Marlon Bascombe Coach of Lean.Strong.Fast Suspected of Cheating for BQ

Does this dude even own a shirt?

Serves no purpose? It would certainly deter other cheaters from doing the same. Otherwise, they just know that someone will find them, but not let anybody know.

What purpose does NOT releasing the names serve?

Bottom line Marlon is an idiot and a terrible cheater. The evidence is irrefutable. But wait lets just attack Doubler instead

Yeah, that makes no sense. Put the names out there, dude, or don't do this at all. It makes you look like you have an axe to grind.

Marlon/whoever is trying and failing to troll Doubler- you know what is going to happen, right? The admins will see that all your posts under different usernames are coming from the same IP address and call you out

Hi Marlon wrote:

Marlon/whoever is trying and failing to troll Doubler- you know what is going to happen, right? The admins will see that all your posts under different usernames are coming from the same IP address and call you out

Your name on that list, bro?

[/quote]

Serves no purpose? It would certainly deter other cheaters from doing the same. Otherwise, they just know that someone will find them, but not let anybody know.

What purpose does NOT releasing the names serve?[/quote]

The only people that have ever demanded I release all the names are the few here.

I think what has been done so far is serving, as a deterrent. news getting out on Gia's lifetime ban is serving as a deterrent. Knowing there is a decent chance that you will get caught and banned will serve as a deterrent.

Most posts now gets as many views as I used to get on my entire blog in 6 months. While wrong - and I do report all cases - someone that swapped a bib does not deserve the attention that a post might bring to them. Would you feel good if the course cutting fireman mentioned in the article lost his job over it? If I post his name, I would bear that responsibility. Doing so would not be a popular move, and I lose whatever voice I may have.

When someone is profiting off of those lies, that is where I feel it is justified to hold them accountable. when someone is taking money from customers and sponsors based on BS credentials, I feel it's appropriate to put it out there to make their customers aware and have some accountability.

Now I am done. If you really want to have a discussion, you can like my FB page, or email me and we can have a fair discussion where I have some idea who I am talking to.

doubler wrote:

When someone is profiting off of those lies, that is where I feel it is justified to hold them accountable. when someone is taking money from customers and sponsors based on BS credentials, I feel it's appropriate to put it out there to make their customers aware and have some accountability.

Agreed. But I would add that the people that cut a course or otherwise then use that time for a Boston bib are worthy of naming. Some poor shlub that's devoted the past two years to running and finishing a marathon with a qualifying time is getting the shaft due to these course cutters. Your moral high ground is indeed intact when outing these people, as well.

Often bib swapping has no actual collateral damage. Cases like Marlon, and BQ course cutters DO have collateral damage.

doubler wrote:

When someone is profiting off of those lies, that is where I feel it is justified to hold them accountable. when someone is taking money from customers and sponsors based on BS credentials, I feel it's appropriate to put it out there to make their customers aware and have some accountability.

This is the most important part. Marlon is deceiving his paying clients, who happens to be mostly new to the sport, with false credentials and bogus race results. That's why he was exposed. This wasn't just a lapse in judgement by some weekend jogger who bought a bib off craigslist or something. It was a calculated (stupid) business decision by Marlon.

go doubler wrote:

doubler wrote:

When someone is profiting off of those lies, that is where I feel it is justified to hold them accountable. when someone is taking money from customers and sponsors based on BS credentials, I feel it's appropriate to put it out there to make their customers aware and have some accountability.

This is the most important part. Marlon is deceiving his paying clients, who happens to be mostly new to the sport, with false credentials and bogus race results. That's why he was exposed. This wasn't just a lapse in judgement by some weekend jogger who bought a bib off craigslist or something. It was a calculated (stupid) business decision by Marlon.

How do we know the fireman that doubler talked about did not use running Boston on his resume to get his job or promotion, or uses it in someway to profit off of it. How many clients does this Marlon guy have? I'd guess not many. He likely has a real job that he could lose because of this, just like the fireman. All names need to be released or none.

I know doubler was not the one who exposed her, but was the mommy blogger making money off of giving her bib to someone else? He wrote a blog about her and publicly shamed her. This does not follow his line of reasoning.

doubler, your heart is in the right place, but by not releasing all the names, you are not deterring anyone who is not a running coach and you know this.

Runners World quickly picked up the Gia Alavarez story. They outed Mike Rossi. Hopefully by Monday we see a front pager on Marlon. Get the maximum exposure to his potential client base.

Will hold a ton of weight to those people to see his name attached to cheating and fraud in Runners World.

I agree with this comment from earlier:

"Personally - much like true crime - I find the marathon cheating stories interesting. I don't think it's public shaming at all, I think it's public interest. It's just so crazy the lengths people go to and crazy people are interesting."

As for the percentage of cheaters argument, I see it as 200 (or whatever number) people that were denied but should have gotten in. That is 200 out of 4500 or something like 4%. Not huge, but it is huge to the people that were denied.

Those people really wanting the names of the 50 or so cheaters are welcome to do the research themselves. Derek's methodology is documented.

Derek has pointed out a couple of examples of cheaters. He has said he will go to original RDs and the BAA when he is ready. Should he release all the names? Maybe. Perhaps it would allow others to help confirm (even though RW already did that). I think Marlon was chosen as an example partly because of his profession and also because he did respond with the questionable Nike data supplied by Marlon. Derek posted over on the Rossi thread specifically asking for confirmation if that data looked odd.

As for his NJ result. Forget the fact that he missed timing mats. For the first 10k he had an 8:51 pace. Nobody attempting a 3:05 is going to start out that slow and then run 24 miles at 6:23/mile. I'd have to see a workout or race result showing anything sub 6:30 for 10 or more miles before I believe it.

