is visible. Remember, this is time lapse photography so there is plenty of time from :52 to 1:04 to reverse a t-shirt.
Derek, do you have the high res photo? Can you read the bib number?
Bob from Marathonfoto here.
Just want to say B I GTHANKS!!! to the nosey sleuths who have ponied up real $ to help bust Frank.
There seems to be a lot o FOF, or even FM himself occasionally posting on this thread. How about ending this and just come clean. Professional athletes do this all the time once caught. Armstrong finally confessed, and isn’t doing so bad, so a respected 70 or so doctor would get at least a little sympathy. Say it started innocently with a missed mat or accidentally course cut, and the thrill of a getting a low finishing time proved to addictive to stop. Apologize to the kids, tell them the need to stop and reverse the aging process is something every old person has to face, and it got the better of you. Tell everyone how you did it so RDs can try to avoid copy cats as a ‘community service’. Also, make a big donation to Marathon Investigations.
We would all like to focus on the ‘Allison Kiefer has a new boyfriend’ so please end this the honorable way.
fisky wrote:
Derek, do you have the high res photo? Can you read the bib number?
Doesn't look like Frank to me, but could be someone who's in cahoots with him, so would be interesting to know who it is, at least whose name the bib number was registered under.
https://imgur.com/a/8B7zRtHJajsjsjs wrote:
CIM should extend an elite entry to Frank meza as an age grouper and an attempt at 70 year old world record.
We’ll see if he makes it to 2 miles
Get him on the track. Just 1 lap. Try to break 2 minutes.
Who's this?
1:12 of time lapse video:
What year is that San Fran Marathon photo from because he looks like he's wearing Nike's straight out of about 1997.
He started with a long sleeve shirt under his tank top. He had to remove both pieces to finish with just the tank top.
Ok, Singlet.
Part of the fascination to me is the continued cheating after being DQ'ed and busted. Instead of being detoured by DQ's and suspicion, FM honed his skills to become an absolute master of hitting timing mats at the right time to look pretty legit. In spite of many pictures and people trying to figure it out, none of us really know exactly how he did it. Bike(s)? Accomplice(s)? Uber?
I suspect the lack of a clear method is also that's why there are some on the thread who still contend there's not enough proof for a DQ. It actually might be better if we never learn; there will be copy cats... on the other hand it might help races prevent future cheating.
The idea of continuous cameras hidden along the course is a good one and I know some races (ultras) out there have already employed them.
Clutching at straws. wrote:
Who's this?
https://imgur.com/a/9z0xRWX1:12 of time lapse video:
https://www.marathoninvestigation.com/2019/06/frank-meza-additional-evidence-la-marathon-course-cutting.html
I don't think that is anyone that would be helping FM out...If you watch the video, you see a few things..first thing is that he is there when FM runs by and pays him no attention. Second is that he stretches as soon as he comes into frame and third is that he is wearing a bib number (you can see if flapping in the wind). Either this is a relay spot, he finished a prior spot or he is cheating, as well. Ha.
Amateur Sluether wrote:
Does anyone know the name of the LA Times writer that is doing the article. I went through a lot of the 2017 San Fran photos and think that I found a bib muling situation going on. I want to send the info to that writer.
Bump for anyone knows the name.
Amateur Sluether wrote:
Amateur Sluether wrote:
Does anyone know the name of the LA Times writer that is doing the article. I went through a lot of the 2017 San Fran photos and think that I found a bib muling situation going on. I want to send the info to that writer.
Bump for anyone knows the name.
Top of page 116
FAR wrote:
Amateur Sluether wrote:
Bump for anyone knows the name.
Top of page 116
Awesome thanks. I think this evidence is going to knock the lid off of it.
Clutching at straws. wrote:
Who's this?
https://imgur.com/a/9z0xRWX1:12 of time lapse video:
Clue: Francisco didn't run that day.
Amateur Sluether wrote:
Awesome thanks. I think this evidence is going to knock the lid off of it.
TFFT, it's only taken nearly 3000!!! posts.
Means we can all get back to ‘Allison Kiefer has a new boyfriend’.
MeHereYouWhere?! wrote:
Either this is a relay spot, he finished a prior spot or he is cheating, as well. Ha.
Probably there to learn from the master.
Dr. Phil? "Juuump in the car, Frank! Jump in roght now!"
Detective Columbo. wrote:
Clutching at straws. wrote:
Who's this?
https://imgur.com/a/9z0xRWX1:12 of time lapse video:
Clue: Francisco didn't run that day.
Note also, at 1:35 Frank drifts to his left and turns his head to acknowledge the person.
Find that person on the course in photos where Frank's about to through, is going through, or has gone through, and you'll have your accomplice.
Trust me.
