Who is the most ridiculous, fraudulent 'runner/con artist' that you've ever encountered?

Then you're overlooking that he's snowing the entire readership of a newspaper.

I won a small 5k once a long time ago and a old guy flagged me down and asked what I ran after I told him he told me he use to run in the Army and that he ran the mile in 3:30. I gave him a look like he was crazy and he just said "yeah its true somebody beat me and he was loafing."

One year in h.s. I believe it was my junior year and I was favored to win at the county championships for the 3200 so some of the other distance runners from other teams would come and talk to me well apparently one kid on their team who was like 150 lbs. and 5'3" claimed to have run the 2 mile in 9:20 I just smiled at him b/c I knew he was lying at that I was going to make a fool of him during the race. I ended up laping him on the sixth. or 7th. lap.

A couple of years ago we had a meeting for XC right before school started and nobody knew each other yet b/c the room was cluttered with about ten freshmen and myself anyways this guy said he ran 1:50 for the 800 in h.s. and also said his fastest 400 was a 55 had everybody fooled including the coach except me. Found out latter that he hooked up with a girl on the track team she asked me if I met him I was like yeah why you sweating him "oh he graduated from Brown" turned out he never been in college before he was in h.s. still. I got a couple of more but I think thats plenty enough.

Ron Dogsicko wrote:

Then you're overlooking that he's snowing the entire readership of a newspaper.

No, you're just equating someone who needs 5-7 minutes as "snowing" the readers. Not at all the case.

In a sideline to the above story. There were two other guys that were running for the bank and getting special time off to train...Pat Piper and Chuck Lotz. They had done a boat load of marketing locally around them both. Both had quailified for the trials. Unfortunately for the bank, both took new jobs outside of the bank right before the Olympic Trials. The B of A marketing yahoos were pretty pissed.

You're right, that's incredibly close.

Good, because if I had to read anymore my head would explode.Do you know what a run on sentence is?

toby

A young man at a local high school a few years back just finished the 4th heat of a mile at a meet here in Virginia - hardly concentrating and just out of it mentally - finishing in about 7 minutes - - with indescribably bad form and lack of coordination - fairly awful even for a 9th grader. In any event, thereafter he strikes up a conversation with Alan Webb, and proceeds to tell Alan about how he will soon run a sub four mile, and other stupendous running feats. (Alan was gracious and patient!). Of course, the other kids on the team got a kick out of this, and this young man became famous for his boasts to Alan Webb of a four minute mile right after he produced a listless 7 minute variant. To cut to the chase, this young man ended up as a senior running in the top 5 in the state in cross country and spinning a 9:16 two mile outdoors. And the other day he just ran a 30:00 10k. This young man, given the fact that it isn't fair to cast aspersions on a 9th grader, wasn't a con artist, but his fantastic rise and stories like his continue to inculcate some doubt when we hear fantastic stories from the rank and file. And yes, in case you are wondering, his high school coach is just that good - not just at getting the kids to run well, but at making a difference in their lives because he and his spouse are such good, caring people.

Ron Dogsicko wrote:

You're right, that's incredibly close.

Nobody ever said it was incredibly close except you and your straw man. The point is, such improvements have happened many times before. It happened to Brian Sell. it happened to Bill Rodgers. And since the guy is devoting himself to training, he's giving himself a great shot. There is no snow job going on except in your head.

Allright, lets try this again.

was blamed for course cutting at the 2004 Cape Cod Marathon. The ones that had criticized and taunted me were Kevin Gray,John Dudley,letsrun names like hater and i saw it.

After that fateful day at the 2004 Cape Cod Marathon, I had connected with a guidance counselor that gave me social skills, behavioral management and stress relief rehab. He had even taught me how to cope with how to control behavioral and temper matters in such events like not doing good in a race and interaction with others. He even showed me methods of relaxation with breathing in and out when going into such events.

A year and a half later in March of 2006 when I ran a 10 miler in Quonset Point, after realizing how poorly I did in that race and how fraustrated I was, I knew that it was a result of not having to do speed workouts and tempos for an excessive long period of time. Then, I knew from this race from where I was, if I wanted to get back up to the caliber level that I once was up to, I had finally came to the point where I finally had to hook up with a coach. That individual that I finally hooked up was the race winner of the race itself known as Keven O'Neil. Keven was not only a disciplinary figure and mentor, but also a inspiring figure that would get me to improve my image. He had showed me everything possible in how to keep my base strength and preventing injuries. One source that he boosted my strength, speed and metabolism was speed intervals of 1 mile,2 mile, and 3 mile repeats. He had also told me that if I average 70 miles a week, I should start off a marathon training season with 60 miles a week and end with 90 miles a week instead of overdoing and burning it with a large quantity of over 100 to as much as 150 miles a week which was what I was doing in my past marathons leading to overpronation and injury.

