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

abingtonrunner wrote:

LoserMikeRossi wrote:

Every time Mike, or a friend, post his "it's over, so just let it go" message there is probably some casual observer that actually does.

But for those who actually care the time is now to spread this message even further and wider. Post it all over your Facebook. Share it with any other runner you know. Share it with any school teacher or administrator who was offended by his attack of the school principal. Share it with any and everybody who is associated with the marathon or it's charity.

This goon first levied an attack on the integrity of the very people we trust to teach our children by claiming watching a marathon and eating Boston clam chowder is more beneficial than attending school.

Then he attacked the integrity of a race that donates it's proceeds to a very worthwhile charity.

This creep has thrown a lot of people under the bus in the past 30 days. This bus is about to get heavier with more passengers and it's pointed right at Mike Rossi. The decision not to DQ seems to be based on the marathon's possible financial blowback and not on any actual fact finding.

The time is now to make clear that we will not support a marathon with no integrity, but they still have time to gain that back. And if they do we will rally behind them and do our best to make future fund raising events a huge success. Because doing the right thing never goes unrewarded.

I agree that a concerted effort needs to be made to any and all that will listen, most importantly the Boston Marathon because this is a credibility issue now. Below is a rough draft of what I am preparing to send, although it is far from final form.

I am writing to you, as well as every sponsor of the Lehigh Valley Marathon ("LVM"), local and national news outlets, magazines, sporting/running organizations (including the Boston Marathon Racing Director), and countless other sources and social media venues regarding your flawed statement and decision not to disqualify Mike Rossi.

While I am not privy to what evidence the LVM reviewed, or more appropriately, what evidence the LVM may have that is not in the public record, but if the LVM is in possession of such evidence then I would think that it would behoove the LVM to share it in order to support your conclusion and defend the integrity of your race. Specifically, in part, the LVM issued the following statement "…the Marathon committee concluded that while there is data from Rossi’s participation in other racing events indicating that Rossi’s time may not be accurate, there is not conclusive evidence that his time in the 2014 LVHN Via Marathon is inaccurate". I am not sure I fully understand the assertion that Ross's time may not be accurate in relation to other races, but in the case of this race, it was his time in relation to all his own posted race and training times and mileage that gave rise to question his run/time in the LVM.

However, his race time was not the direct and most concrete evidence that he may have not run the entire LVM and what your statement glaringly omitted. The most direct evidence the he did not run the entire race is he did not show up in any Via Marathon race photos other than at the finish line. The runners around Rossi in the results were all photographed in three to six different spots along the course. You make no mention that you have photographs contradicting that. At one photographic point, there are time stamped photos covering 100 meters with at most 6 seconds between each frame and yet, Rossi does not appear in one single photo. Please explain that.

My understanding is that there was also a relay going on concurrently with the marathon, so it is no surprise that "The LVHN Via Marathon has not received any reports from the more [than] 2,500 race participants, thousands of spectators, and more than 600 volunteers, course marshals, security personnel, medical personnel or race officials on the course of any wrong doing by any runner". No one is actively looking for a cheat, and given the weather conditions that day and the relay race, it is conceivable that Mr. Rossi could have avoided detection. How many people came forward to say they saw him at some point on the course? Are there any? If someone said they did not see him, is that proof enough that he did not run the entire race? Likely not because how can you prove you did not see him. However, the photographers essentially proved that he was not on the race course because his only photo is at the finish line unlike every other racer who has photos at other points along the course Moreover, if someone during your investigation asserted they saw something amiss, what level of proof would you need to believe them? That is why, unless you have information that the public does not have, the lack of photographs by the professional photographers throughout the course is not only direct evidence, but incontrovertible evidence that he did not run the entire race.

The other evidence, which would be deemed circumstantial, yet strong when considered in its entirety is his race time in relation to his times for prior and subsequent races and training runs. In addition, Mr. Rossi is an individual who is notorious for posting and boasting and memorializing his every running move. However, in his seminal event of his short running history, he runs a personal best by inconceivably smashing his best time by a landslide and barely mentions it in any of his postings. Not only had he never ran this fast before, he never displayed this kind of modesty either. Any reasonable person would find this behavior suspicious.

So my challenge to you is to publicly disclose what evidence do you have that he actually ran the entire race? Proving a positive (running the entire race) is certainly much easier than proving a negative (that he did not and was not on the entire course). You owe it not only to those runners who take running seriously and have trained diligently, but the credibility of the LVM, its supporters, runners, volunteers, those who use it as a Boston Marathon qualifying event etc. deserve it.

I am the real Mike Rossi wrote:

Getting popcorn wrote:

This is getting interesting again. Mike is so easy to figure out from the trolls and I enjoy watching him get angry again. I wonder if he stopped to watch a sparring match at Larry Holmes gym when he parked down the street around 7:45 . He would have had plenty of time for sure. Gotta go get some more popcorn and hit refresh.

I'm satisfied that the Lehigh Valley Health Network Via Marathon conducted an objective evaluation of all the evidence. I fully cooperated with the investigation from the beginning and answered all of their questions. As far as my family and I are concerned, this matter is now resolved. I continue to rehab my injury and look forward to getting back to running as soon as I'm healthy.

