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

I am going with number 3.

Starting in the back is useful in any scenario to avoid suspicion. Also, if he handed off his bib AFTER triggering the start may this would ensure their chip times are different. It's a long shot but rest assured this is what happened if Mile doesn't show up in finish photos that he should be in.

That, along with the accomplice theory, sounds too complicated for the simpleton Rossi

The accomplice theory makes absolutely no sense and how would this accomplice weave in and out of traffic to run that time or do you think the accomplice cut the corse, far fetched. Not to mention Rossi would have to trust someone to do this, no chance.

I lean towards he didn't run at all and activated the chip by walking past the start after just about everyone started and walked by at the finish. In fact that makes the most sense, if he was running why not start towards the front to avoid chip differential suspicions and then peel off to the side of the course pretending to have a shoe malfunction or someone and jump back in later when it's safe.

No one is paying attention to spectators which is why he likely casually walked by the start after everyone started.

1. He deleted the results soon tweet. Reasonable inference is that he was presuming it would be sub 20 and when it wasn't he backtracked.

2. Gun/chip differential. Reasonable inference that this was to make course cutting or not running the course at all much easier. Even if I was stupid enough to invent accomplices, the gun/chip differential rules them out right from the start.

3. Failure to successfully cheat a sub 20. From what we know of him bad math is the simplest and hence best answer.

4. Did he actually try to run any part of this? We don't have hard evidence either way but Triathlete guru's evidence suggests not. It would have been simple to get near enough to the finish mat as a spectator, probably needed to be a bit careful when he triggered the finish if they are the normal audible beep ones.

Just no reason to complicate matters. There was no photo or video of Mike crossing the starting line at Via, right? The proximity mat angle seems easiest to pull off and least risky.Let's see if any finish line pics show up with him. If not I wonder if the RD will DQ him.

ExpertKipWatcher wrote:

Occams Razor should be your guide here.

TheDudeAbides wrote:

Just no reason to complicate matters. There was no photo or video of Mike crossing the starting line at Via, right? The proximity mat angle seems easiest to pull off and least risky.

Let's see if any finish line pics show up with him. If not I wonder if the RD will DQ him.

[quote]ExpertKipWatcher wrote:

Occams Razor should be your guide here.

Has to be option 1

He has no pictures of himself in race gear at the start.

Picture of start of race way back in the pack ( like a walker or spectator)

Nobody suspects anything because he is not in race gear.

He walks across/by the start, Hangs out for the needed time and walks close enough to trip the finish time on his chip.

Good job Tri......

TheDudeAbides wrote:

Just no reason to complicate matters. There was no photo or video of Mike crossing the starting line at Via, right? The proximity mat angle seems easiest to pull off and least risky.

Let's see if any finish line pics show up with him. If not I wonder if the RD will DQ him.

ExpertKipWatcher wrote:

Occams Razor should be your guide here.

Another problem with the accomplice theory is that you expand the number of people who know you cheated and the likelihood that your accomplice(s) will out you or tell someone else. This, as was Via, is a one cheater (can't bring myself to use the term man) job.

No shortcuts wrote:

Uzhorod wrote:

Ken should be able to give more details on that. He came up with a picture at some point.

Link to those playground pics. Look at the last photo in the top row.

http://www.abington.k12.pa.us/news/shane-frankel-playground-dedicated-at-rydal-elementary-school-east-in-memory-of-alumnus-shane-frankel/

The last photo is of two people with a plaque.

Can someone enlighten me on the significance of these photos and why we care if he went incognito to a playground dedication?

elephino wrote:

No shortcuts wrote:

Link to those playground pics. Look at the last photo in the top row.

http://www.abington.k12.pa.us/news/shane-frankel-playground-dedicated-at-rydal-elementary-school-east-in-memory-of-alumnus-shane-frankel/

The last photo is of two people with a plaque.

Can someone enlighten me on the significance of these photos and why we care if he went incognito to a playground dedication?

Note above... Last photo in TOP row. Rossi in crowd dressed very much like the guy in the race photo triguru and others suspect is Rossi.

Just a coincidence, that's all.

No shortcuts wrote:

elephino wrote:

The last photo is of two people with a plaque.

