Sandra Vi going for record across America

give it up wrote:

Could be much simpler than that. Could be that she started off too aggressively and now she is paying the price.

Hopefully that's the case, and she keeps slowing down to her actual pace.

give it up wrote:

Could be much simpler than that. Could be that she started off too aggressively and now she is paying the price.

Nope. The new data doesn't jive. It is obvious that an entirely different runner has taken over part deux now that her husband has not been able to stop eyes are watching.

Based on recent "performances" by Mimi she is done. She was done after major knee surgery. She likely require another surgery after she stops and goes home. Her running days are likely over.

Am I a gullible idiot? I still believe Marina is for real.

I am having a hard time reconciling things though.

The Strava data says she ran up mountains (literally -- the Rockies) doing 12 minutes per mile. We haven't seen anything to substantiate this though, not even a video clip. Now she's doing 16 minute miles on flat ground. Whoever walks with her from here on out won't be able to say one way or another. I don't know what's going on but this is not adding up. I'm starting to feel like a fool for defending her.

I believe that the most simple explanation is the most likely. Cheating would take a lot of work and involve other people. Simple would be actually doing it. Simple would also be giving us defenders some video to work with. It's not hard to video someone in this day and age. We all have phones. What the hell is going on?

Mimi has never run this far as far as her accomplishments show. Her longest run was 1968 km (1223 miles) in 32 days back in 2014; 38 miles per day. Then there is a 840 mile adventure in 12 days 16 hours in 2008; 66 miles per day. There is a drastic difference between those two events. Other than getting slower with age, the wide range in daily ability is unusual when you consider she is still trying to put in the mileage she is trying for.

I don't believe she will cut the mileage back to less than low 50s. If she can't reach 50 for a couple of days straight she will likely drop out.

It seems Mimi would be best off to stop trying to run 57-58 miles per day. It is killing her. Someone needs to talk some sense into her. Like: Look Mimi, average 50 miles per day you can still finish is the magic 53 days you talked about so much.

You can totally tell from Mimi's Strava today that she is doing a lot of slow waking and taking breaks after trying to "run". It is all up and down pacing, way more variability than even my spoofs. She can't at all sustain a steady pace. Her afternoon run is way worse than even her morning run. I don't buy that this is the same runner that flew up the Rocky mountains with high mileage just before.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1220036654

https://www.strava.com/activities/1220039078

The wheels are coming off this scam. A few years ago they could have pulled it off. Now they are toast...because LRC.

Scam_Watcheroo wrote:

I don't buy that this is the same runner that flew up the Rocky mountains with high mileage just before.

Objectively, the record for all purposes of the ultrarunning community would be whoever has the highest daily mile average. If Mimi finishes first with a lower average than Sandra, it's hard to believe many would consider it the true record, aside from a paper certificate from Guinness. Open for interpretation, of course, but this is the same manner that other ultramarathons are measured--such as comparing the results of a 24 hour race with a 1 mile loop and that of a 2 mile loop. You count the miles and not the loops to compare for record purposes.

Results wrote:

Am I a gullible idiot? I still believe Marina is for real.

I am having a hard time reconciling things though.

I'm with you. I still think she's for real, but her data collection has been spotty, and she (or her team) seem not very interested in improving things or addressing the skeptics' points. Maybe they're just stretched too thin. Anyway, it's too late to address the data collection issues from the miles that are already past, so her run is permanently suspect.

Whether her previous weeks of running were real or not, it seems to me like she's really struggling now. And she's digging a deeper and deeper hole by trying to maintain her original mileage goals. If I were in her position, I think I'd back off and do a few days of low mileage, to catch up on much-needed rest. At the rate she's going now, are we going to see her crack and abandon the attempt soon?

Sandy? wrote:

Results wrote:

Am I a gullible idiot? I still believe Marina is for real.

I am having a hard time reconciling things though.

I'm with you. I still think she's for real…

The Mimi for before the knee rebuild was probably real. The post-build version is simply not the same runner. She would be far from the first runner to experience they were no longer the same.

