Ok, as there isn't a thread up yet I thought I would kick things off...Exhibit A, Mr Nicholas Soulsby, crosses the start 10:07, had splits to half way which he passed in 2:34 at which point he, and his chip, mysteriously disappeared. And yet...there are pictures of him beaming away at the finish with his medal.
Well maybe he dropped his chip I hear you say, well if you look at his photos again you see one of him coming down the mall with a nice lady wearing bib 42341. Mrs 42341 started at 10:04, hit all her splits and finished in 3:47 (particularly impressive given the weather).
So either Mr Soulsby ran his second half in around 1:10 (even more impressive I'm sure you'll agree!) or he took a fairly massive shortcut. Now, not wishing to judge a book by it's cover (but doing so anyway), he hardly looks like a chap who could run a 1:10 second half, in blazing heat, after having run the first in 2:34. I mean, negative splits are good and all but come on!
Let the flames commence.
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> This is a little odd but could be an entirely innocent explanation ..... #1654 seems to have changed shirt and shorts at some point during the race or someone else called "Craig" used his number once he had retired.
What are you talking about? I change my entire outfit at least four times during a marathon
https://www.marathonfoto.com/Proofs?PIN=077L64&LastName=SYRETT
Craig is covering the final digit of his number with his hand in that photo.
> Jonathan Parsons 7 said:
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> This is a little odd but could be an entirely innocent explanation ..... #1654 seems to have changed shirt and shorts at some point during the race or someone else called "Craig" used his number once he had retired.
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> Craig is covering the final digit of his number with his hand in that photo.
You are right, I have flagged my comment to the moderator to have it removed.
Surely the best part of the London Marathon process!
I think #42736 is an innocent one, the overall time looks compatible with the early pace.
Mr Walker is a classic "lets turn left at Tower Bridge" guy: 20km mat is on the bridge, misses 35k which is on the Highway. I imagine all those sponsors on his vest will be pleased.
http://results-2018.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com/2018/?content=detail&fpid=search&pid=search&idp=9999990F5ECC8E0000297084&lang=EN_CAP&event=MAS&num_results=1000&page=5&search[nation]=%&search_sort=place_nosex&search_event=MAS - Superwomen indeed
http://results-2018.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com/2018/?content=detail&fpid=search&pid=search&idp=9999990F5ECC8E0000294ED9&lang=EN_CAP&event=MAS&num_results=1000&page=10&search[nation]=%&search_sort=place_nosex&search_event=MAS - good old U S of A
http://results-2018.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com/2018/?content=detail&fpid=search&pid=search&idp=9999990F5ECC8E0000296E98&lang=EN_CAP&event=MAS&num_results=1000&page=14&search[nation]=%&search_sort=place_nosex&search_event=MAS - ironic name. the pic at the end annoys me more than anything
http://results-2018.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com/2018/?content=detail&fpid=search&pid=search&idp=9999990F5ECC8E0000293A25&lang=EN_CAP&event=MAS&num_results=1000&page=20&search[nation]=%&search_sort=place_nosex&search_event=MAS - wonder what the club would think of this?
Isn't it amazing how these timing chips can fail completely and them miraculously start working again? And even more amazing, how they always seem to fail in London just around the halfway mark and then bring themselves back to life for the last 5K or so? Sorry, but just stretching coincidence a bit too far. I've never had a chip fail and I don't know anyone who has - I'm sure it happens, but for me, they're at it - hanging, drawing and quartering out side the pub at 23 miles seems like a suitable response.
I understand why someone turning left at Tower Bridge might end up with a finish time - it's a nice walk from there to the finish and not everyone is savvy enough to take their chip off before going through the finish, it's not always deliberate cheating. But smiling and posing with the medal, that's a different matter.
The appropriately-named Mr Walker is a case in point. After walking from Tower Bridge to the 40k mark, he then took almost an hour to get from there to the finish. Now, it could be because he was having medical attention, he could have just been stopped with friends, or it could be because he realised he needed a finish time more in keeping with what he'd told everyone he'd get in advance. Then thumbs up down the mall and a nice medal photo.
I'll kick off with bib 19750 - This relates to John Tighe of Crowborough Runners, but when you look at the photos of a fellow Crowborough athlete (20186) it appears to be on the vest of a lady who I assume to be called Eileen
Neither could match Alex Bos's (27655) closing speed though, who turned around a 2:11 first half with a sub 1:03 second half, and definitely picked up his bling at the finish.
The biggest part of the fraud though is the medal photo! I guess these people have no appreciation that software and threads like this exist to find them and think they'll just get absorbed by the numbers.
Others, they don't always have a finish time, as I think applies to "Exhibit A, Mr Nicholas Soulsby", but he's got his medal, t shirt and photo - does he care? No, I don't think so!
I haven't been able to find her yet in the results
> 19779 - 2:17 first half, finished in 3:37.
She is the secretary too - http://www.liverpoolrunningclub.com/about-us/committee.html
https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=NickSoulsby&pageUrl=1
https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=chris4gain&pageUrl=5
You do see some runners looking Very cool and box fresh along the way. I think some runners must just be like that.
And not like me a sweaty mess from mile 1 !