Up to now, Keven has been a confidence booster for me through races and workouts plus having to managing my weeks of mileage, and interaction with others at races and other events. As a result, here's a turnaround of results I had from 2006 into 2007:

2:45:01 Rock 'n' Roll marathon 6/4/06 San Diego,CA

1:12:10 USATF 20K championships 9/4/06 New Haven,CT

16:36 (PR) Cardi's 5K 10/8/06 Swansea,MA

55:32 (PR) Foxboro 10 miler 2/18/07 Foxboro,MA

1:16:59* New Bedford Half-Marathon New Bedford,MA

* = Revenge Event

It especially looks like With the Foxboro result on 2/18/07 with the 55:32 PR (breaking old record of 56:20 in NV on 12/12/98) I probably have outshadowed the old champion caliber I once was up to with a new one.

The tattoo I have is on my upper back with a dragon and key daggering it's way through the circles of the evil past.

Anthony Crudale

Elaborate on the Rod Stewart Scam. Seems like he was just doing it for attention.

He was a solid runner. I just dug up some results from the 95 Peace Race 10K and he did run a certified 32:02 for top masters honors at age 41. He was sponsored by Reebok at the time.

With his frosty spiked locks he did look like RS. So what? I don't think anyone thought he was RS, just a bug-eyed goober. He was a thief? OK, so how was he a fraud?

I used to win a lot of local South Florida road races (turkey trots and whatnot) after college. A major newspaper reporter used to write that I was an All-American, despite never having asked me if I was. Even after I told her I wasn't, she continued to write it. One day I confronted her about it and he she replied "you're an All-American to me." People knowledgeable about running who read those articles could have easily thought I was the con artist. Ah the media.

what happen to lady in 1980 boston marathon...i dont remember her name but heard she is one of the heck fraud runner that never finish full of 26.2miles but only ran last mile to won the boston marathon.

I will top you all! Biggest fraud ever...

If you are from the Cleveland area you only need to know two words making up one name:

JEFF HLINKA

I remember him as a good, road racer in the Cleveland area in the late 70s who morphed into becoming a promoter/race director. My only beef with him was that after finishing 2nd in a big 10k in L.A. he said he wanted me to come run the Revco 10k in Cleveland and that he would be contacting me and flying me up. Never heard from him. What specifically are you referring to?

why wrote:

I remember him as a good, road racer in the Cleveland area in the late 70s who morphed into becoming a promoter/race director. My only beef with him was that after finishing 2nd in a big 10k in L.A. he said he wanted me to come run the Revco 10k in Cleveland and that he would be contacting me and flying me up. Never heard from him. What specifically are you referring to?

Nice guy to be sure but totally living in fantasy land. Times he says he ran are embellished or were on short courses. His fame is more from self promotion and contacting local unsuspecting reporters than anything else. Got entries waived at races by duping unsuspecting directors. He had a habit of running and winning a lot of obscure local races and ducking competition like Rupe, Berardi, Brehmer, etc. in order to get the win. Penguins held him in awe and still do because he would run a dinky race, win or finish high, then run another a few hours later or the next day. He got more pub over a 33 minute 10K than anyone. If you look at historical results from races like Revco and Johnnycake he never finished all that high among the local studs.

Shameless name dropper. He weaseled his way into Nike's regional program and somehow got a spot as the local liason. When shoes, uniforms, warm-ups, and tees came in for the runners they would go to him in bulk. He sorted through them and kept for himself the ones that fit him. He then would occasionally give team members only a portion of their allotment, say that the wrong size was sent, then tell the shaftee to go to the local running shop with the wrong sized stuff and see about a trade.

I guess he snookered me. I kept waiting for that airline ticket to Cleveland for Revco, that never came. I guess he was a legitimate 30 to 31 minute guy but promoted himself like he was as 29 minute guy? I only met him once at that L.A. race. Short, stocky guy with a beard.

why me wrote:

I guess he snookered me. I kept waiting for that airline ticket to Cleveland for Revco, that never came. I guess he was a legitimate 30 to 31 minute guy but promoted himself like he was as 29 minute guy? I only met him once at that L.A. race. Short, stocky guy with a beard.

The description of him is accurate but the times are not. More like a 31+ to 32 minute 10K guy in his prime. For example:

He ran his first Johnnycake 5 miler in 1977 at the age of 27 in 25:31. Johnnycake is certified, fast, and flat. The next year was his best at 25:08. Following that he went 25:18, 25:31, 25:28, 25:36. He never cracked the top ten again.

I don't really care if a runner is a BS'er but he was taking gear from post collegiate guys who were scraping by and pulling pub from the local studs who were partially sponsored and who relied on the evidence of pub and pictures in the papers to maintain their sponsorship.