Can someone enlighten me on the significance of these photos and why we care if he went incognito to a playground dedication?

Note above... Last photo in TOP row. Rossi in crowd dressed very much like the guy in the race photo triguru and others suspect is Rossi.

Just a coincidence, that's all.

Okay. I misread it as looking for him in the top row of a crowd in a photo.

That looks like standard Rossi wear - sunglasses and hat on a cold, sunny day. Others are wearing sunglasses and others are wearing hats and he's not really incognito.

I was going to ask how and why in the world did someone find that, but looking back, I see someone said that Ken found it. Let me guess, it somehow proves that Rossi is getting divorced and his kids are failing school and everyone hates him and his kids.

Still don't get the "incognito" bit. If I was at an event at my kids' school and another dad, Dave, showed up in stocking cap and sunglasses, I'd say "hi Dave".

I think people may be losing their way here, playground photos aren't anything to do with the matter at hand.

I dont think it proves that, that is divorce or proves much except to likely say that he is a (or knows he is) pariah in his own neighborhood/township/school. I am in the same township.

More and more I'm believing he used his selfie stick to activate the start and finish mats...

TheDudeAbides wrote:

Just no reason to complicate matters. There was no photo or video of Mike crossing the starting line at Via, right? The proximity mat angle seems easiest to pull off and least risky.

Let's see if any finish line pics show up with him. If not I wonder if the RD will DQ him.

ExpertKipWatcher wrote:

Occams Razor should be your guide here.

I don't buy the accomplice theory either but want to note that if we see finish photos taken around the time he finished but don't see him either running or in the background at all then it would be the only explanation left other than hacking.

abingtonrunner2 wrote:

TheDudeAbides wrote:

Just no reason to complicate matters. There was no photo or video of Mike crossing the starting line at Via, right? The proximity mat angle seems easiest to pull off and least risky.

Let's see if any finish line pics show up with him. If not I wonder if the RD will DQ him.

Another problem with the accomplice theory is that you expand the number of people who know you cheated and the likelihood that your accomplice(s) will out you or tell someone else. This, as was Via, is a one cheater (can't bring myself to use the term man) job.

abingtonrunner2 wrote:I dont think it proves that, that is divorce or proves much except to likely say that he is a (or knows he is) pariah in his own neighborhood/township/school. I am in the same township.

In that case wouldn't it be easier to just not go rather than go, dress pretty much like you always dress, hang out with people you know, and expect them to not recognize you because you're wearing sunglasses?

I guess it worked for Clark Kent.

There are people there with hoodies, sunglasses... Must be a lot of pariahs at that school.

Not sure about this specific school event, but I would think after all these months of getting wacked in the head in social media, at least a bit of paranoia would set in. You would start to wonder who knows and doesn't know and might start to lean more toward privacy. I know he's a social media whore but maybe in the friends and acquaintance circles it's a bit different. A recent poster reflected this well when he said they were distancing themselves from Mike without revealing his/her identity. I'm sure Mike has felt people distance themselves but they wouldn't confront him or say anything to his face... Small town, isolation central.

elephino wrote:

abingtonrunner2 wrote:I dont think it proves that, that is divorce or proves much except to likely say that he is a (or knows he is) pariah in his own neighborhood/township/school. I am in the same township.

In that case wouldn't it be easier to just not go rather than go, dress pretty much like you always dress, hang out with people you know, and expect them to not recognize you because you're wearing sunglasses?

I guess it worked for Clark Kent.

There are people there with hoodies, sunglasses... Must be a lot of pariahs at that school.

Trollminator wrote:

I don't buy the accomplice theory either but want to note that if we see finish photos taken around the time he finished but don't see him either running or in the background at all then it would be the only explanation left other than hacking.

I'd probably go with "aliens helped him" before imaginary accomplices - try the simple test - "How would I find an accomplice to help me cheat in a race?" Put an advert in the personals entitled "5K race cheat accomplice required - no previous experience necessary" ?

How do you guarantee this person never rats you out ? Non-disclosure agreement? The complexity and costs are mounting up.

And Houston is taking Temple down.

Drink up Mike, sucks to be you. #YouThecheaTe