There seem to be some relatively-inseparable "gaps" between the two major positions here. Perhaps one step that could be made would be to sharpen the focus on the differences.
I'll try to "capture" what others have said (plus add point "2c)" )
Position 1) There wasn't a conspiracy today at the 2014 Boston Marathon BECAUSE:
a) the facts of this race prove that the non-winners were simply out-smarted / out-raced by Meb.
and besides:
b) conspiracies don't happen (or hardly ever do);
c) conspiracies can't happen because they would involve too many people and somebody would talk;
Position 2) There was a conspiracy today at the 2014 Boston Marathon BECAUSE:
a) the facts of this race seem to indicate that when Meb gapped the field, a number of elite runners that could have easily stayed with him did not do so(his pace during that section was NOT anything drastic);
and besides:
b) conspiracies do happen (perhaps not frequently);
c) some large conspiracies (like the Manhattan Project's secrecy involving a huge number of people) have succeeded (no one spoke up for decades).
I don't yet have a fixed position about today's race.
I DO think that Meb's "break-away" does raise questions because he just wasn't running so fast that, if some or many of the elite runners had kept up with him, they would have jeopardized their own chances to win. In other words, I believe they could have easily kept up with him and didn't have a good enough reason not to do so.
The fact that a surprisingly large number of women ran PRs and really fast times means that it was both NOT a slow day; AND that Meb was NOT running super-fast when he gapped the elite runners.
I also "side" with Position 2) on aspects "b)" and "c)"
A relatively recent example that supports "2b)" is the Lance Armstrong doping scandal that, despite being so thoroughly in the general public's view AND involving a relatively large number of participants (and witnesses); managed to escape exposure for a good chunk of time.
For "2b)", I use the Manhattan Project, because it was a program involving massive amounts of people; yet it's secrecy was maintained, (one might say "forcibly" by US Government secrecy orders) as I said, for decades. This proves that it can be done; canceling the incredulity of those who claim "too many witnesses to be able to successfully pull a conspiracy off".
Again, I am NOT convinced; but I do have serious questions.
Does this help focus the discussion any?
P.S. The one thing I feel most sure about in this (and many other) debate(s) about possible conspiracy(ies): the massive amount of ridicule in both directions serves no useful purpose; but, instead, on the contrary, tremendously lessens the chance for the underlying truth to be found; and/or for either side to reach and convince the other.
Hey mods, I admit that I'm posting this in two different thread (both this one and it's opposite one); I'm doing that because I think there's a good chance that a lot of people reading that thread will not read this thread and vice-versa). And I think it is "worthy" of being considered by everyone. Hope I haven't violated a forum rule; it is not my intent to do so.
Pablo