Put me in the camp that all the names should be posted. Didn't he say he kew with 100% certainty that they cheated? No reason not to give them up.

doubler wrote:

Serves no purpose? It would certainly deter other cheaters from doing the same. Otherwise, they just know that someone will find them, but not let anybody know.

What purpose does NOT releasing the names serve?[/quote]

The only people that have ever demanded I release all the names are the few here.

I think what has been done so far is serving, as a deterrent. news getting out on Gia's lifetime ban is serving as a deterrent. Knowing there is a decent chance that you will get caught and banned will serve as a deterrent.

Most posts now gets as many views as I used to get on my entire blog in 6 months. While wrong - and I do report all cases - someone that swapped a bib does not deserve the attention that a post might bring to them. Would you feel good if the course cutting fireman mentioned in the article lost his job over it? If I post his name, I would bear that responsibility. Doing so would not be a popular move, and I lose whatever voice I may have.

When someone is profiting off of those lies, that is where I feel it is justified to hold them accountable. when someone is taking money from customers and sponsors based on BS credentials, I feel it's appropriate to put it out there to make their customers aware and have some accountability.

Now I am done. If you really want to have a discussion, you can like my FB page, or email me and we can have a fair discussion where I have some idea who I am talking to.[/quote]

Your statement about not being a popular move is troublesome. Justice and fairness and truth are not always "popular". If we only impose consequences on conduct when it is "popular" then we ourselves are not acting fairly and justly.

Justice is blind. Doubler is not.

You have anointed yourself as the arbiter of who gets consequences and who does not. Your are playing with people's lives. And you have decided on your own that Marlon should be publicly shamed but the guy that procured multiple bibs for his club buddies by running their qualifiers should not be named. Why not name Jesse?

Doubler you have become part of the problem. Honestly you are. I better than a race director who decides to DQ some but not all cheaters.

And it does seem you are promoting this. Why don't you provide some proof that you are not profiting by this. Give any proceeds after costs from your website to charity. Right now it looks like you have entered the public shaming business and are running a public pillory where you pick and choose who gets skewered and you are looking to profit by ads.

Get back to where you were as a shining light for fair play. Karma is what it is and it will turn.

Hi Marlon wrote:

Bottom line Marlon is an idiot and a terrible cheater. The evidence is irrefutable. But wait lets just attack Doubler instead

That's how it works.

Isn't that how Mikey was caught. If he wouldn't have posted that letter to the principle...no one would have known.

At somepoint people turn on the accuser.

YOu Got this steeple wrote:

Hi Marlon wrote:

Bottom line Marlon is an idiot and a terrible cheater. The evidence is irrefutable. But wait lets just attack Doubler instead

That's how it works.

Isn't that how Mikey was caught. If he wouldn't have posted that letter to the principle...no one would have known.

At somepoint people turn on the accuser.

Nothing on my part intended to distract from Marlon's spotlight. Just think the spotlight should be shined on all like the light of day.

The accuser should be prepared to be under some scrutiny of his method for determining who is and who is not outed.

For example what if that list of names contains someone that Doubler is acquainted with and likes. Do they get a public shaming or do they get a warning or a pass? Or what if Doubler goes online and decides the person is really a nice person so he gives them a pass.

Right now there are apparently 45+ people being given a pass.

I question that. Yes. Not turning on Doubler but I question that. And I am troubled by the potential for him to profit at this.

mattw4jc wrote:

As for his NJ result. Forget the fact that he missed timing mats. For the first 10k he had an 8:51 pace. Nobody attempting a 3:05 is going to start out that slow and then run 24 miles at 6:23/mile. I'd have to see a workout or race result showing anything sub 6:30 for 10 or more miles before I believe it.

I think it was actually 6:23 pace from mi 6.2 to 24.8 and then 12:02 pace for 24.8 to 26.2 according to marathon investigation. It could be that it was some really goofy pacing that caused him to blow up badly the last mile and a half. Or it could be that he cut the course and jogged it in the last stretch to make sure his time was believable.

I am all for outing cheaters. Anytime, any place, anywhere, any method. Cheaters who are public figures deserve a public outing. But I think anyone who cheats should be publicly shamed. The average Joe who cheats in a marathon is more than likely someone who is also ethically challenged in their profession and possibly family life. There is no benefit to anyone in granting them impunity when they lace up for a marathon. The marathon is a big accomplishment. People who finish marathons are lauded by friends, family, co-workers and customers. We should not stand by and let these people coopt our sport for their own nefarious purposes.

Unfortunately for Marlon and his supporters, we've seen all of this pathetic crap they are trying to pull on the Mike Rossi thread. It's all just obvious admissions of guilt. Rather than providing proof Marlon ran the marathon in the time he alleges ( which is something that is ridiculously easy to do for non-cheaters) he and/or his supporters go on the attack. One common theme was obfuscation - diverting attention, creating non-issues. In this case the constant push to see "the list" - every time I see one of those posts it screams out "Marlon is a cheater".

Attacking Derek will not magically prove Marlon legitimately qualified for Boston. It's weak and obvious. It shows a profound lack of intelligence.

You will accuse me of being Derek now - same old crap from the Rossi thread, but I'm not. I am someone Derek would hate as I think the Boston marathon is a joke and anyone buying into its mystic is a bit pathetic. But I enjoy a good cheater story. My favorite is the girl who pretended to run and bought a finisher medal. That kind of crazy you can't make up.

Could it be a shakedown situation? The cheater is contacted and told to give the accuser $xxx or he/she will be publicly shamed. If the cheater does not agree then his/her name gets posted. Cheater pays up, no post.