Another run across America underway - is it legit? Boots currently on the ground

HR abnormalities are telling even if using wrist optical HR. Only way to be sure of shenanigans is boots on the ground like Asher Delmot in the Rob Young bust.

How can an attempt like this be seen as at all credible with

A: the tracker deliberately placed away from the runner in the van ( remember Robert Young ?).
B: Such a massive increase in daily performance of the runner for every day of the attempt - way above their single days previous runs.

C: Such exceptional watch malfunctions being claimed as “ normal”?

Simply runnjng with the tracker on the person and a watch replacement that takes less than one minute would verify this attempt. Instead we have the criticism of these suggestions and claims of victimisation. Why not squash all criticism by just wearing the yea jet and changing the watch ?

for 50+ days out of 65, in a unique manner like this? We can't just give him a free pass and put it all down to tech fail.

But yes, am lasciviously eyeing up a ticket to St. Louis!

we have had a watch replacement three days ago, when his dad arrived with a Coros to replaced a borrowed Garmin. They have had a huge spike in heart-rates since I got onto them an with the new watch, but the irregularities are still at one-third. Far, far, too high. Just because they're no longer 85% wrong, and now only 35%, it's still inexcusable.

Can't have a strong British record fall in such a seedy manner.

Great work Will. In the absence of “feet on the ground” at the moment to see what’s happening I got to wondering if there are any publicly accessible web/traffic cams on his route? Might be worth looking into.

This is funny. Jogle world records:

Molinaro: out in 5.5, back in 6.5

Lawson: out in 4.5 back in 5.4

Goodge as a novice and a huge blow-up on days 3&4: out in 8.4, back in 7.

Smokin'. He actually did 15.4 days, not 16 as he states. Just because he's on day 16, doesn't mean it is, as it still had 14 hours to go.

yes, you are correct that a tracker would not be the magic silver bullet, but it would really help, and also make the whole thing far more interesting and entertaining.

As it stands we're completely in the dark about everything, and they give us all but no updates. It's always the same: lovely weather, beautiful scenery and the run went fantastic.

And that's all. Never did anyone suffer so little on a multiday. It all looks like a jogging holiday with pizza, football, beer, and bizarrely, sprint repetitions at the end of the day.

"I would reply: There are over 100 million people on Strava, and some 50 BILLION kms logged, and nowhere, EVER, is there an example anywhere of anyone else give off readings like this. Not even for a day or so”

I get the general point you’re making but this hyperbole diminishes your credibility greatly since it’s clearly impossible for you to have data mined the entire history of strava. All you really mean is that you’ve never seen anything similar, which is a totally different point.

Well, it doesn't exist because it's absolutely unique what he's claiming, and physiologically impossible: doing nearly 2,000kms at a heart rate of sub 120 at a pace of sub 8 in long races.

I also submit, without doing any data mining, that nowhere in the history of the world will you find a runner consistently running sub 9.5 for the 100.

Nowhere, will you find a runner consistently going sub 1:40 for the 8.

Nowhere will you find a golfer consistently shooting in the 50s.

I'm saying it's not on Strava with certainty because it's clearly not a data fail. What this guy is doing is a unique model he stumbled on with his pal four years ago which involves social media, charity, ignorance, bravado, pyramid selling, influencing, go fund me and various other socio-economic factors, and very precious little to do with the noble sport of multiday running.

If my wording has jarred you, I apologize, but you get my drift. I have been chided by some saying there are big data fails out there on Strava akin to this, but this isn't a data fail, and where are they anyway? By biggest detractor sent me what he said were 15 data fails like what I'm saying, but they were all athletes running in the 120-190s, and the data all seemed perfectly clean. I don't think he understood the brief.

Hang in there, Will. Doing the sport a great favour in calling out these cheats.

Omg Dave! That sends shivers down my spine...: 25 years ago today I was second fastest Brit at Boston.

Only one grizzled old grinder beat me. And it was you! So that's ok. We had a lovely chat at prize-giving.

Thank you for your lovely words. This just in from Bruce's daughter:

"It was a superhuman effort made by an elite athlete in peak fitness, so hard to think of someone claiming credit for that unfairly."

We are not going to tell Sue all this is happening, as the fear is she would find it too upsetting.

All the best and thanks again, Will

Who are you to question the ability of HIS body? Have you never sprinted at the end of a marathon when just miles earlier you didn't think your legs would bend? I know I have! Why not build him up rather than attempt to tear him down?

What is your reasoning for attempting to tear down Will's AMAZING feat? Do you know how many ethical people raise thousands and thousands of dollars through GoFundMe? If you are saying Will having their funds go through them is potentially fraudulent, then are you implying that all GoFundMe fundraisers are fraudulent? If you aren't saying that, then why pick out his efforts? Do you know the challenge of giving to 2 or more charities at one time? It is a major hassle. By using GoFundMe, the money can be raised on one site and then checks made to the respective charities.

If you don't believe his efforts, why don't you go jump on a plane, find out where he finished up the night before, and then run with him for several days? You are making an issue of something that should be celebrated rather than scutinized!

How dare you call him a cheat? Are you running with him? Since I'm sure you aren't, don't say what you don't personally know.

Make it a great day rather than trying to tear someone down!

It's clear that you're someone affiliated with the guy. But even for someone affiliated that is a bit of a stretch to compare sprinting at the end of the marathon when you know you're done and sprinting at the end of the day in a multiday race. It would be like sprinting every mile in a marathon. Noone who races marathon does that.

I decided to join the tracking.

Do we have any theories how he is cheating yet with strava?

He uses Coros. I tried to see if I could add a manual activity in Coros that would be pulled to Strava but don’t see how.

Does Strava allow you to make up activities?

Absolutely continue to question an OBVIOUS fraud. Go away troll.