We've closed this thread to new posts. Please discuss this topic in a new thread given the fact she just won the race outright in 2023. Does that mean that the 2022 cheating allegations definitely have no merit?
Who happens to also be a female and also with almost the exact same build and height.
The similarities are striking. Same singlet. Same shorts. Same skin tone. Same build. Same visor. Same headlamp around the waist. Same white watch on the left wrist, both rotated the same way, with the watch face inward. Same green light on the same (left) side of the singlet. Essentially identical in appearance if seen from afar, or in the dark.
Hair worn in the same style, though notably, very different colors (black vs dyed purple). It’s would be an odd thing, though, wouldn’t it, to cheat via “twin” and then so blatantly have the twin appear with you? Unless having the twin appear was to throw off suspicion (“if she ran part of the race, why would we show her to you”) or a red herring to divert attention from a different cheating method, by a known cheater. (“Those message board dudes are psychos, they’re even claiming my bestie ran some of the race for me just because she dressed like me! …no, don’t ask about the bike you found discarded in the woods.”)
One could probably go mad thinking of all the potential layers of bluffs and double bluffs.
Indeed. She was 33 minutes behind course record pace (again, by the verry acomplished Patrycja Bereznowska, 48 hour world record holder) at mile 122 and then broke the record by 4 minutes at the finish (mile 135).
So at the hardest part of the race, she made 37 minutes for a half marathon distance on one of the best female ultrarunners? Sure...
Very interesting. How does one run THAT much faster at that point in the race?
I watched her finish at the Trials in Atlanta, that HAD to be legit, but...races like the one she just won and described like this poster did---definitely gives pause. If she cheated, what the heck has happened with people's morals? I seriously don't get it.
Indeed. She was 33 minutes behind course record pace (again, by the verry acomplished Patrycja Bereznowska, 48 hour world record holder) at mile 122 and then broke the record by 4 minutes at the finish (mile 135).
So at the hardest part of the race, she made 37 minutes for a half marathon distance on one of the best female ultrarunners? Sure...
Is that split correct?
How do you make up 37 minutes on a course record holder, in only 12 miles, after having already run 122 miles? Even if you suddenly surge 2 minutes per mile faster, compared to the course record holder, and hold it from miles 122 to 135, you've only made up 26 minutes and are still 11 minutes short. It not like you're trying to beat last place. You're trying to beat the fastest runner on the course, ever.
Anyone that's raced a marathon knows that picking up even 10 or 20 seconds per mile the last 10K requires digging very, very deep. Most runners, even the best, are fading at that point, or at best hoping to hold steady. Now imaging suddenly speeding up nearly 3 minutes per mile, after having running more than 4 consecutive marathons, and holding it for 13 miles.
So she got sick of the drug testing that was offered in triathlons and went to Ultras who are notorious for not testing anyone for PEDs got it.
If there are athletes that want to take research chemicals at 10x the dosage used in mouse studies (i.e. converting the dosage to the human dose and multiplying by 10) and run long distances at high temperatures... I'm here for it. I'll grab some popcorn and enjoy the show.
Ostarine isn't even impressive. Anyone can get that.
Haven’t taken the time to check prior course record stats, but could be possible the prior CR holder completely blew up during the last 13 mikes, whereas Paulson just kept up a steady-ish pace. If that did not happen though, which should be easily verifiable, then this would be about as suspect as it gets.
Haven’t taken the time to check prior course record stats, but could be possible the prior CR holder completely blew up during the last 13 mikes, whereas Paulson just kept up a steady-ish pace. If that did not happen though, which should be easily verifiable, then this would be about as suspect as it gets.
I suppose it's possible the previous course record holder "completely blew up" the last 13 miles. But how likely is that? That's not typically how course records are set, by completely blowing up and walking it in. I suppose anything is possible, though.
Which woman came in second place? I'm curious as to what that person thinks about this and did they recall suddenly getting passed in some epic surge the last 13 miles.
I just did a quick search on the Badwater site. There's no real easy way to see it (Ie fastest splits overall over time) but It's definitely NOT unprecedented to go from 122 to 135 as fast as she did. A good number of men have done it under 3 hours. Women not so much. Closest I could find was Jenn Vogel doing it in 2:48. Paulson was 2:47.
It might be the fastest split from 122 to 135 for women in the race's history, but I'm not digging thru all the details.
To the person who said no one has set a CR while walking it in...Good luck running much of that last 13 mile, ,4600 foot climb stretch after 122 miles ;)
If you at all paid any attention to Derek over the past few years, you will know that he is still busy trying to shout down that black woman (Latoya Snell) who never cheated and has unfinished business trying to get her to lose her jobs. Is that what you really want for the person in this thread?
Looking at comparative splits, Paulson simply maintained better pace. In Bereznowska’s record run, she was consistently faster from 42 to 122, then she dropped from 5.7 mph to 3.6 for the finishing climb. Paulson dropped from 5.4 to 4.5.
I’ve done that climb just by itself before and it is insanely brutal. Can’t imagine doing it after 122 miles. This smells very fishy, there is a reason people usually drop time so fast on that clinb
How do you make up 37 minutes on a course record holder, in only 12 miles, after having already run 122 miles?
by taking it way easier in the miles leading up to the climb, and early in the race. when the wheels come off in an ultra, losing 2 minutes per mile is child’s play; you could double or triple that, no problem. Heck, in the TdF today, some of the best racers in the world were losing more than 30 seconds per mile to each other.
Just for reference, - the female course record split from 122 to 135 is 3:24 hours. - the MALE course record split from 122 to 135 is 3:10 hours. And that is by Ishikawa, one of the established names in the sport. - Ashley Paulson just ran it in 2:47 yesterday.
If the timing is not messed up (and I highly doubt that), she produced one of the greatest streches of ultrarunning finals sprints ever, at the end of a heat torture ultramarathon, on the steepest climb you can find on the race by far.
It's like you guys don't even know any women or been to a race. Newsflash: Lots of women like to coordinate outfits
You’re not wrong- lots of women DO like to coordinate outfits. But something I noticed about Ashley from pictures and interviews is that she has a real “look at me” personality, so it strikes me as odd that she would match outfits with someone so closely. I feel like she’d want something a bit more contrasting to grab more attention, but I could definitely be overthinking this one.
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