Frank Meza 2:53:10 at LA Marathon (70 years old) unofficial time (just finished)

I also like how oblivious Dan is to the sport of running and the distance of marathon, as he admits himself. But even he brings up the argument on his own that no one setting a world record pace would walk around a sidewalk looking for a bathroom. Even Dan Patrick gets it. This story is exploding. You slueths are the real MVP

Thanks all for outing this cheat.

Reading the news articles, there can really be no doubt here.

Copious, well-placed split mats and a competent results scrutiny largely resolves this problem.

When split mats were first introduced, I flushed out dozens of such cheats, focussing on those affecting the competitive result.

Unfortunately, harried race management and a lack of co-ordination between event organizers means cheaters do (continue to) prosper.

One year, I stood in the first coral at Boston and noticed a 4-5 hour marathon guy beside me. He had been DQ'd for cheating at another marathon and was still able to use that bogus result as a qualifier - and actually had the gumption to show up and take seeding!

Cheaters often aren't ike you and me - and their corrupt and/or deluded thinking can permeate other aspects of their life. Another local race cheater had also been convicted on financial fraud charges.

if we ever get GPS tracking for competitors, it should almost completely solve this.

If you look at the other guys running the 5th leg of that relay, the fastest ones are close to 6 minute pace, with relatively few people breaking 7 minute pace. Given Frank's record, does anyone believe he actually ran the whole leg? Physically, I don't think he can run 400 meters at 6:45 pace. Mentally, I don't think he can complete a race without cheating.

Nobody does except for............ Frank Meza.

At of all of the speculation, reports, evidence presented, I don't think anyone has ever come forward and attested (hand on the bible/ penalty of perjury, that is) that they ran with and next to Frank from beginning to end at any race, half of a race/1/4 of a race and at any of the paces he "allegedly" "ran " over the past 12 years. Has anyone? Such a blur already. Not one, I believe. Philip Bland only mentioned training (I think he wants a mulligan on that one). Of course, it wouldn't prove he didn't cheat but is just another one of the many circumstantial and, or concrete nails in the coffin.

In addition, there's his entire Triathlon "pursuits" which has been under suspicion, as well. Oh boy...

doubler wrote:

letsrunstacks wrote:

I am laughing so hard at the way Dan Patrick reacts when he hears the URL marathoninvestigation.com

Too funny

Now I need to listen

They say the full URL at least two times. Also mention you once.

I also love Dan's reaction when one of his co-hosts ask him to guess the second place finishers time in the age group.

Dan hears Mezas 2:53 and guesses 3:15 for second.

Co-host: "4:10"

Dan: dies inside laughing

Golgi Body wrote:

7 26 TEAM 26 4:09:22.2 9:31/M

26 Luke Pfafinger 1ST LEG 13 1:22:19.3 1:22:19.3 15:43/M

26 Wayne Brant 2ND LEG 4 43:52.5 2:06:11.8 8:22/M

26 Michael Finnegan 3RD LEG 5 41:40.3 2:47:52.2 7:57/M

26 Phillip Bland 4TH LEG 5 46:07.6 3:33:59.9 8:48/M

26 Frank Meza 5TH LEG 1 35:22.3 4:09:22.2 6:45/M

Interesting because I can only conclude he must have cheated in this race too. No way I can see him running 6:45 pace in a trail race (or any other race) 4 years ago. This result may not prove anything new, but does give a little added perspective to what an inveterate cheater he is. I mean, who cheats in a low-key relay race when the only reward is getting your team up to 7th place out of 13?

Oh look, Phillip Bland passes the baton to him, but he or none of the others knew Frank cheated his leg, lol.

Anyone know any of the others?, I'm still looking for clues regarding who Frank's marathon accomplice/s could be, if he had one it would have to be someone close to him such as friend, relative, running pal, etc.

I've been following this thread off and on since its inception and haven't had anything useful to add, but now I have a question that I haven't seen addressed yet. It seems clear that Meza has cheated in a large number of races but there is no consensus or even a really plausible conjecture on how he has done it.

How easy is it to duplicate an RFID chip? Can it be that FM picks up his bib the day before the race, goes and gets several duplicates made of the chip, and then has one or more accomplices help with the task of getting a chip across the timing mats at the appropriate times? Admittedly this would require considerable coordination with one or more accomplices but would eliminate the problem of how does he get from one mat to another quickly enough through city traffic via car or bike.

Just a thought...feel free to shoot it down (as I'm sure you will...)

Did the first runner in their relay walk? (15:43 a mile?) Cmon Luke, you can do better than that!

Still chuckling about those pix with him jogging the wrong way during the 2015 LAM.

I am very familiar with this race. I’ve run it several times. It begins with a BRUTAL climb of over a mile. In the many year history of the race, very few elite runners of any age have run sub 36 legs in this relay.

Frank is familiar with Griffith Park since Loyola runs there often. There is an easy way to take off from the exchange area, get out of sight, avoid taking the uphill on the Bill Eckert Trail, and loop around about a half mile to the 5 mile mark to rejoin the race. No doubt in my mind that that’s what he did.

We know he did it (cheated), all that remains now is the HOW and WHY.

It seems to me he uses a car AND a bike at the same event in at least some cases. In any case , it's not one method but multiple pre-located modes of transportation....and helpers.

For instance: lets say he parks his car at 5k and rides bike to start.

Rides bike back to 5k , Puts bike on car and drives to 10k .....carry on mix and match, maybe another bike down the road maybe a helper , perhaps a shortcut depending on the event.

amkelley wrote:

How easy is it to duplicate an RFID chip? Can it be that FM picks up his bib the day before the race, goes and gets several duplicates made of the chip, and then has one or more accomplices help with the task of getting a chip across the timing mats at the appropriate times?

This also occurred to me, but I think it's unlikely.

The RFID duplication process would likely require hardware that he'd have to bring with him to PHX and elsewhere. Ok, that's not impossible. But he'd also have to risk photos appearing of some unknown person (either bandit or registered) crossing the timing mat at Frank's time. I don't think any photos like this have surfaced.

But this also brings to mind the chip-on-a-lanyard quandary. If that's being used to hand off to others (the only reasonable explanation for using a lanyard I can imagine), then he'd run the same risk of photographic evidence.

Finished the interview with ABC. Mentioned Phoenix and the video. Hopefully that makes the cut.

Was on Skype on my phone holding it. Hopefully it’s not obvious that my arm felt like it was going to fall off by the end.

amkelley wrote:

Just a thought...feel free to shoot it down (as I'm sure you will...)

It's called peer review.

Frank Meza Report wrote:

[quote]Frank Meza Report wrote:

They spend 10 minutes on the subject and DP makes a great analogy that if you’re going for records you’re not going to take a bathroom break.

Dan Patrick has never had prostate problems.

It’s not as if Frank is gonna whip it out in the middle of the course six or seven times. Otherwise he would have finished sub 2:30.

.?. wrote:

amkelley wrote:

Just a thought...feel free to shoot it down (as I'm sure you will...)

It's called peer review.

A process with which I am quite familiar in my profession.

doubler wrote:

Finished the interview with ABC. Mentioned Phoenix and the video. Hopefully that makes the cut.

Great job. Phoenix getting a mention would up the pressure on them to do what's right.