Sad News: Frank Meza Found Dead In LA River

...and strangely , these trolls assert both :

" you can't even verify nor deny that Meza read your site. The entire body of this website and any direct or fringe comment made in a terribly negative way about Meza could be one of the catalysts. Deny deny deny....but you know that this is true because many read this site in secret."

as well as :

"you don't know why he committed suicide"

Despite the family trying to still believe in him and blame the 'bullying' (not his embarrassment at being caught cheating) as the catalyst for the act.

Meza was hardly a loser. He had a very successful career and lived in a $2.8M house in South Pasadena.

I see him as someone with a mental disorder rather than a cheater. What he did made no sense; he already had a life to be proud of. To do what he did for so long and continuing after getting caught at CIM is unfathomable. Whatever drove him, overpowered any rational thoughts about the high probability of being caught and the subsequent ramifications. A mentally healthy person wouldn't even consider doing what he did.

Roderick Powell wrote:

Roderick, what do you think got LA to finally step up and DQ FM finally for his 2019 cheating?

DQing Frank Meza was THAT important? You still feel that way? Be honest. Was it for the integrity of the "sport"? Or was it just to validate that "the LR sleuths" had proven their "case". Or both?

Roderick, my heart breaks for the Meza family. I forget which video it was, but I saw recent footage of him and his family, including what I assume were his grand-kids all sitting around a birthday cake, made my heart sink to know that he's gone from them. I lost my mom at the end of April and I would be outraged if I thought she had been bullied to death. So I can understand the anger but hope that when or if the Meza's ever realize that the accusations of cheating were not "fabricated lies" but the truth, that maybe they can come to peace with the tragedy and realize there was something wrong/off with Dr Meza. I watched a tribute video of Dr Meza dozens of times so I know his voice and his story, he was a great man, achieved a lot, and did much for society.

All that being said, neither I nor you, not even his wife thought that Dr Meza could die by suicide. Now we all know. But should people be given a pass to cheat because they might commit suicide if exposed? No. Maybe through this a better system could come about?

Roderick Powell wrote:

Roderick, what do you think got LA to finally step up and DQ FM finally for his 2019 cheating?

DQing Frank Meza was THAT important? You still feel that way? Be honest. Was it for the integrity of the "sport"? Or was it just to validate that "the LR sleuths" had proven their "case". Or both?

To add to the response above, Roderick you have wobbled between 'great admiration', ' doubt', 'disbelief' , 'find more evidence', 'catch the cheat' and back several times.

Which one of you is the real Roderick Powell?

To answer your question from my interest and perspective as someone 9 yrs away from FM's age group and having done my first marathon over 40 yrs ago, I normally have few heroes, but Ed Whitlock was one of them. I amazed and motivated by his achievements, from his initial attempts at sub 3 after 70, to him breaking it and right through into his 80's I followed his every attempt at 5km, 10km , HM, Marathon WR's....he was an is a legend.

Because of people like Ed, and others including a few mates into their 60's still running well under 40 for 10km, I am motivated and inspired to keep running as fast as I can.

So when someone else came around and not only 'beat' his achievements, but made it look easier and easier, and boasted about it, he was IMO, 'dancing over Ed's grave'.

You know as well as I that he had to be 'outed', and when he was, he did not admit, but threatened legal action to maintain his web of deceit, and disrespect Ed's achievements.

How does FM choosing the selfish way out, so that family and friends can still live with his fake running achievements, and blame cyber bullying, make his cheating any different or better.

Just ridiculous.

"To add to the response above, Roderick you have wobbled between 'great admiration', ' doubt', 'disbelief' , 'find more evidence', 'catch the cheat' and back several times.

Which one of you is the real Roderick Powell?"

"To answer your question from my interest and perspective as someone 9 yrs away from FM's age group and having done my first marathon over 40 yrs ago, I normally have few heroes, but Ed Whitlock was one of them. I amazed and motivated by his achievements, from his initial attempts at sub 3 after 70, to him breaking it and right through into his 80's I followed his every attempt at 5km, 10km , HM, Marathon WR's....he was an is a legend.

Because of people like Ed, and others including a few mates into their 60's still running well under 40 for 10km, I am motivated and inspired to keep running as fast as I can."

