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

FrankMezaTrump wrote:

doubler wrote:

https://people.com/sports/elderly-runner-disqualified-cheating-los-angeles-marathon-after-setting-age-record/

“Elderly runner disqualified”

Frank, Frank, Frank! You were warned: implored. Oh, boy!

Hey, I'm sure Frank wanted to be famous so there he is right in the same publication as the kardashians.

Wonder if he's been studying Dr. Jack Kevorkian?

brooklyn123 wrote:

deadesq wrote:

[quote]ChunkNorris wrote:

If I may say...you ain't seen NOTHING yet. Soon....Doubler gets the exclusive on this one.

Keep it up, Deadesq! JW Black (not Red) if we ever meet.

Well, thanks, Brooklyn. I'm more of a tequila guy, but I'm willing to branch out.

Trust me, this one will be worth waiting for.

deadesq wrote:

Trust me, this one will be worth waiting for.

Hey deadesq -

Are you referring to the ABC story that is coming out? Any tips on where/when the big one you are mentioning is going to drop?

What’s your favorite tequila?

I think the lanyard has something to do with the cheating... to go through barricades? Bycicle is out...

deadesq wrote:

brooklyn123 wrote:

Keep it up, Deadesq! JW Black (not Red) if we ever meet.

Well, thanks, Brooklyn. I'm more of a tequila guy, but I'm willing to branch out.

Trust me, this one will be worth waiting for.

Are you saying that you and Derek have uncovered something huge?

Secret tunnels, the lanyard has a map of them.

Let's add another race with photographic evidence of FM cheating: Long Beach Marathon 2016. And let's add an eyewitness.

The 2017 race was treated above (see pages 229, Deadesq's key photo sequence on 236, and 241). So we know Ocean Blvd. is a place on the LBM course where FM likes to hop in. Was 2017 his first time? No.

For this sequence, we'll go backward in time.

Here's the same place on the 2016 course, again around a half mile from the finish, where no runner is going to stop and stretch. Here's FM running by:

https://iconic-imagecdn.azureedge.net/MFT2016-01/07/801907/1012/0003.jpg?preset=p

Where was FM before that? Popping out of #4653's shoulder:

https://iconic-imagecdn.azureedge.net/MFT2016-01/07/801907/1011/0049.jpg?preset=p

Before that, he was coming into the frame behind #13206:

https://iconic-imagecdn.azureedge.net/MFT2016-01/07/801907/1011/0047.jpg?preset=p

Before that, FM was here. The rest of the runners are inside the orange cones. Why is FM outside the cones? And what's weirder is it looks like there's another runner in red shorts up on the sidewalk behind FM.

https://iconic-imagecdn.azureedge.net/MFT2016-01/07/801907/1011/0041.jpg?preset=p

Well, now we know why FM was outside the cones. Here he is jumping into the race from off the street. What is he looking back at?

https://iconic-imagecdn.azureedge.net/MFT2016-01/07/801907/1011/0038.jpg?preset=p

Moving back a frame, it kind of looks like FM is looking at the guy in red shorts.

https://iconic-imagecdn.azureedge.net/MFT2016-01/07/801907/1011/0037.jpg?preset=p

There are some partial shots of someone near or behind a tree before this, but they're inconclusive. If we really want to look at indistinct blurs, there's a whitish maybe-FM blur just above the shoulder of the runner in the blue shirt, and and another blur just behind that. Both blurs are close to the intersection of Esperanza and Ocean, where FM was observed leaning on a car in 2017. (You'll have to zoom in on the image to even see the blurs.)

https://iconic-imagecdn.azureedge.net/MFT2016-01/07/801907/1011/0025.jpg?preset=p

https://iconic-imagecdn.azureedge.net/MFT2016-01/07/801907/1011/0024.jpg?preset=p

So now let's go back to the moment when FM runs past, and start moving forward in time. Here's FM.

https://iconic-imagecdn.azureedge.net/MFT2016-01/07/801907/1012/0004.jpg?preset=p

See that patch of red behind the bushes? What happens to it? Here it is again, and it's now a shirtless runner in red shorts with his bib on his shorts.

https://iconic-imagecdn.azureedge.net/MFT2016-01/07/801907/1012/0009.jpg?preset=p

The runner in red shorts is now entering the course from FM's same point of entry.

https://iconic-imagecdn.azureedge.net/MFT2016-01/07/801907/1012/0015.jpg?preset=p

And here he is at last, #18002, a participant in the half marathon/bike combo.

https://iconic-imagecdn.azureedge.net/MFT2016-01/07/801907/1012/0018.jpg?preset=p

Now, don't get too excited or start accusing #18002 of being a cheater or FM's accomplice. Maybe he really was on his cool down. Maybe he just happened to see FM and struck up a conversation. He appears to have a fairly common Vietnamese name shared with plenty of other people, including colleagues of FM at KP who are not this person.

