[quote]I gotta call BS wrote:
So, suddenly his GI issues and blisters disappear and he somehow overcomes adversity and with the help of some thumbs up and social media he finds sudden renewed strength to run splits he hadn't run since before mile 45 to just make it under the cutoff.
What a story. They should make a movie out of it. But I'm not buying it.
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If you want to go down that path - have at it. I've got a sneaking suspicion you won't find much support or any credible allegations that have been made publicly or otherwise that TZ did anything but kick it in gear when his back was against the wall. Look at his past history and you will see he's more than capable of the pace he ran and there has never been a claim he cheated in the past. As we know, most long distance runners have experienced GI issues. We all know that once you let nature take its course, you get to the point you either literally push past it or make the decision to drop out of the race. TZ clearly pushed past it and had the guts, determination and ability to finish the race. With that said, if someone witnessed something otherwise about TZ on the course, they've not spoken up that I'm aware of. So until such time, let's stay focused on the matter at hand. After all, this whole thread isn't just about BW, it's about a pattern of events, that until someone had the balls to raise some valid questions (based on first hand knowledge, I might add), that this entire fiasco snowballed into what it is today.
Also, the RR100 RD should be commended. Not so much that he made the decision to DQ PM, but rather, he chose to address the allegations that were made swiftly and decisively. Based on the evidence he clearly received, he chose to not just remove this individuals official results from the race ( which get could have done), but chose to keep the posted results and flag the runner as being Disqualified - which if my dictionary is correct, means that it was determined that her results and status in the race are for all practical purposes, eliminated from the competition because of an infringement of the rules.
Had the RR100 RD investigated the matter and decided that based on the evidence presented the results are correct, that would have been fine as well. Sure, some folks would still question the findings, but at least the matter would have been addressed by the RD and the credibility of the race and integrity of the rules enforced.
On this thread, after the DQ, we are then led to believe that GI issues were to blame for the accidental cutting of the course. So why, if she knew the results were not accurate, would she use that race to be considered as a qualification race towards Badwater? Maybe it wasn't, but that's what it appears to be at this point. Why not disclose the GI issues early on in this thread when RR100 came to light? Sure, it's not the most pleasant excuse to give, but it's at least a plausible one.
Early on in my running career I entered a local 10k race. It was chip timed. I'm not a good or fast runner. That day, I just wasn't feeling it and after the start, decided to just do the 5k. The funny part was that the 1st place finisher for the 10k was just over twice as fast as me. I crossed just after him. There were plenty of 5k runners who had already crossed and crossing with me as I finished. As the results were posted, I noticed I was listed as the 2nd place finisher in the 10k! I immediately realized I should have told them when I crossed I'd only done the 5k, but I didn't put two and two together until I saw the results. I immediately found the timing officials and told them of the mistake and they quickly posted the correct results. They were kind enough to move me to the 5K results, and I finished in the back half of the pack.
My point here is that yes, sometimes things happen that are by accident. But you address the matter immediately and move on. That doesn't appear to be what's happened here, or at least by what we can tell it isn't.
Someone said early on that the truth, no matter how uncomfortable, will ultimately come out. Sometimes the truth can be a hard thing to admit on your own, but it's far better to be the one admitting it yourself than to have others expose the truth, especially if it's not quite the same story you've been claiming all along.
We all have embellished a story here and there, but to claim a victory that you didn't honestly earn, that's wrong. That's deceitful, unfair, unjust and unsportsmanlike. Lance is living proof of the fact that the truth will eventually come out. Now that it has for him, he's gone on with his life. I'm sure the stress and guilt he had been carrying on his shoulders while he publicly denied the allegations at every opportunity, the fact is that those closest to him who knew the truth were some of the ones who where hurt the most. That's unfortunate and an unfair burden to put on any friend or other athlete. Do I still admire Lance, yes. Sure, he's not so high up on my ladder of admired people, but if I were to have the opportunity to meet him, talk to him, and take a picture with him, I would. We all make mistakes. We all have the ability to forgive and eventually, over time, we forget.
Let's just remember that this really isn't about destroying a person, career, accomplishments or records. Some here might disagree with me on that, but that's not my agenda. It's about finding out what the truth is first and foremost. The rest of that stuff doesn't matter to me at this point because the cloud of doubt has been raised already in my mind. Until that cloud is cleared up in my mind, it casts an ugly shadow on not only on the people involved, but also on the races and race directors who do nothing to try and clear up this mess.