Did Mike Rossi (viral marathon dad) cheat his way into Boston?

runningantelope wrote:

Still in the game, baby.

39 days to run sub-20 for 5K if he wants to cash in on $10,000.

How will Rossi cheat?

What will be "injured" when he fails to find a good race to cheat in?

Stay tuned folks.

soon snow will hit PA. he will claim the weather stopped him from running a 5k in whatever podankstown he had 'planned' to 'run'

EZPass Mike wrote:

He is now using the Rocky Run picture for his Twitter page.

So I assume he paid for the usage.... or did he cheat yet again?

this race has free pics AFAIK

I'm thinking he's going to go for it at either the Wobble Gobble 5k in Abington or the Spartan Alumni 5k in Ft. Washington on Thursday.

[quote]printer wrote:

I'm thinking he's going to go for it at either the Wobble Gobble 5k in Abington or the Spartan Alumni 5k in Ft. Washington on Thursday.[/quote

I've run the Gobble Wobble in the years past. At a time when I was running mid 18's in 5k's I was lucky to break 20 there. If he runs under 20 he definitely cheated.

Here is a 3:11:45.

Rossi you cheater, we all know you cheated and you are proving it yourself. Hahahahaha. And on a warm humid day. Idiot.

Splits Times

1 Mile 00:07:18.80

2 Mile 00:14:37.61

3 Mile 00:21:56.42

4 Mile 00:29:15.23

5 Mile 00:36:34.04

6 Mile 00:43:52.84

7 Mile 00:51:11.65

8 Mile 00:58:30.46

9 Mile 01:05:49.27

10 Mile 01:13:08.08

11 Mile 01:20:26.88

12 Mile 01:27:45.69

13 Mile 01:35:04.50

14 Mile 01:42:23.31

15 Mile 01:49:42.12

16 Mile 01:57:00.92

17 Mile 02:04:19.73

18 Mile 02:11:38.54

19 Mile 02:18:57.35

20 Mile 02:26:16.16

21 Mile 02:33:34.97

22 Mile 02:40:53.77

23 Mile 02:48:12.58

24 Mile 02:55:31.39

25 Mile 03:02:50.20

26 Mile 03:10:09.01

26.21875 Mile 03:11:44.99

somebloke wrote:

EZPass Mike wrote:

He is now using the Rocky Run picture for his Twitter page.

So I assume he paid for the usage.... or did he cheat yet again?

this race has free pics AFAIK

Yep. Looks like anyone can download the pics at no cost without watermarks.

printer wrote:

The 5k challenge has been worth it, simply for the sheer internet entertainment value. We're now waiting on the results of the world's most important Turkey Trot ever. I demand a GPS file and a picture of him running the course from each mile as validation of the effort.

Good idea, but this is Rossi we're talking about, still too many opportunities to cheat, a mile is a long way, plus the GPS could malfunction accidently.

No, there's only one solution, video the whole way with someone the Brojos trust, so no editing by Rossi.

Perhaps Cecily Tynan could do it, she has access to the appropriate technology from the TV studio and a sub 20min 5k would be a tempo run for her so worries keeping up.

PhiI McCrackin wrote:

printer wrote:

The 5k challenge has been worth it, simply for the sheer internet entertainment value. We're now waiting on the results of the world's most important Turkey Trot ever. I demand a GPS file and a picture of him running the course from each mile as validation of the effort.

Good idea, but this is Rossi we're talking about, still too many opportunities to cheat, a mile is a long way, plus the GPS could malfunction accidently.

No, there's only one solution, video the whole way with someone the Brojos trust, so no editing by Rossi.

Perhaps Cecily Tynan could do it, she has access to the appropriate technology from the TV studio and a sub 20min 5k would be a tempo run for her so worries keeping up.

I would pay money to see that. Oh please make this happen. Come on Mike man up on this!

dgunthert wrote:

somebloke wrote:

this race has free pics AFAIK

Yep. Looks like anyone can download the pics at no cost without watermarks.

My bad. I guess I just always jump to the conclusion that Mike Rossi cheated. Hard to blame me.

She could trot alongside and interview him too:'Sooo Mike, about that cheating at Via, do you know Barb McKeever?'"puff puff PUFF QUACK PUFF PUFF QUACK""Do you not realize every sentient being in the universe knows you lied about it?""QUACK QUACK QUACK PUFF PUFF PUFF QUACK""Well that's all from the Rossi Turkey Roast 5k...once the EMTs remove the O2 mask we'll ask the cheater Mike Rossi where he will go for the $100,000 marathon challenge."Back to you brojos.

