Frank Meza 2:53:10 at LA Marathon (70 years old) unofficial time (just finished)

ChunkNorris wrote:

Hi Frank,

Coming clean with this will be the quickest way to make this stop. People will have a lot more respect for you. With a simple DQ people will still be going through in detail all of your previous races. The scrutiny is already spilling over to your family so please do the right thing.

And this. Let it die and become a meme.

The goal is no cheating or less cheating or more awareness of cheating. Hard to fix a problem if no one knows that there is a problem. He seems have the means to compensate for his cheating, but instead he’s using his resources to cheat more. Basically, anywhere this goes leaves us better off than the current situation.

queq wrote:

biders of time wrote:

They should DQ, absolutely, but I actually hope LA waits a bit -- having Frank's name up as age group winner and unofficial world record setter provides considerably more motivation for some reporter to pick up the story and take it to the next level.

Why would a DQ not be enough for you if you feel like it doesn't get enough press?

I think a DQ would be a big accomplishment and entirely appropriate. Also, I would like to see the story distributed more fully -- FM continues to deny any fault other than taking a short pee break or two, and deserves to be known as a cheat. Second, I'd like the LA Marathon directors queried by a reporter supported by the strength and status of a known news agency as to why they have ignored the obvious data proving FM has cheated.

Third place finisher wrote:

I've located the third place finisher on Facebook. He lives in Los Angeles. Sent him a message with link to Derek's site and brief description of how Frank's bumped him down a place.

Suggested that he is in a good position to contact L.A. M and ask that they adjust their results correctly as he is directly penalised by this. He hasn't posted on his page since 2017 though, so no idea if he'll get the message.

.

Check his IG or Snap, the cools kids don't use FB anymore.

Steven King’s Ghost wrote:

Third place finisher wrote:

I've located the third place finisher on Facebook. He lives in Los Angeles. Sent him a message with link to Derek's site and brief description of how Frank's bumped him down a place.

Suggested that he is in a good position to contact L.A. M and ask that they adjust their results correctly as he is directly penalised by this. He hasn't posted on his page since 2017 though, so no idea if he'll get the message.

.

That’s a very creepy thing to do. Even worse is mentioning that you did it. If he doesn’t respond are you planning to wait outside his door so you can accost him in person and then get pi$$ed off at him if he doesn’t want to contact LAM?

Actually if it was me, I'd be very thankful and actually a bit impressed that someone did some work and noticed what I had rightfully earned but not properly rewarded for.

Here, here Brooklyn! This post is perhaps the best I've read on this thread regarding who is most to blame (other than Meza of course) for this ongoing saga.

It has become exceedingly expensive to register for marathons. Many take their preparation and participating quite seriously, investing time, energy, and treasure ($$$) in the pursuit of the noble goal of a well earned finish line. For race directors to abrogate the basic responsibility of ensuring the integrity of their race is shameful.

I strongly encourage anyone who cares about the LA Marathon doing the right thing to email your concerns to:

Alex Barboza

Event Operations

Conqur Endurance Group

I received an email response from him acknowledging my concerns and stating that they are currently reviewing the situation.

Steven King’s Ghost wrote:

That’s a very creepy thing to do. Even worse is mentioning that you did it. If he doesn’t respond are you planning to wait outside his door so you can accost him in person and then get pi$$ed off at him if he doesn’t want to contact LAM?

Yes, you make a good point F.O.F (Friend of Frank).

I thought about this, and carefully considered that if I were to be cheated out of an age-group placing would I rather be left in the dark or would I rather someone use my publicly available information to point out that Frank had shafted me.

And after careful consideration, I've just reached out to the fourth placed finisher as well via email and given him an opportunity to bring up his case with L.A Marathon too. He was knocked off the podium completely by Frank and now has an opportunity to do something about it if he wants.

So thanks for the thoughts in your post. I probably wouldn't have got around to emailing the fourth placed guy otherwise.

queq wrote:

biders of time wrote:

They should DQ, absolutely, but I actually hope LA waits a bit -- having Frank's name up as age group winner and unofficial world record setter provides considerably more motivation for some reporter to pick up the story and take it to the next level.

Why would a DQ not be enough for you if you feel like it doesn't get enough press?

I think a helpful analogy would be this: if someone is caught robbing your house, would you be ok if the police just said to the thief, "OK, give everything back, and then go away and don't come back!" Most people would expect some additional punishment for the thief. Similarly with Meza - he cheated, and he stole what was earned by others. DQ'ing him would amount to the race directors saying he had to give the awards back.

