Feel free to add any LetsRun comments.
The race officials lied.
Watch this video. They told this reporter they were actively talking to runners who finished just before and after Rossi. They did no such thing. I know because I have had personal correspondence with several, including some of the first people you would absolutely have to talk to (they finished very close to Rossi or a few minutes behind him but also crossed the start line at exactly 7:10:31, for example). The marathon would have all the contact information, whereas I had to dig. Yet I reached out. The LVHN Via Marathon officials did not.
Not a single one told me they had been contacted by race officials. And I talked to them after the “decision” was released, when I was dumbfounded by it and wanted to know what in the hell kind of investigation they did.
As the press release suggested, nobody complained on race day so it was case closed. There was no investigation.
And if you are wondering why I dug up this video, it is because we are trying to get this reported back on the story.
There is no doubt the LVM Committee’s “investigation” or “review” of Mr. Rossi is a combination of lies, ineptitude, lack of integrity, incompetence and lack of intestinal fortitude, among likely other things.
But let’s clear up a few things in your post.
First, their official statement did not say that they contacted runners nor did they ever call the evidence inconclusive. What they did say was that “The LVHN Via Marathon has not received any reports from the more than 2,500 race participants, thousands of spectators, and more than 600 volunteers, course marshals, security personnel, medical personnel or race officials on the course of any wrong doing by any runner”. That is not surprising and likely the extent of their investigation to the extent of talking with other people. However, in an NBC10 in Philadelphia report (http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Viral-Boston-Marathon-Running-Dad-Accused-of-Cheating-303010481.html#ixzz3gdhP2bLx ) it was written that “Organizers of the Lehigh Valley Health Marathon said they plan to review more than 19,000 photos from along the course to look for Rossi. They are also reaching out to 126 runners who finished the race around the same time as the man”.
Second, the Committee’s statement said ” there is not conclusive evidence that his time in the 2014 LVHN Via Marathon is inaccurate”, which is not the same as saying that the evidence was inconclusive. In fact, they seem to imply that they have CONCLUSIVE evidence of some sort when they further stated, “Therefore the LVHN Via Marathon Committee concluded that Rossi will not be disqualified unless additional conclusive information arises in the future”. The key word being “additional”, which means in addition to the already in-hand conclusive evidence.
What is ultimately clear is that nowhere in their entire statement do they give a vote of confidence that Mr. Rossi ran the entire race or that his time is accurate. Moreover, they can’t say that because if challenged, they wouldn’t be able to provide any such evidence because we know and they do too, there is no such evidence.
Below is the full, official statement:
After a thorough review of the available evidence in relation to Mike Rossis participation in the 2014 Lehigh Valley Health Network Via Marathon, the Marathon committee concluded that while there is data from Rossis participation in other racing events indicating that Rossis time may not be accurate, there is not conclusive evidence that his time in the 2014 LVHN Via Marathon is inaccurate. The LVHN Via Marathon has not received any reports from the more than 2,500 race participants, thousands of spectators, and more than 600 volunteers, course marshals, security personnel, medical personnel or race officials on the course of any wrong doing by any runner. Therefore the LVHN Via Marathon Committee concluded that Rossi will not be disqualified unless additional conclusive information arises in the future.
Moving forward the LVHN Via Marathon has taken several action steps to verify runner participation and provide the utmost accuracy in timing and scoring the race for all runners. For the 2015 LVHN Via Marathon, the course will have a minimum of six timing mats – at the start, finish line and four additional on-course locations. In addition, there will be video surveillance of the course at several locations which Via will archive annually.
The Lehigh Valley Health Network Via Marathon is proud to be a Boston Marathon Qualifying event and will continue to support this race by providing athletes the opportunity to be a part of this longstanding tradition. The LVHN Via Marathon appreciates the running communitys support and vigilance in ensuring the integrity of our race and looks forward to continuing to provide a high quality racing experience.
The LVHN Via Marathon raises funds for Vias services for children and adults with disabilities. We all want the same things from life; a great job in a great community and plenty of friends with whom we share the experience. For people with disabilities, these life goals can be challenging. Via works every day to help people achieve this reality.
Serving our community since 1952, the dedicated and committed care providers at Via work to help children overcome developmental delays, help young adults find meaningful and sustainable jobs, and provide the resources and opportunities so people with disabilities may lead active and enjoyable lives right in their own community.
We will not be making any further comments on this matter.
Hi Mike. For someone who says he doesn’t care what the “haters” think or say, you certainly act like you do, what with your constant updates to your Facebook account, your deletions of inappropriate and/or incriminating content from your social media accounts, and your pathetic tweets. I am pretty sure your attorney told you to stop posting and tweeting about this situation, it cannot help and it may hurt. Check his emails. They would be from his AOL email address, so they may have gone to your spam folder.