"So when someone else came around and not only 'beat' his achievements, but made it look easier and easier, and boasted about it, he was IMO, 'dancing over Ed's grave'.

You know as well as I that he had to be 'outed', and when he was, he did not admit, but threatened legal action to maintain his web of deceit, and disrespect Ed's achievements."

"How does FM choosing the selfish way out, so that family and friends can still live with his fake running achievements, and blame cyber bullying, make his cheating any different or better.

Just ridiculous."[/quote]

I am glad you wrote this. I am in my early 40s now and getting back into running. I love reading "Once a Runner" and other good running reads. To read about Ed, Gene Dykes, Joan Samuelson, Yoshihisa Hosaka, etc., they are real life Quenton Cassidy's. I get that Dr. Meza had may fine qualities and was a good person, but when it came to running he did despicable things. There is no other way to summarize it.

I agree with triathleteguru that something needs to change, but the thread could have been moderated perfectly and it would have still gotten 1000s of posts because Dr. Meza insisted he didn't cheat and

1) It had been done repeatedly

2) There was undeniable proof over and over again and no DQs or outright bans issued

3) He denied the allegations over and over again to RW, MI, LR, etc

4) All his countless sub 3 and 2:50 times making him close to WRs

This is why news outlets picked up on it as well. Since he lied to such a degree and doubled down, even in a perfect setting where everyone was simply analytical about what he did, it wasn't going away. I agree it wasn't bullying. It was simply being caught in such a big lie that he could no longer live in the pretend world he made up.

It is tragic and honestly selfish to those who loved him or those who could have benefited from his help. I tend to think his family and real friends would have still been there for him as they are sticking by his side now. I wish he would have simply had a moment of clarity that by being truthful, the burden of his lie would have been lifted. He wouldn't have to bring bikes to races any more. He could simply run and know people didn't care about his times. He had so many other things going for him, including the fact that he was still even running in his 70s.

Frank aimed too high. I wondered if he would beat the record. It was exciting when he did. I had tracked him, I thought it was legit. After the proofs of cheating, I figured Frank wanted the fastest time, but not the WR. Yet, I blew it for him by celebrating it. I regret that, accident or not. If this thread had fizzled like the thread I started when I became aware of Phoenix, (about 2 weeks before the LAM) as I expected it to........but one of the first posts was MI, and Frank’s outing was destined...Frank initiated the battle, and in the end he lost. Too bad we couldn’t keep it among runners only. Maybe a different end, maybe not.

I am glad you wrote this. I am in my early 40s now and getting back into running. I love reading "Once a Runner" and other good running reads. To read about Ed, Gene Dykes, Joan Samuelson, Yoshihisa Hosaka, etc., they are real life Quenton Cassidy's. I get that Dr. Meza had may fine qualities and was a good person, but when it came to running he did despicable things. There is no other way to summarize it.

I agree with triathleteguru that something needs to change, but the thread could have been moderated perfectly and it would have still gotten 1000s of posts because Dr. Meza insisted he didn't cheat and

1) It had been done repeatedly

2) There was undeniable proof over and over again and no DQs or outright bans issued

3) He denied the allegations over and over again to RW, MI, LR, etc

4) All his countless sub 3 and 2:50 times making him close to WRs

This is why news outlets picked up on it as well. Since he lied to such a degree and doubled down, even in a perfect setting where everyone was simply analytical about what he did, it wasn't going away. I agree it wasn't bullying. It was simply being caught in such a big lie that he could no longer live in the pretend world he made up.

It is tragic and honestly selfish to those who loved him or those who could have benefited from his help. I tend to think his family and real friends would have still been there for him as they are sticking by his side now. I wish he would have simply had a moment of clarity that by being truthful, the burden of his lie would have been lifted. He wouldn't have to bring bikes to races any more. He could simply run and know people didn't care about his times. He had so many other things going for him, including the fact that he was still even running in his 70s.[/quote]

That's the point; he should have known that people didn't care about his times. I find it hard to judge someone who felt such an overwhelming urge to cheat that he just couldn't surpress it. The thought of cheating in a race has never entered my brain so it's pretty easy for me to resist that urge.

still even running in his 70s...true....i hope i am

I don't follow this marathon cheating stuff. Basic reason: Everything is after the fact. How is that at all interesting or proper? It's like a guy at the race track who has all the answers 50 yards beyond the finish line.