Ultra Records wrote:

Objectively, the record for all purposes of the ultrarunning community would be whoever has the highest daily mile average. If Mimi finishes first with a lower average than Sandra, it's hard to believe many would consider it the true record, aside from a paper certificate from Guinness. Open for interpretation, of course

Definitely open to interpretation. I don't agree with the "highest daily mile average" standard, though. This event is a "run across America" - it's right there in the thread title. Shortest time from the Pacific to the Atlantic* ocean wins. Intelligent route-finding to minimize distance is part of the event, not something to be penalized IMHO.

* It looks like they actually run from city hall to city hall, not literally ocean-to-ocean.

Sandy? wrote:

Ultra Records wrote:

Objectively, the record for all purposes of the ultrarunning community would be whoever has the highest daily mile average. If Mimi finishes first with a lower average than Sandra, it's hard to believe many would consider it the true record, aside from a paper certificate from Guinness. Open for interpretation, of course

Definitely open to interpretation. I don't agree with the "highest daily mile average" standard, though. This event is a "run across America" - it's right there in the thread title. Shortest time from the Pacific to the Atlantic* ocean wins. Intelligent route-finding to minimize distance is part of the event, not something to be penalized IMHO.

* It looks like they actually run from city hall to city hall, not literally ocean-to-ocean.

If you're simply using total duration, heck you could do LA to Savannah, GA and cut to the chase. Or LA to the gulf if you consider that the Atlantic. Fastest run across America seems that it would be who ran their route at the fastest pace. And if it's 4,000 miles, all the more power to them for going even further. There has to be a basis to compare, especially as roads change over the years, and speed seems much more objective than duration, even if it isn't as simplistic for a news story.

Ultra Records wrote:

Objectively, the record for all purposes of the ultrarunning community would be whoever has the highest daily mile average. If Mimi finishes first with a lower average than Sandra, it's hard to believe many would consider it the true record, aside from a paper certificate from Guinness. Open for interpretation, of course, but this is the same manner that other ultramarathons are measured--such as comparing the results of a 24 hour race with a 1 mile loop and that of a 2 mile loop. You count the miles and not the loops to compare for record purposes.

I don't agree. If somebody goes off course and runs additional miles in a race do you add them to the distance and work out average speed? Of course not.

I'm picking a route there are many things to consider that are personal to the runner. Ability to cope with boring route, ability to cope with altitude or heat, number of daylight hours, ease of navigation. Shorter isn't always faster. So for me it's time to go coast to coast as the record states and not average speed.

Ultraboy wrote:

Shorter isn't always faster.

Who has the fastest remaining route? Taking into account elevation gains, population areas to navigate through or around etc. Sandra is on a northern route it seems, similar to that taken by Pete K with multiple options while Mimi is on a route further south. Any opinions?

Not simpler wrote:

give it up wrote:

Could be much simpler than that. Could be that she started off too aggressively and now she is paying the price.

Nope. The new data doesn't jive. It is obvious that an entirely different runner has taken over part deux now that her husband has not been able to stop eyes are watching.

Based on recent "performances" by Mimi she is done. She was done after major knee surgery. She likely require another surgery after she stops and goes home. Her running days are likely over.

Obviously my dad used another runner for his 100 mile record, first half was under 6 minute miles,second half was 8 minute miles. It can't have been his plan for the run it has to have been two runners.

Whether her previous weeks of running were real or not, it seems to me like she's really struggling now. And she's digging a deeper and deeper hole by trying to maintain her original mileage goals. If I were in her position, I think I'd back off and do a few days of low mileage, to catch up on much-needed rest. At the rate she's going now, are we going to see her crack and abandon the attempt soon?

A couple shorter days with good hotel rooms could make all the difference. You always have to look for the bigger goal and not just the next posting on Strava.

Mimi's daily average is now down to 57 miles/day.

Sandra has 54.5 right now.

It's impossible to say, how you deal with long flat boring monotonous countryside is personal and in my experience so is how you deal with heat or old or gradient or altitude.

Another giver of +1 wrote:

Ultraboy wrote:

Shorter isn't always faster.

Who has the fastest remaining route? Taking into account elevation gains, population areas to navigate through or around etc. Sandra is on a northern route it seems, similar to that taken by Pete K with multiple options while Mimi is on a route further south. Any opinions?

Long Way Home wrote:

The wheels are coming off this scam. A few years ago they could have pulled it off. Now they are toast...because LRC.

Hahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!

Oh wait, you're not kidding are you?