Although I don't know whether to resume my training wearing my Adidas Boston Marathon hat or not. I have gorgeous hair, so it seems like a shame to prevent the ladies from seeing it.

Maybe I'll just wear my Adidas Boston Marathon tights instead.

I'm Mike Rossi.

abingtonrunner wrote:

LoserMikeRossi wrote:

Every time Mike, or a friend, post his "it's over, so just let it go" message there is probably some casual observer that actually does.

But for those who actually care the time is now to spread this message even further and wider. Post it all over your Facebook. Share it with any other runner you know. Share it with any school teacher or administrator who was offended by his attack of the school principal. Share it with any and everybody who is associated with the marathon or it's charity.

This goon first levied an attack on the integrity of the very people we trust to teach our children by claiming watching a marathon and eating Boston clam chowder is more beneficial than attending school.

Then he attacked the integrity of a race that donates it's proceeds to a very worthwhile charity.

This creep has thrown a lot of people under the bus in the past 30 days. This bus is about to get heavier with more passengers and it's pointed right at Mike Rossi. The decision not to DQ seems to be based on the marathon's possible financial blowback and not on any actual fact finding.

The time is now to make clear that we will not support a marathon with no integrity, but they still have time to gain that back. And if they do we will rally behind them and do our best to make future fund raising events a huge success. Because doing the right thing never goes unrewarded.

I agree that a concerted effort needs to be made to any and all that will listen, most importantly the Boston Marathon because this is a credibility issue now. Below is a rough draft of what I am preparing to send, although it is far from final form.

I am writing to you, as well as every sponsor of the Lehigh Valley Marathon ("LVM"), local and national news outlets, magazines, sporting/running organizations (including the Boston Marathon Racing Director), and countless other sources and social media venues regarding your flawed statement and decision not to disqualify Mike Rossi.

While I am not privy to what evidence the LVM reviewed, or more appropriately, what evidence the LVM may have that is not in the public record, but if the LVM is in possession of such evidence then I would think that it would behoove the LVM to share it in order to support your conclusion and defend the integrity of your race. Specifically, in part, the LVM issued the following statement "…the Marathon committee concluded that while there is data from Rossi’s participation in other racing events indicating that Rossi’s time may not be accurate, there is not conclusive evidence that his time in the 2014 LVHN Via Marathon is inaccurate". I am not sure I fully understand the assertion that Ross's time may not be accurate in relation to other races, but in the case of this race, it was his time in relation to all his own posted race and training times and mileage that gave rise to question his run/time in the LVM.

However, his race time was not the direct and most concrete evidence that he may have not run the entire LVM and what your statement glaringly omitted. The most direct evidence the he did not run the entire race is he did not show up in any Via Marathon race photos other than at the finish line. The runners around Rossi in the results were all photographed in three to six different spots along the course. You make no mention that you have photographs contradicting that. At one photographic point, there are time stamped photos covering 100 meters with at most 6 seconds between each frame and yet, Rossi does not appear in one single photo. Please explain that.

My understanding is that there was also a relay going on concurrently with the marathon, so it is no surprise that "The LVHN Via Marathon has not received any reports from the more [than] 2,500 race participants, thousands of spectators, and more than 600 volunteers, course marshals, security personnel, medical personnel or race officials on the course of any wrong doing by any runner". No one is actively looking for a cheat, and given the weather conditions that day and the relay race, it is conceivable that Mr. Rossi could have avoided detection. How many people came forward to say they saw him at some point on the course? Are there any? If someone said they did not see him, is that proof enough that he did not run the entire race? Likely not because how can you prove you did not see him. However, the photographers essentially proved that he was not on the race course because his only photo is at the finish line unlike every other racer who has photos at other points along the course Moreover, if someone during your investigation asserted they saw something amiss, what level of proof would you need to believe them? That is why, unless you have information that the public does not have, the lack of photographs by the professional photographers throughout the course is not only direct evidence, but incontrovertible evidence that he did not run the entire race.

The other evidence, which would be deemed circumstantial, yet strong when considered in its entirety is his race time in relation to his times for prior and subsequent races and training runs. In addition, Mr. Rossi is an individual who is notorious for posting and boasting and memorializing his every running move. However, in his seminal event of his short running history, he runs a personal best by inconceivably smashing his best time by a landslide and barely mentions it in any of his postings. Not only had he never ran this fast before, he never displayed this kind of modesty either. Any reasonable person would find this behavior suspicious.

So my challenge to you is to publicly disclose what evidence do you have that he actually ran the entire race? Proving a positive (running the entire race) is certainly much easier than proving a negative (that he did not and was not on the entire course). You owe it not only to those runners who take running seriously and have trained diligently, but the credibility of the LVM, its supporters, runners, volunteers, those who use it as a Boston Marathon qualifying event etc. deserve it.