These marathon courses are known quantities. Likewise the entrants. Give us some insight before the event. Where are the vulnerable spots, where cutting the course is possible? Which specific runners should we track? If that isn't fully possible, then at least spotlight some time range of runners where the cheating is most likely to surface.

When they aren't doing that, I have no idea how the tracking stuff became such an obsession. That bike ride in 2014 had to be planned and set up well in advance. Immense creativity and chutzpah to even attempt it. The catchers show up 5 years later with one fortunate background still that lends elsewhere. Meanwhile if they were same level as the cheater then the bike escapade would have been anticipated and captured in real time.

Too much credit. I guess that's what I'm saying. This is not back room numbers shenanigans like a Ponzi Scheme. These races are run in open spaces in full view. Yet it requires desperate backfitting to piece it together. Wonderful. Let's just say I'm not overboard on the caliber of people involved in that undertaking.

Otherwise, did this Frank guy really kill himself based on fear of increased scrutiny? How pathetic. I'm glad I learned early in life that it takes two to be embarrassed. He reads the bike account and decides he can't handle it. Meanwhile it's a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of 1% who know, and even less who care. Give it 2 days and the percentages are cut in half again.

I guess guys like that devote 99% of their internet time to reading instead of writing. That's the devastating flaw. I guarantee bloggers were less susceptible to peer pressure and imagined scrutiny than social media types, because in blogging the emphasis is on self-contributed content instead of what anyone cares to say about it underneath.

What seems to be needed is to groove a tracking satellite to a 10 meter x 26.2 mile swath of land , which is of course the marathon course, and if anybody varies, it all flesh searing lasers for them.

Sacbee has an article on Frank Meza, newspaper located in Sacramento where Frank was DQ then banned. If LA had DQ him in 2015, maybe none of this would happened. Will you now blame LA marathon for his suicide?

tartarm wrote:

Are you that stupid? Try cyber bullying someone else. Or just GTFU.

Hi Tantrum

Any progress with explaining how Derek threatened you and what the circumstances were? Or are you just full of BS?

A couple more articles coming out-mostly clickbait. Outside magazine has a stupid one

Martymart wrote:

Sacbee has an article on Frank Meza, newspaper located in Sacramento where Frank was DQ then banned. If LA had DQ him in 2015, maybe none of this would happened. Will you now blame LA marathon for his suicide?

A Canadian 60+ age grouper did report him to LAM and to LR back in 2015, wasn't taken seriously

He posted under Kowaaiqatsi3 (sp?) in the first 30 or so pages of the Meza thread.

MI did not start investigating until much later.

triathleteguru wrote:

https://www.outsideonline.com/2399486/frank-meza-marathoner-death

What is this with the "allegedly cheated"?

He definitely cheated, you can get rid of alleged.

“He was targeted, bullied, and we tried to defend him the best we could,” Meza’s daughter told CNN.

No you didn't, the best way you could of defend him was to tell him to come clean. Maybe you could of save his life!

“He was so devastated that people could actually believe this.”

We're still surprised that you still believe he didn't cheat.

Can cheating at marathons be considered OCD?

pattylover2001 wrote:

triathleteguru wrote:

https://www.outsideonline.com/2399486/frank-meza-marathoner-death

What is this with the "allegedly cheated"?

He definitely cheated, you can get rid of alleged.

“He was targeted, bullied, and we tried to defend him the best we could,” Meza’s daughter told CNN.

No you didn't, the best way you could of defend him was to tell him to come clean. Maybe you could of save his life!

“He was so devastated that people could actually believe this.”

We're still surprised that you still believe he didn't cheat.

+1

The only way to write an article like this is to ignore, omit, or not know the facts of the case.

Any mention of us being threatened with legal action as we combed through publicly accessible photos? Nope.

Any mention of our constant calls for him to confess, which were met with more “catch me if you can” denials? Nope.

Any mention of bullying phone calls coming from his people? Nope.

Did they select a photo of him on a bike or him looking like an honorable runner? Yep, a “running” photo.

Any mention of Loyola dropping him like a hot potato? Nope.

Any mention that race directors are hesitant to do their d*mn jobs and DQ a guy unless we bury them in an avalanche of evidence and social pressure? Nope.

Any mention of media members, not us, showing up at his door? Nope.