Suspicious result

A while back, when it emerged that Arg's sister (who?) had cheated at London, I browsed the results - and there were a number of others listed as 'result pending' where the chip had failed to register at all of the 5k mats.

Now - the majority of these have been disqualified before yesterday's announcement of the millionth finisher, BUT there is one glaring exception:

L Rowley, runner 55366. Running at 31/32 minute split in the first half to give a time of 2h11 at halfway, he then fails to register at the 25k mat in Docklands before resurfacing at 30k in Canary Wharf.

Agree it's not the most cunning of shortcuts, he's not done the full Tommy shortcut at Tower Bridge - but he 'ran' the missing 9k in 39 minutes which gives an average of 4m20 second/km - a 5k speed of around 22 minutes.

And yet his speed then drops down to 34m and 35m for the next 5k splits....

It gives him an 11 minute negative split!

Surely this deserved a disqualification?

 

 

 

 

«1

Comments

  • It does look like he's taken a short cut doesn't it ?



    You don't go from +30 mins for 5ks to a 39 min 10k do you mid race ?
  • He's come through the underpass at just after 15 miles and cut across to the 18.5 mile point at west india dock, cutting out between 4 & 5 km.  That would be consistent with his time splits and explain why he only missed the 25k mat.

  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭

    His crime will be recorded on his gravestone (if his relatives can afford one).

    Worse than that, it's (his crime) now 'Out There'.

    Yep. And worse still,

    He's socially medially fucked.

    🙂

  • VDOT52VDOT52 ✭✭✭
    Gladrags, have you emailed the organisers? They are actually pretending to be interested this year so may look into it.
  • MrSoftMrSoft ✭✭✭

    Are you automatically under investigation if you have just one timing mat split missing at London?. 

  • It's not that one mat has been missed - it's that the splits only male sense if he's cut the course
  • limperlimper ✭✭✭

    Just to say...
    I stepped right off the course at 13 miles to do a thorough wardrobe reorganisation and I was approached by 3 marshals to 'check I was ok'. It never even occurred to me that people cheat by cutting out part of the course. Why would you? If you can't run it you can walk it and still enjoy yourself.
    I am renowned for being a bit naive about human nature though  image

  • Nose NowtNose Nowt ✭✭✭

    More than suspicious.  

    Is this one that Mr I missed?  If so, he'll be devastated image

  • GladragsGladrags ✭✭✭

    was expecting lots of people telling me to get a life!

    I wondered if they needed one more runner to get the millionth finisher they wanted (!) - but have reported it anyway....

  • Nose NowtNose Nowt ✭✭✭

    The subject of cheating by taking short cuts is one thing that's sure to unite people on this forum!   Good job gladrags.  I'm not sure the organisers will thank you for bringing further confusion after they've announced the one millionth finisher - but it was almost bound to happen one way or another!

  • In those million finishers there'll be plenty who cut the course in previous years when they didn't bother chucking out those with dodgy chip times, and in the years before that when chips weren't used at all.  Quite likely they're not actually up to a million legitimate finishers yet, but it's obviously impossible to know for sure.

    Gladrags, are you suggesting that if they'd kicked this guy out their millionth finisher might not have been a photogenic lady with a good back story?  Shame on you! image

  • Dan ADan A ✭✭✭

    For a man who was getting consistently slower according to the bits he did run (and by the look of his photos), he seems to be more interested in walking and looking at his mobile phone...

    ...he's done remarkably well to get an 11 min negative split.image

    Oh, and on the millionth finisher thing, they want you believe that a million people have run the London Marathon.  But you get a finisher number for every one you've completed (I have a dozen finisher numbers for example).  So if you take out all those who've done it more than once, I expect there have only been about half a million finishers.  But that would spoil the story wouldn't it.  image

  • I remember a lady who had to drop out of the marathon due to injury. She rejoined the marathon at the end in order to reclaim her bag. The result showed she finished in a GFA time with many splits missing. No questions were ever asked. I wonder if she claimed the GFA place? Or indeed the girl whose name and number she ran underimage

    This was over 10 years ago and the two ladies concerned were seasoned club runners. 

     

  • GladragsGladrags ✭✭✭

    The one in a million thing is nonsense to be honest? I have 8 separate finishes - including one from 2001 where your time was gun time despite there being a mat at the start.... And no 5k mats in those days so lots of scope to cheat.

    My email to VMLM has been read but not replied to - not expecting anything to be honest as they did suspend his result and then allow it. On what grounds I have no idea. there can't be a single other 11 minute negative split?