Loofa Dog wrote:

PhiI McCrackin wrote:

Good idea, but this is Rossi we're talking about, still too many opportunities to cheat, a mile is a long way, plus the GPS could malfunction accidently.

No, there's only one solution, video the whole way with someone the Brojos trust, so no editing by Rossi.

Perhaps Cecily Tynan could do it, she has access to the appropriate technology from the TV studio and a sub 20min 5k would be a tempo run for her so worries keeping up.

I would pay money to see that. Oh please make this happen. Come on Mike man up on this!

Anyone else find it odd that Rossi is getting suddenly cocky after running a 5K which is still two minutes slower than he needs to collect? Runners do not lower 5K PRs by 2 minutes in 6 weeks, certainly not when they've already been running for a couple years. So, if anything, Rossi should be coming up with his newest injury/excuse. Yet that doesn't seem to be the case...

Makes me think he is hard at work on a cheatin' plan. Must have come up with a scheme that he believes will work. I noticed he was carrying a cell phone in his Rocky Balboa 5K. I wonder if he has some running app on there and has been experimenting with fudging the numbers on it since the run.

He'd be really STUPID to cheat in a 5K... But then again, he's Mike Rossi.

I know for a fact that the guy has done a 10-mile tempo run at 7-minute pace before.

Miguel Perdente wrote:

He'd be really STUPID to cheat in a 5K... But then again, he's Mike Rossi.

Eh, it's probably easier to cheat in a 5K than a marathon (LVM notwithstanding).

There are a lot of rink-a-dink 5Ks out there. Most of these have no starting line timing mat. Most do not have race photography on the route. As long as you don't displace someone from their precious age group trophy, then no one is going to pay much attention to you.

Mike Ross wrote:

I know for a fact that the guy has done a 10-mile tempo run at 7-minute pace before.

Guy, this stuff has been tried over and over here. You'll get a few bites like AbingtonRunner or somebody who will fly into a fit and demand proof but the rest of us are just rolling our eyes.

Step up your game or shut it down. We don't have the time for your mediocrity.

In a small race a sub-20 will do just that. Mike would have won the Race for Recovery 5k with such a time, the overall winner this year did it in 20:27. I know a few hardware hounds who look for small races to shine, and by golly winning a race would sure show the LR crowd who's boss.

rexthebex wrote:

Miguel Perdente wrote:

He'd be really STUPID to cheat in a 5K... But then again, he's Mike Rossi.

Eh, it's probably easier to cheat in a 5K than a marathon (LVM notwithstanding).

There are a lot of rink-a-dink 5Ks out there. Most of these have no starting line timing mat. Most do not have race photography on the route. As long as you don't displace someone from their precious age group trophy, then no one is going to pay much attention to you.

RunDriveRun wrote:

[quote]printer wrote:

I'm thinking he's going to go for it at either the Wobble Gobble 5k in Abington or the Spartan Alumni 5k in Ft. Washington on Thursday.[/quote

I've run the Gobble Wobble in the years past. At a time when I was running mid 18's in 5k's I was lucky to break 20 there. If he runs under 20 he definitely cheated.

You could be right. It looks like the ideal course for a cheater. It's got side loops, I count 4 places to cut the course, and it has a simultaneous 2k fun run to add to the all the confusion of all the people who show up to walk the 5k for fun (justify eating a lot of turkey). Even better, it's USATF certified, so it's a "true" 5k. You all know his MO, he crosses the start and the finish, what happens in between is up to someone else to prove. he may get that sub 20min 5k after all. Gobble gobble...

Yeah, Mike really found a pathetic 5K in which the winning time was +20 minutes but there are plenty of dinky 5Ks that have no timing mats except the finish and no official photography where 19:59 would still be 20-30th overall.

Problem for Mikey is though that 20 minutes at a race like that will likely get you an AG award in 45-49 especially as the faster guys get pulled out for Masters. So Mike is going to have to risk a bigger race which might have more anti-cheating devices or a smaller race in which his cheating would come between someone and their AG award. And you do not want to come between a 20 minuter middle aged dude and his AG award.

rexthebex wrote:

Anyone else find it odd that Rossi is getting suddenly cocky after running a 5K which is still two minutes slower than he needs to collect?

Not at all. Rossi Ruiz's ignorance -- along with his trademark dishonesty and arrogance -- is part of his entire wacko profile. A 3:11 marathoner should be capable of handling 5k in 19:55.