Nice try, lad, but Buster's stories are better ;-). The plumbers threw him his 101st party already last year and there are lots of photos of it on the web. Buster lives in sheltered accommodation, btw.
Nice try, lad, but Buster's stories are better ;-). The plumbers threw him his 101st party already last year and there are lots of photos of it on the web. Buster lives in sheltered accommodation, btw.
From an article in the London Times:
"His wife, Iriana, he said, died in the mid1950s, yet there is no record of her death. Among the 17 children he claimed to have fathered are Roberto, now 87, Rodrigues, 84, as well as triplets, Georgina, Georgia and Giselle, but The Times could find no record of their births. Mr Martin claimed that they had moved abroad.
Guinness World Records was advised: “There is also downside risk associating Guinness with a questionable claim . . . more than just his age is in question, as ‘Buster’ Martin ‘likes to tell stories’. "
So it seems he is not 101, cannot provide any evidence he was ever married and there is no record of his "wife's" death (did he kill her and hide the body?) and there is no record of the 17 children he claims to have fathered. Several of them are mysteriously "oversees."
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3740118.ece
Which makes me wonder, what about the story of Buster fighting off a "gang" of muggers that made the paper. No witnesses, no evidence, no nothing.
Is Buster capable of telling the truth?
Don't blame him - he is an old man who likes to talk and he is funny and entertaining. HE doesn't contact the newspapers with his stories and HE doesn't issue press releases. That's the work of Pimlico Plumbers (his employers) who are clients of PR guru Max Clifford. PP is a very successful company who manages to get an awful lot of free publicity with their stories fed to newspapers and television. Their boss, Charlie Mullins, is known as the Millionaire Plumber in the UK. Buster is always photographed or filmed in a PP outfit with a PP cap, often working on PP premises.
Not surprisingly, the Times articles says that "four minders from Pimlico joined Mr Martin among the 35,000 runners on the [London Marathon] course yesterday, all decked out in the firm’s regalia and carrying a large company flag."
Isn't it amazing that they were allowed to do this? He was supposedly running for a charity, not for his employer.
The problem, CuriousLM, is that it is not "funny and entertaining" when Buster claims to be 101 and his running a marathon begins to be thought of as an age-group record. That's when he starts corrupting the records of the sport I love and I don't find it the least bit humorous.
I never had a doubt this guy is a liar and a fraud. Let's just keep his antics out of the running record books and in the "comic relief" category where it belongs.
It just boggles my mind that these newspapers keep/kept putting out articles on him going along with the story. If they can't smell b.s. with him, it makes you wonder whether they will report anything.
prefan just sounds like a bitter pennsylvania dude clinging to a mistrust of the aged
i'd say he's quite old but he definitely doesn't look 101. but ya never know. my dad is 70 and he looks way older than my dad. i'd put him at 85 to 90 just based on looks.
prefan wrote:
The problem, CuriousLM, is that it is not "funny and entertaining" when Buster claims to be 101 and his running a marathon begins to be thought of as an age-group record. That's when he starts corrupting the records of the sport I love and I don't find it the least bit humorous.
I never had a doubt this guy is a liar and a fraud. Let's just keep his antics out of the running record books and in the "comic relief" category where it belongs.
I really wouldn't care what this boob does, but he has promoted himself (or his handlers have, at least) to be declared the oldest marathoner by Guinness. They wisely told him to forget it.
It seems the vast majority of people, and nearly all the press know nothing about age group running records and how hard real people train to get them. The following is an example of comments at Metro.co.uk in response to an article about problems with verifying his real age...
"Ah, what a lovely story but what a bunch of "mean old things" his critics are, he has done marvels for charity - bless him. And if anything he should be the emblem for the get fit fraternity, as he has proven you don't have to be just young and fit to run marathons!!"
- Mandy Moore, Tenby, Pembrokeshire.
I've seen this story all over the web for weeks now, and it seems almost everybody buys it hook, line and sinker. But it's for charity (the refuge of many a scoundrel)and a "lovely story", so I guess I'm just a "mean old thing".