Still, it would be very interesting to know why #18002 was waiting around off course, and what he saw, and if he said anything to FM.

Oh, as usual, FM hops back on the course to go through the finish a second time with PB, as they would do again in 2017.

https://iconic-imagecdn.azureedge.net/MFT2016-02/92/801892/1013/0046.jpg?preset=p

letsrunstacks wrote:

deadesq wrote:

Trust me, this one will be worth waiting for.

Hey deadesq -

Are you referring to the ABC story that is coming out? Any tips on where/when the big one you are mentioning is going to drop?

Sorry for the teaser, but I promised Doubler he could run with this one, so to speak. But in my opinion, it is better than anything I've found to date.

My favorite tequila, by the way, is this one:

ChunkNorris wrote:

Scott Dominguez wrote:

Derek, when you hear from me it will be through a deputy when he serves you.

Was this fella ever confirmed as the real Scott Dominguez Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney?

This was confirmed by Doubler.[/quote]

The LA Times commenter, not yhe letsrun poster was confirmed.

deadesq wrote:

Sorry for the teaser, but I promised Doubler he could run with this one, so to speak. But in my opinion, it is better than anything I've found to date.

Makes sense. thanks guys.

My kids have a book called "Where are they? - Find Frankie" I couldn't resist.

https://i.ibb.co/23csxnm/find-frankie.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/GxSQb4j/frankie2.jpg

maybe this wrote:

Let's add another race with photographic evidence of FM cheating: Long Beach Marathon 2016. And let's add an eyewitness

I love it, MaybeThis--I saw these from Long Beach 2016 and posted them on page 238, but it is interesting why someone else would be walking down the sidewalk. As if we don't have enough material to parse through....

Good job.

letsrunstacks wrote:

My kids have a book called "Where are they? - Find Frankie" I couldn't resist.

https://i.ibb.co/23csxnm/find-frankie.jpghttps://i.ibb.co/GxSQb4j/frankie2.jpg

All I can say is that if “Where’s Waldo” ever becomes a competitive sport, Deadesq would be the champion!

The ABC news story delayed...trouble getting permission to use some photos.

doubler wrote:

The ABC news story delayed...trouble getting permission to use some photos.

Is that the story that has the new never before seen twist / evidence?

I am sorry I am so impatient!

Dear Frank,

With a huge ego as your motivation, you have selfishly dishonored the memory of the great Ed Whitlock to a level that you should be ashamed of (not to mention Gene Dykes).

Record eligible course or not, being DQ'd or not, the farce that you attempted to pull off, allegedly more than once, is a slap in the face to the memory of an amazing man who gave hope and inspiration to many runners both young and old thru actually racing the entire distance, 26 miles 385 yards.

The excuses that you concocted sound like something a 2 year old would say. I'm convinced you'll never race again but if so you won't come anywhere close to the times that you lied about and then you'll have a stockpile of excuses for that as well.

I knew people that would lie about how many miles they ran in a week and I was embarrassed for them. But for what you've done, I'm nothing but disgusted and ashamed of your shenanigans. Ed Whitlock would have finished and you would have still had many, many miles to go. To run a time that even puts you in the same paragraph as Ed is an honor that you are not worthy of.

For motivation and memories, I keep a picture of Ed training in the cemetery, alone and working hard. Any pictures of you that accidentally found there way into my house would meet the shredder faster than anyone could believe.

Thanks for memories Ed!

Just a little bonus coverage from the doubler/deadesq tag team!

One note on the cones in the photos from the Long Beach 2016 Marathon-- I ran Long Beach three times (full or half) from 2010 to 2013. Back then the cones were used in the final stretch to separate the marathoners (close to the sidewalk) from the half-marathoners (on the right side of the frame).