I don't think cheating at a marathon is a prosecutable crime. But the lack of any negative consequences for Meza beyond having his name removed from the record books would stick in the craws of many. That's why we see a strong drive in many people for some kind of public exposure at least.

rwrwrwrwrwrw wrote:

Dogfish wrote:

Derek's latest update in now up at MI.

https://www.marathoninvestigation.com/2019/06/frank-meza-speaks-to-canadian-running-magazine-responds-to-course-cutting-claims.html

Is that a cell phone outline under his t-shirt? Might support the accomplice hypothesis... Or maybe just good to have access to a gps map as he navigates downtown LA?

Another odd thing to add to the many accoutrements weighing Frank down and which would impede your normal sub three hour marathon runner on a hot day, i.e. T shirt short sleeve, T shirt long sleeve, cell phone, bib belt, fanny pack, baggy shorts, two watches, he's also a black cord around his neck, what could that be for?

Call me an uber wrote:

Maybe he’s using the cell phone to give his location to the Uber drivers?

No, as Frank said he's "old school", he prefers a taxi cab, but being "old school" he gets confused with the technology and how to give his location, he fecked up big time here:

Taxi !!! wrote:

https://imgur.com/a/9A9HB5m#fZjsAJZ

I would be ashamed to show up to a race like that. I might dress like that for an easy morning run at 45 degrees. So bad, so bogus and so pitiful.

thanks for emailing them: More who ran should be doing so, as well (who's the RD of the Sprouts Phoenix-Mesa Marathon?). In addition, loop in the sponsors. This is how they move to action. Does Skechers or Sprouts want to be associated with a tarnished event?

What's the black neck cord for? wrote:

rwrwrwrwrwrw wrote:

Is that a cell phone outline under his t-shirt? Might support the accomplice hypothesis... Or maybe just good to have access to a gps map as he navigates downtown LA?

Another odd thing to add to the many accoutrements weighing Frank down and which would impede your normal sub three hour marathon runner on a hot day, i.e. T shirt short sleeve, T shirt long sleeve, cell phone, bib belt, fanny pack, baggy shorts, two watches, he's also a black cord around his neck, what could that be for?

Cab charge card to pay for the taxi?

Congrats sir, super sleuthing, also to the fellas that initially picked out the blurry blue blobs at the 20k and 25k (blob being the best descriptive when it comes to our 2:50 and change super hero).

There must more, but I can't find it either.

So, where do the local running clubs in LA and Phoenix stand on this issue? Would be nice to hear from them (I'm not familiar with the triathlon clubs there but I'm sure there are many)

I know that local clubs/teams here in NYC would vocalize their disgust to the NYRR and be adamant that action should be taken if it were an open secret that a runner was consistently abusing the rules. At the least, if Frank were a member of a local team here, he would get expelled if the race were in NYC or out of town. However, again clubs/teams will react IF the race directors/organizations themselves take the proper action.

old shoe wrote:

queq wrote:

Why would a DQ not be enough for you if you feel like it doesn't get enough press?

This brings an interesting question - where do we all see this going? Do we want him to just be DQ'd? or his life ruined? Does he need to be on the front page of every newspaper in America?

Touchy subject.

Honestly I'd like to see a public apology. It might help convince some of the other cheaters to stop or try harder.

Clearly, some people here with no life of their own want to see his life ruined.

What's the black neck cord for? wrote:

rwrwrwrwrwrw wrote:

Is that a cell phone outline under his t-shirt? Might support the accomplice hypothesis... Or maybe just good to have access to a gps map as he navigates downtown LA?

Another odd thing to add to the many accoutrements weighing Frank down and which would impede your normal sub three hour marathon runner on a hot day, i.e. T shirt short sleeve, T shirt long sleeve, cell phone, bib belt, fanny pack, baggy shorts, two watches, he's also a black cord around his neck, what could that be for?

You don’t need to worry about heat if you’re spending most of the race in an air condition vehicle. That explains why he needs to stretch and warm up every time before hopping back onto the course. Frank must have had a driver. That’s much more easier than riding several bikes from Checkpoints.

Time for Justice wrote:

Someone should start with LA Times sportswriter Eric Sondheimer who has breathlessly covered Loyola HS XC and it’s coaching staff with fawning coverage for years.

Links?

Email addresses?

Phone numbers?

If you want to start a fire, at least lay down some kindling.

Pik Nottil wrote:

He seems to be much better at it than Kip.

That's laughable. Kip traveled the country and even cheated at Boston and left far less evidence than the good Doctor.