And I doubt he even covered the whole course in his 10 hour *run*.
I've been following this story for some time in the British media. The only thing I can conclude is that the British are, in general, a bit soft in the head. I mean, the guy has been shown to have lied about most everything, and they still can't get over what a wonderful story it is. They must live in some sort of a parallel zombie universe. Here's an example of what I'm talking about from the Londonist:
"Londonist would like to wag our collective finger at the record-keepers. In a world where inane stunts and bizarre spectacles are permitted to fight their way into the once-hallowed pages, here we have a genuine marvel, a man who has negated decades of wear and tear on his body to complete an indubitably arduous task. And how is he greeted? By a fussy and fastidious clipboard-wielder at the finishing line who marks him down because he didn't cross a 't' or dot an 'i'."
http://londonist.com/2008/04/busters_birthda.php
They guy could be 74 for all they know, but it doesn't seem to matter. Just amazing.
Hey, fellow bitter pennsylvania dude !
How ya doin', Jef.... er.. I mean, Obama.... You're going by "bitter" now, eh?
For all those that believed Buster's tales you'll be happy to know he has his picture featured in the upcoming 2009 Oxford English Dictionary (due out soon in bookstores).
It is placed next to the word "gullible".
The Brits don't keep good records-birth certificates e.t.c.
Came across this article from a Philly area newspaper site. One of the few articles I've seen anywhere that openly blasts the jackass...
"Mixed message
What's the deal with this 101-year-old guy who claims to be the oldest person ever to run/finish a marathon?
Buster “Pierre” Martin, who was scheduled to run last Monday's London Marathon despite a penchant for cigarettes and beer, garnered a lot of attention from the running world.
However, the Guinness Book of Records says it won't recognize Martin's achievement because it says he's only 94. That's confirmed by British officials.
The official record is held by Greece native Dimitrion Yordanidis, who finished a marathon in 1976 (7 hours, 33 minutes) at the tender age of 98.
Besides, who really cares about Martin, who disparages the sport simply by saying he can run while supporting alcohol and nicotine habits? What kind of message is that sending?
Hey, Buster, think how much faster and how much longer you might live if you got off the butts and booze. You're just a freak show. Why not take up horseshoes and leave the media attention for legit runners?
And by the way, the London Marathon Web site shows no record of him finishing the race."
Grab your bibles boys, there's some hatin to be done! Can you believe how bitter all us Pennsylvanians have become, with no work in 30-40 years. Got to run to Wal Mart for another gun.
Ah, so it was you, skwilli. Simple case of mistaken identity. We feeble Pennsylvanians do that sometimes. Gotta go hug my gun and bible now. Out.
- prefan
They are trotting the "101 year old marathon world record holder" out again. This time, on 11 May 2008, he will take part in a 5k charity run in Epping near London, organised by the charity whose vice patron is British PR guru Max Clifford who also happens to be the publicity agent for Buster's employer, a big London plumbing agency.
The charity expects his world record "to be confirmed soon once his passport details have been ratified". His backers have put in an application for a passport to be issued for him ...
The Original Z wrote:
Buster “Pierre” Martin, who was scheduled to run last Monday's London Marathon ...
And by the way, the London Marathon Web site shows no record of him finishing the race."
2 points.
1) No true Brit is named "Pierre."
2) He could still be out on the course sucking on a fag.
I know this guy, lives just live down the road from me, the beard is real by the way, unsure about his story though, however the reporters have looked into him, I've been seeing the buggers everywhere asking questions in the pub, restraunt and asking Lambeth residents, there is still doubt in the community weather his story is real or fake, but without official proof, we just got assume that he is how old he say he is.
The point is, at the end of the day, it doesn't matter if he's 70,80, 100 or 1000 years old, at the end of the day, he gave old folks hope, despite being a big advert symbol for Pimlico plumbers, which I must say seen a lot of changes since he worked for them, the guy that owns the company must be a millionaire now.