MRtruther wrote:

I get your frustration but the truth is we've been had. Why have we've been had? Because we are an immaterial drop in the bucket full of hobby joggers. The RD doesn't care about integrity or what the more serious runners think. Money and social capital are prioritized. What actually happens during the marathon and how fast people ran (or didn't run) is irrelevant. Money will continue to flow in, both charity and registration fees. America is only tuned into sound bites and after a few days it might as well not have happened because everyone forgets.

This story had a significant audience for one week and then the RD kicked the can down the road knowing it would die. The RD already knew what the decision was going to be as soon as they were made aware of the issue: whatever doesn't rock the boat. Limiting the guilty test scope to something almost impossible such as relying on people to come forward with evidence of him leaving or re-entering the course effectively defaulted this to a no DQ. With that said, during the month of May the only material investigating that took place consisted of the RD contacting MR to let him know they were looking into it and to ask him if he ran the course. Do you really think they fervently worked to interrogate a bunch of runners and staff or even considered the lack of photos and amazing evidence put forth by LRC? If so I have some widgets I'd like to sell you.

Only the LRC community will continue to follow or care about this. Mike is never to go attempt a marathon again for obvious reasons, but this will not be suspicious or news to anyone else out there since that's what everyone does, they run one or two and are gone from the sport. Thanks everyone for donating so much time to this, it's been wildly entertaining but that's about all you'll get from this story. Great job Brojos for taking an eternity to react to this issue and for not using any muscle to keep an honest level of attention. EOT ~ go home folks

stats guru wrote:

abingtonrunner wrote:

I agree that a concerted effort needs to be made to any and all that will listen, most importantly the Boston Marathon because this is a credibility issue now. Below is a rough draft of what I am preparing to send, although it is far from final form.

I am writing to you, as well as every sponsor of the Lehigh Valley Marathon ("LVM"), local and national news outlets, magazines, sporting/running organizations (including the Boston Marathon Racing Director), and countless other sources and social media venues regarding your flawed statement and decision not to disqualify Mike Rossi.

While I am not privy to what evidence the LVM reviewed, or more appropriately, what evidence the LVM may have that is not in the public record, but if the LVM is in possession of such evidence then I would think that it would behoove the LVM to share it in order to support your conclusion and defend the integrity of your race. Specifically, in part, the LVM issued the following statement "…the Marathon committee concluded that while there is data from Rossi’s participation in other racing events indicating that Rossi’s time may not be accurate, there is not conclusive evidence that his time in the 2014 LVHN Via Marathon is inaccurate". I am not sure I fully understand the assertion that Ross's time may not be accurate in relation to other races, but in the case of this race, it was his time in relation to all his own posted race and training times and mileage that gave rise to question his run/time in the LVM.

However, his race time was not the direct and most concrete evidence that he may have not run the entire LVM and what your statement glaringly omitted. The most direct evidence the he did not run the entire race is he did not show up in any Via Marathon race photos other than at the finish line. The runners around Rossi in the results were all photographed in three to six different spots along the course. You make no mention that you have photographs contradicting that. At one photographic point, there are time stamped photos covering 100 meters with at most 6 seconds between each frame and yet, Rossi does not appear in one single photo. Please explain that.

My understanding is that there was also a relay going on concurrently with the marathon, so it is no surprise that "The LVHN Via Marathon has not received any reports from the more [than] 2,500 race participants, thousands of spectators, and more than 600 volunteers, course marshals, security personnel, medical personnel or race officials on the course of any wrong doing by any runner". No one is actively looking for a cheat, and given the weather conditions that day and the relay race, it is conceivable that Mr. Rossi could have avoided detection. How many people came forward to say they saw him at some point on the course? Are there any? If someone said they did not see him, is that proof enough that he did not run the entire race? Likely not because how can you prove you did not see him. However, the photographers essentially proved that he was not on the race course because his only photo is at the finish line unlike every other racer who has photos at other points along the course Moreover, if someone during your investigation asserted they saw something amiss, what level of proof would you need to believe them? That is why, unless you have information that the public does not have, the lack of photographs by the professional photographers throughout the course is not only direct evidence, but incontrovertible evidence that he did not run the entire race.

The other evidence, which would be deemed circumstantial, yet strong when considered in its entirety is his race time in relation to his times for prior and subsequent races and training runs. In addition, Mr. Rossi is an individual who is notorious for posting and boasting and memorializing his every running move. However, in his seminal event of his short running history, he runs a personal best by inconceivably smashing his best time by a landslide and barely mentions it in any of his postings. Not only had he never ran this fast before, he never displayed this kind of modesty either. Any reasonable person would find this behavior suspicious.

So my challenge to you is to publicly disclose what evidence do you have that he actually ran the entire race? Proving a positive (running the entire race) is certainly much easier than proving a negative (that he did not and was not on the entire course). You owe it not only to those runners who take running seriously and have trained diligently, but the credibility of the LVM, its supporters, runners, volunteers, those who use it as a Boston Marathon qualifying event etc. deserve it.

You need to adds to stats to back up your argument. Something like it has been proven that there is a .001% chance that he would be able to run that time or that the likelihood that he would not show up in any pictures is 1/100000. I don't have those stats in front of me, but they are in this thread.

That would really get them to pay attention if they knew that stuff.