elephino wrote:
I know I'm in the minority here, but I think it's possible* that he ran the 20:25 legit.
I would say you are in the minority if you think it is likely he ran the 20:25 and I doubt you think it likely.
Is there a possibility? There is definitely a possibility just as there is a possibility he ran the VIA marathon in 3:11:45. Anybody who knows much about running, physiology, and Rossi's previous times (not to mention the missing photos and Rossi's behavior) knows that the VIA marathon is with about 99.99999999999999999999999999999% certainty a fraudulent time. There is a possibility, but it is so small we can say it is negligible or impossible. I think we are all comfortable saying he cheated at VIA (except trolls and Rossi).
With the Turkey Trot, we can't have as much certainty, especially give the lack of official race photography. With both VIA and here we are dealing strictly with circumstantial evidence, but in both cases we are talking about the same individual whom others have eloquently stated, "runs like a duck" and is now known internationally as a cheater. When someone is a known cheater, the burden of proof shifts to them, especially when the performance in question is another outlier.
If he were smarter, he could have had somebody capable of breaking 20 minutes with the same size/build run in "Rossiesque" gear using his bib but obscuring his identity, carrying a Garmin and Rossi's cell phone. He blew his chance at the $10,000, with the stipulations in place now, this deception is not possible... This is what I was concerned he had done this past weekend and is why I personally emailed Rojo and Wejo as others of you did as well.
Someone recently told me "I refuse to find any one guilty of anything based on circumstantial evidence alone." Fortunately, Rojo/Letsrun.com isn't this gutless, gutless like Barb McKeever and VIA were. They were faced with overwhelming evidence Rossi cheated, but circumstantial nonetheless and so they took the gutless route and refused to DQ. Rojo had the guts to take a stand and call a spade a spade plus put his money on the claim. Rossi's performance this past weekend is extremely suspicious, it is up to him to prove he's not a cheater and so far he has failed miserably.