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

Seems Frank set up a profile on Athlinks. (very recently) My suggestion, Frank will almost certainly run Long beach Marathon in October. He finished 19th last year. (2:53:27) Come on out and support him. Root him on every 5k. Please assume he is legit. Do a documentary of what could be the fastest 70+ marathon ever. (sanctioned/certified) If it turns out you skeptics were right it would be apparent. If not, hopefully this gossipy talk will end. (yes I admit the funny splits are a mystery-but a real slow split is usually going to be a bathroom stop) Frank is fast. A select few people really can go forever without tiring like most of us. True endurance marathoners. My best "guess" is I believe he would have been outed long ago, if this was a proclivity of his. As I've said before, ask the people who have run several miles of a marathon near him. Then you will have your answer.

I have been racing on the roads, track and XC in SoCal for 40+ years now (and have been running top 10 US age group times for most of that), and I have not heard of Frank Meza before this. If you look at the World Masters Track rankings for 2018 for 70-74 men you will see that one Italian ran 39:17 for 10K and then Gene Dykes ran a 40:28 for 10K. Meza's first 10K split in the marathon is 39:31. That is highly improbable, and for him to later have his 4th and 5th 5Ks add up to 37:56 (6:07/mi pace) is not believable. Also, I probably have run over 50 road races with timing mats and have never had one miss a split yet.

I hope he runs Long Beach in October and I can guarantee that people will be watching.

....and last summer at the USATF Master Track Championships Gene Dykes beat great Gary Patton in a 1500m 5:16 to 5:17....

Does this guy run USATF nationals in any event?

I have not researched it,

But if you don’t run regularly at at national championship against other folks your age who are willing to call you out,

Or take a swing at you for cheating ....

Then this guy is cheating.

Not Possible wrote:

Great idea. I hadn't thought of that.

Jared Ward...1st 5K 16:08...2nd 5K...16:36...3rd 5K 15:46...4th 5K 15:34...5th 5K 15:32...no anomalies

Jose Merino...1st 5K 17:26...2nd 5K 19:21...3rd 5K 18:27...4th 5K 18:08...5th 5k 18:13...out fast, readjusts, settles in

Frank Meza...1st 5K19:03...2nd 5K 20:28...3rd 5K 25:01...4th 5K 18:34...5th 5K 19:22...something doesn't add up

Means nothing. Timing error and/or bathroom break.

Frank needs to clear up the suspicions of course-cutting so we can go back to the normal accusations of doping.

Would one "cheating" a point to point course...have to have help...you know such as passing the bib to another runner and then hopping into a car to rest and meet up again later. The bib substitute guy would have to be fast, and so would the guy who also runs with the bib, ie. Frank. Does this sound likely. In front of other people, no less. The skeptics are asking for alot of weirdness. Maybe hacking into the bib computer. Still asking alot. Easy to cheat in a point to point, really. And hit every timing mat. And be with photos (however few) on the course. Or are people saying he only cheats a little, just enough to be top dog. I had perused his prior runs a while back. I was surprised that he was so slow at 60. (just under 3'30 - and a slight bonk no less) I could relate. I noticed that his pacing improved. Times slowly improved too. Finally broke 3:00:00 after what must have been a frustrating near miss. (3:00:16) Their are many fast runners who do not participate in USATF. Costs alot to travel across the country for a national championship that has mostly locals. Frank must have known his times would be scrutinized. Knowing that, after running faster than the record of Gene Dykes, to come back and run the LA Marathon, where everyone should have known he runs most years, would be pretty ballsy if he was "cheating". Just saying..

It looks like he started 48 seconds after the gun whereas most of the guys that finished around him crossed the start 10-15 seconds after the gun. That means he had to weave around a lot of traffic to run a 20:00 first 5k split.

Isn't it strange for someone who expects to finish in the top 100 overall and win his age group to start that far back?

Lip Kitten wrote:

It looks like he started 48 seconds after the gun whereas most of the guys that finished around him crossed the start 10-15 seconds after the gun. That means he had to weave around a lot of traffic to run a 20:00 first 5k split.

Isn't it strange for someone who expects to finish in the top 100 overall and win his age group to start that far back?

This is highly unusual. The medical profession has such an exemplary record of NOT course cutting.

Is that him? Just curious.

Needledik wrote:

Another poster had said that it’s common to miss timing mats if you’re going too fast?? Seriously, I’m not fast so I can’t relate at all. But is this really true? Do the chips not read if you’re “too fast”? Someone please tell if this is true..

I don't think my time was not recorded on any mat ever. And at speeds higher than that. I think it's complete bollocks.

grox wrote:

Needledik wrote:

Another poster had said that it’s common to miss timing mats if you’re going too fast?? Seriously, I’m not fast so I can’t relate at all. But is this really true? Do the chips not read if you’re “too fast”? Someone please tell if this is true..

I don't think my time was not recorded on any mat ever. And at speeds higher than that. I think it's complete bollocks.

I've had it happen one time in a half marathon on the finish line no less! I emailed the race director with video footage and he manually the time.

Bathroom break? Right! So without the bathroom break, Meza would have run 5 minutes faster...a 2:47 at 65 years old! Now it makes complete sense! Thanks for the clarification.

The photo at the 10 k mat pretty well proves Frank was there and at the correct split time, and looking quite on "cruise". (at 6:29 for the first 10k of a marathon) - (this photo is him with a guy in an orange shirt who Frank beat in the end by about 9 minutes) Look at his other photos and you will see he's running on "cruise" throughout. Check out his running form. Do you really think the other runners at all these marathons do not notice that they are running with someone this "old". You all trip on his spilts, but I do not hear any reasonable answer as to how he is "cheating". It would have to be with help, would it not. So you all are saying he's had help for this many years, and this many marathons. Have you not noticed he usually runs his half-marathon "tune-up races" at marathon pace. You certainly do not think he is "cheating there..

well,, wrote:

Ghost1 wrote:

If Frank really cheated, verifiable proof, that would be a huge blot on his medical practice, because if patients were to find out their doctor was a marathon fraud, they would question his medical integrity and ethics.

Also on the fence on this one. Sincerely hope he can or someone can prove his innocence.

Ghost in China

Wasn´t Kip Litton a well known dentist?

Well known after he got caught...

Saying he looks to be running on “cruise,” whatever that means, doesn’t help anyone’s case. And no, I don’t think he looks like a typical 70-year old sub-3:00 marathoner, as someon suggested earlier. Ed W was whippet thin, as is Gene Dykes. Frank is thin but not as much—and this means nothing. He doesn’t look to me like he’s cruising in race photos—the ones at the finish he’s plodding, barely running. Also a meaningless observation.

No one doubts he was there. If his marathons aren’t legit he’s a logistical genius. But there are odd things here and there that make some people wonder.

Excellent post and he will be watched next time. Wish he would share his workouts and shorter races.

If he is cheating, he won't be caught with strava data!!!

"Cruise", like running a 26 mile 385 yard tempo run. I see runners like this all the time. I've noticed that Frank picks the pace up at the end of a marathon. You're supposed to look like he looks at the end. He always seems to look spent but empowered at the end of his marathons. Frank's entire career of races are on athlinks. He does not do many short races. He did what seemed to be a tune-up 10k in 39:35 at 69 last year. There is a consistancy of multiple marathon times year by year as he obviously made progress. I see lots of runners in their 50's who run just like he does and are built the same and produce the same pace. (but for say half the distance) Actually I mostly see them at races where their are u-turns. They do not look like they are running faster than me, so how did they get so far ahead of me, as I chase after them.