Did Mike Rossi (viral marathon dad) cheat his way into Boston?

Thanks. Your donation was very nice.

Make it the MR challenge to keep any potential legal action off the table, this is being done for good after all. I'm going on Facebook today , admitting my wrongdoing and nominating 3 in my running club. Brilliant!

MR challenge wrote:

Make it the MR challenge to keep any potential legal action off the table, this is being done for good after all. I'm going on Facebook today , admitting my wrongdoing and nominating 3 in my running club. Brilliant!

Fair enough. Just make sure they know what the MR stands for. And because it's for a good cause there is no reason this shouldn't go as viral as the ice bucket challenge. Pretty soon the whole world will know what Mike Rossi did. LOL

Don't worry about that. I will post a link to the runners world article and the NBC 10 story. The meaning will be painfully obvious.

Doubler wrote:

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=3863010&page=153

Now, I'll accept your apology.

And please donate that $100 you promised from the other thread to a charity that supports epilepsy research.

The poster on the linked thread is "doubler", which isn't the same username as "Doubler", so what have you proven?

Now that the thread has died down a bit and the angry fervor has cooled somewhat, a thought came to me as I was running my long run today. If I were in Mike's shoes right now, what would I do?

I know that if hollywood people do something that gets them in hot water, like say something that could be construed as racist, etc., they need to make an appointment with someone like Al Sharpton or Oprah Winfrey and beg their forgiveness. Similarly, Mike Rossi has offended the running community and he needs to seek out the leaders of the community to plead his case.

If I were in Mike's shoes, I would schedule an exclusive interview with the Brojos. With a heart filled with contrition, I would tell them that I became obsessed with the notion of BQ'ing and, when I realized that I would not be capable of running my required time, I made some mistakes of judgment for which I am truly ashamed. I would swallow my pride, giving the details of how I cut the course as a demonstration of my new-found humility and willingness to be transparent and open.

Once I had sufficiently denigrated myself, I would vow to redouble my efforts to obtain a legitimate BQ that I could be proud of. When the time came, I would offer to allow credible members of the community to pace me in my run. And when I finally BQ'ed for real in the next 1-2 years, I would have a real shot at redemption within the community. There could even be a thread celebrating how far I had come and how much I had accomplished through hard work and a change of attitude.

Truly, this could become an inspiring story of a man picking himself up by the bootstraps and showing the determination and willingness to make things right. We all deserve a shot at redemption.

Well, that's what I would do...but what will Mike do?

Yes it is. Just depends on how you type it in when you post. It's really ridiculous what people latch onto.

I'd suggest before the meeting that he contact LVM and the BAA and DQ himself. Also sell all of his ill-gotten Boston gear perhaps at auction - that will bring top dollar given its infamous status - with all proceeds going to charity or to a school running program. His Boston shirt alone could bring a small fortune if autographed.

Print out a bunch of t shirts with the slogan Don't Be Like Mike. They'd sell like hot pancakes

If you knew Mike Rossi and the size of his ego you'd know that this will NEVER, EVER happen. Keep in mind that this was all about HIM. The vacation was all based around him running. Then the letter to the principal was all because she questioned going to see him run was education for the children.

HE NEEDS THIS BOSTON RUN more than he needs anything else. And as long as he can shield his kids from the media so that they never find out he can keep lying to himself and his family.

WE will never hear a confession from Mike Rossi. His ego will not allow it.

I hadn't even considered that -- it would definitely go a long way if he were to contact the LVM and the BAA to DQ himself. That would be a huge show of good faith. With his new-found fame, he might actually be able to get some dollars for charity by selling his Boston goods. I think there would be several people from this board, myself included, who would love to own a piece of running history by purchasing his autographed Boston shirt.

My wife who isn't following this story has a friend who lives in the same area as Mike, and apparently the local radio station is calling him the "Douche Daddy". He definitely needs to do something to help his image. If he were a true celebrity, his PR manager would have already had him hitting the pavement to make amends and restore his credibility.

I agree with LoserMikeRossi, who said

but I want Mike to know that there is a way out of this mess that is both honorable and will help him to achieve his goal of a legitimate BQ. He hasn't killed anyone or done anything so terrible that he can't redeem himself. NOW is the time to do the right thing. Digging in and denying everything will only make it worse, permanently cementing his image as a cheating narcissistic ego maniac who cares only about himself.

mike rosie rossi is why I have little desire to race marathons anymore because any cheat can get into Boston.

Anybody else think hat Mike Rossi caused the train wreck in Philadelphia to distract the press from his own train wreck? Just a theory.

No confession. He needs to double down. Find another marathon with mats and put down a 3:09. Do whatever it takes.

And it would set the internet on fire again.

Douche Daddy is pretty raw, his family are the ones who are really suffering from his inaction. I'd definitely be shocked if he took any honorable route out these dark woods. Of course if he is not DQed for some Kumbaya decision by the RD then all runners will be cheated. I think without professional help he has a near zero chance of righting his ship.

WWID

My wife who isn't following this story has a friend who lives in the same area as Mike, and apparently the local radio station is calling him the "Douche Daddy". He definitely needs to do something to help his image. If he were a true celebrity, his PR manager would have already had him hitting the pavement to make amends and restore his credibility.

mike rossi could double his mileage and get up to 30 miles a week and maybe break 21:00 for a 5k.

This is something I've been bothered by. Didn't Rossi say "Well over 1000 miles in 18 mo?" or something to that effect. It's not that bug a deal but conceivably he could have been running over 20 mpw.

His own blog said he was training his ass off running 15 miles a week.