I saw your Father’s Day post on Facebook to your father Jim and your Uncle Vince. That got me thinking about how they would feel about you cheating to qualify to run in the Boston Marathon, and then lying about it when you were caught. Would that make them proud? Would they condone cheating and lying? I highly doubt it. I wonder how it feels to know you brought shame on your family name. Rossi mats, needed to deter cheaters. To Rossi something means to cheat by cutting corners. Is that the way Jim raised you? Is that the example Uncle Vince set for you? Again, I doubt it. Unfortunately, that’s the example you are setting for your step-children. At least at the end of the day, if and when they find out what you did, they will know that they are not your biological children. Cold comfort, though, when you find out the man you looked up to and called Dad was an unabashed cheater, liar and attention-whore.
When my father died, I know he was proud of me. Sure, I made some mistakes growing up, we all do. But, I grew into an honest, hard-working man. He appreciated that, and told me so when he knew he didn’t have much time left. Since his death, I have done nothing that would have embarrassed him.
Likewise, when I die, I am sure my kids will be proud of me. I am what most on these boards would call a hobby-jogger, but I am a dedicated hobby-jogger. I run (jog) six or seven days a week. I got my wife into running, and now we run together many mornings and go to local races together. When we both retire in a few years, we plan to travel across the country and run in local 5Ks. I encouraged my daughter to run, and now she is about to start her sophomore year running xc and track for a D1 school. Although her meets are usually at least 5 hours away, I try to go to all of them. My son runs xc and track for his high school. I make all of his meets too.
Running is a passion in my family. And my family knows that there are no short-cuts if you want to achieve success. But, unlike you, Mike, we define success as working hard, reaching our potential, and earning our result, whether that’s winning a race, or finishing 7th in our age group. The sad thing, Mike, is that you know that feeling I am talking about. Despite your lies, we all know you gave your best effort on many, if not all, of your runs. When you saw your time drop from your first real marathon to your second, you felt justifiably proud. But, unfortunately, you also realized you would never be able to accomplish the goal you had of qualifying for Boston. For any normal person, the response would have been to accept reality and change the goal. But, you are wired differently. You decided to cheat your way to Boston. You spent a lot of time planning it out. You knew just where you would leave the course, and where you would get back on. You didn’t bring your posse with you (what excuse did you use?) and you dressed so you would not stand out (that had to feel strange for an attention-whore like you). Then, you actually went through with it! How did you feel crossing the finish line, knowing on the one hand that you had a BQing time, but knowing on the other hand that you had cheated to get it. Your finish line photo says it all, as you hung your head in shame.
Well, Mike, in one sense, you lucked out big-time. Even though everyone knows you cheated at LVM, the folks who run the race are incompetent so you got away with it. As a result, you got to run Boston and received a medal that you didn’t deserve. I just have one question for you, Mike. How do you think it would make Jim and Uncle Vince feel to know that you are now known internationally as a man who, at the age of 47, cheated to qualify to run the Boston Marathon, and who has been lying about it ever since?
Mike wins?
Nowhere in my post did I state or even imply that I thought being a runner gave me or anyone special status. Rossi’s cheating and lying came up in the context of a marathon, and Lets Run is mostly populated by runners, but this story is universal. If Rossi had cheated at golf to gain an invite to a pretigious event, I would feel the same way. I may not have run across the story because I don’t play golf, but once I heard about it, I would feel the same way.
After the Boston Marathon bombing, Rossi made it his publicly stated goal to qualify for and run in the Boston Marathon. That is a goal shared by many runners, who appreciate how hard it is for most people to achieve that goal. Once Rossi realized how hard it was going to be to reach his goal, he could have aimed lower and maintained his honor, but he chose instead to cheat, no doubt about it. When he got caught, he again could have fessed up and retained a shred of decency, but he chose to lie about it, brag about what a great father and example he is to his (step)-kids, and lash out at people who have called him a cheater. If that doesn’t bother you, good for you. It bothers me, and obviously a lot of other people.
By posting here and in the comment sections of some of the stories about Rossi, I don’t expect to personally gain anything from it or to specifically improve my life. But, I do agree with the statement attributed to Edmund Burke: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” I would like to see Rossi DQ’d, but I will be just fine if it never happens. In my mind, it is enough that virtually everybody who has actually reviewed all of the publicly available evidence discussed on this thread has concluded that Rossi did not run 26.2 miles in the 2014 LVM, and thus never should have been allowed to run the Boston Marathon in 2015. Due in large part to this thread, Rossi is known both in his local area and across the globe as that guy who cheated to gain entry to the Boston Marathon. The cheater and liar Mike Rossi did not triumph because many good men and women exposed him. I am glad I contributed to that cause in my own small way.
Study of Mike Rossi Running Performances 