Half marathon course cutter Ashley Paulson, who served 6 month contamination suspension, wins coveted Badwater 135.

I disagree. The article was very even handed. I think it's more obvious what You are doing.

How do you think it's anywhere "even handed" when it is all that speculating her of cheating without evidence?

Derek at Marathon Investigation has enlarged the finishing picture and seems to think the watch face shows "131" miles.

Typically, GPS watches overestimate the distance we run 1% or so, especially in a long race with lots of twists and turns. This happens because it's impossible to run tangents perfectly and the watch measures the extra distance of our slight zig-zagging, whereas the course is measure in the straightest possible line. This is why your watch will usually show a slightly longer distance than the course at the end of a properly measured race course.

What do you think, does the watch show 131 miles?

Article with picture, here >>> Marathon Investigation

I wouldn’t think much of the watch thing. A comment on the article notes that 131 might be heart rate. Also, how would a runner keep a watch charged for an entire day and night if it was in GPS mode?

Many watches, specially COROS will last in full GPS mode for well over 24 hours.

Let’s see the GPX file and we’ll see. I am almost positive that she never will produce it and maybe even use the ‘space head’ excuse.

Why are you invested in defending this two-time cheater?

Things that don't mean a thing:

The watch possibly showing "131." Over that distance, I would expect any watch to be "off" the race distance by that much, and I wouldn't be convinced that the race distance is even precise given the distance and nature of the course.

The use of a bib belt instead of pinning it on was also mentioned. Anyone from a triathlon background, like her, would be more likely to use a belt than pins.

Questions:

Does anyone know who the support person is, and whether she has any level of accomplishment as a runner?

Can you image how hard it would be to find a runner of sufficient quality to sub in (relay) with her in such a difficult event, who also looks enough like her AND is willing to participate in such shenanigans? That might be like trying to find a unicorn.

What is a particular runner has had issues getting caught allegedly cheating in the past based on Strava/GPS data (e.g., Letsrun thread: "Another marathon cheater, this time it’s a lady cutting courses and riding her bike for 2:45 marathons," dated November 3, 2018)?

What's the likelihood that person makes the same mistake again and has GPS data readily available? Alternatively, that person has past experience, and has an better understanding of how to better manipulate the data (say, for example, if you're running with a co-conspirator, handing off the watch and making sure you're co-conspirator is running at a similar heart rate/cadence, etc.).

I'm all for second, third, and fourth chances, as long as you do the time for committing the crime. However, the perception changes if you've been caught multiple times.

GPX can be manipulated. Pacer can also wear their runners watch (in the night). So many ways to provide fake data sadly. People do it on Strava all the time. It is very hard to defend someone who has questionable results from the past. And more than one. I know someone who raced at Squaw Peak, everyone " knows" she cheated there too apparently. So unfair.

She started at 11pm the previous night.

Sunset the next day in Lone Pine at Mile 122 was about 8:13pm. She finished at 11:09pm.

She did that same stretch in 2:47 minutes, the fastest time by a woman in history.

This means the entire climb up the Portal Road was done at night, right? Hmmmmmm....

It's entirely possible she is just a great climber.

I'll just say this. I've paced and crewed there. Looking at her splits and the people that finished right before her and after her, there is NO way they wouldn't have had eyes on her the entire time. She wasn't that much behind/ahead where they wouldn't have been able to see her and analyzed where she is in relation to their runner. It's a wide open road...hell it's literally a desert except for the last 13 miles.

Because you and Derek all suck at investigating and gathering evidence. How is bringing up her supplement contamination relevant at all? All you and Derek have to accuse her is a fast time that is possible to run, especially since ultra running does not have the depth of competition real running has. You and Derek just want to turn this into another Latoya Snell where you accuse her first and then later harrass her for years after you admit there is no evidence of cheating.

I’m sorry crazy person, I just follow the evidence and where there’s smoke there’s fire here. How many times does this have to happen before you recognize the pattern?

I don’t know who Latoya is. I don’t really care about ultras other than I want fairness to prevail in all running competitions.

When someone has committed an egregious act and not atoned, it tells me a lot. When they fail to apologize, they don’t act like they’ve done anything wrong, they will repeat the behavior 100% of the time.

What evidence? Her supplement contamination was ruled as contamination, not intentional doping. She publicly admitted to mistakenly going off course at the half marathon. And here, you have no evidence of "cheating" at Badwater, just a fast time that is possible to run and she has legitimate fast times from her extensive career as an elite athlete. So I ask you, what evidence? All the likes of you and Derek care about is just to harrass people, like Latoya, and when you can't shout them down and make them lose their jobs, you and Derek get even more mad and stalk and harrass them for endless years.

Surprised that inconvenient truth loser isn't obsessing over this yet.

you are likely speaking to her. Anytime Derek is mentioned she shows up.

Are you saying that they suck at investigating running cheats or are you saying that it sucks that they are investigating running cheats? Because if its the former you are clearly operating with a flawed premise, if it's the latter it may be time to take a good, long, look in the mirror.

If the "investigation" leads to nowhere then there's nothing to fear. I remember when the first question came out about Kip Litton, you sound like one of his defenders who eventually gave up the ghost when his defense started to unravel. Not saying that will happen here but the LRC sleuths are anything but bad at investigations.

Bollocks. Derek stalked and harrassed Latoya for many years and ongoing even though his "investigation" lacked any evidence and he had to admit she didn't cheat. He's STILL trying to make Latoya lose her jobs.

Lying LaToya is back again.

You were proven to have cheated so move on like everyone else has.