  • I don't think the 11 min negative split is the issue. That is unlikely but in almost 40000 runners you would get a few funny results.



    He was doing 5k splits of more than 30mins and then his midway 10k time was 39. That's the impossible bit.
  • The millionth finisher thing was always going to be hedged around with 'there must have been some dodgy finishers back in the day...' It's just a bit of publicity for the event and her cause, not a big problem. 

  • dave wood 4dave wood 4 ✭✭✭

    I think Mr Rowley was a little naive, he really should have done his homework! If you are going to "skip" parts of the course then at least check your watch and keep the timing right,lol. Do you know that you can actually "miss " 15k and still cover all the mats, you can even miss 1 and "save" 25 k

     

  • GladragsGladrags ✭✭✭

    they've replied to say that they have photos of him on each part of the course. There is no online photo of him at the 16 mile marker so assume he has supplied something they're happy with.

    It still makes no sense but nothing further to be done.

  • Dan ADan A ✭✭✭

    Utter horseshit.  There is NO way he ran the loop around the Docklands from mile 15 to 18, based on his splits.  It is IMPOSSIBLE.  If VLM think he did then they are being deliberately obtuse.  Seeing as it's pretty simple to see what charity he is running for, and as such to find out a bit about him with minimal internet searching, then I hope he is suitably embarrassed to have posed with a medal that 35k other runners legitimately earned.

    There is no way that VLM would DQ anyone now they've announced their millionth finisher, I suppose.

  • GladragsGladrags ✭✭✭

    I agree - it's v frustrating as it's obvious he has cheated. I did wonder if the nature of the charity he is linked to meant that disqualifying him would never happen though?

    Feel I've pushed it as far as I can - they're clearly not giving up on this one...

    Hope he feels rubbish every time someone comments on his time.

  • Dan A wrote (see)

    There is no way that VLM would DQ anyone now they've announced their millionth finisher, I suppose.

    Well, Tommy the Clown is still listed as having at least 3 of those million 'finishes' and he didn't manage 10 miles on those three combined, so it's all a bit pointless really.

  • maybe they investigated and found the guy has learning problems and did not knowingly cut anything oit and so gave the benefit of the doubt for a small amount

     

  • VDOT52VDOT52 ✭✭✭
    Learning problems? How will he learn if he keeps getting away with things like this?
  • Nose NowtNose Nowt ✭✭✭
    seren nos wrote (see)

    maybe they investigated and found the guy has learning problems and did not knowingly cut anything oit and so gave the benefit of the doubt for a small amount

     

    That is a good point.  I think we remember an incident where someone was pilloried for 'cheating' last year and then we had some emotional club colleague pointing out that the person in question had some learning difficulties and had genuinely got confused somewhere - and no way had deliberately cheated.     

    If VLM have reached that conclusion, then I'd be happy with it and  I'm not sure they should release their reasoning to the general public  - but on the other hand, I'm surprised they are saying that there is photographic evidence to support the story that the whole course was run.  That seems just so unlikely!  So something still doesn't add up.

  • Under those circumstances, I'm not sure what they could do.  They can't announce publicly that person X has learning difficulties, nor can they say that "yes, we know person Y cut the course but we decided to take no action" without raising a lot more questions.  So maybe someone in the publicity office just decided to say that they have enough evidence, not realising that it doesn't stack up really.

    If they've looked at it, then unless someone comes up with evidence that this person works for one of their major sponsors, then I'd leave it at that.

  • GladragsGladrags ✭✭✭

    He's in the Armed Forces. don't think learning difficulties is an issue.

  • dave wood 4dave wood 4 ✭✭✭

    At the end of the day what can they really do!  If they disqualify him only he and they will know (I don't think he'll tell anyone) unless they print all the dodgy names in the national press, suppose they could ask for medal and t shirt back, lol, Hopefully if he ran for charity he's collected the money and sent it off,that goes someways towards redemption!! PS Gladrags, how did you find out he's Armed Forces?

  • Dan ADan A ✭✭✭

    Front row, light suit - looks a bit sheepish to me

    But he has got proper medals, so I'll leave it there.

  • Hmm, I think that tells you exactly why he wasn't DQ'd!

  • GladragsGladrags ✭✭✭

    wow some people are really good at this!

    I just thought the military connection as the issue - that it would be seen as dishonourable - but clearly he has friends in high places.

    proper medals or not - so many people who ran had tragic back stories - if they were all allowed cheat because of that then we might as well not bother timing the thing at all.

Sign In or Register to comment.