...Boston Marathon was Fixed

TheFalls · May 2, 2014

Not that I care one bit about marathons, but I do like a nice conspiracy.
WSJ posted an article today on it, and there is a long thread at letsrun dot com titled "The Boston Marathon was Fixed" that has some good stuff.

Basically it boiled down to the odds of ~15 of the best African marathoners in the world running so poorly was astronomical, the perfect running conditions, Meb Keflezghi finished over 5 minutes past the previous course record, and the fact that earlier four women had broken the course record.

Becoming convinced that everything is rigged.

Now give me the Derby winner!

JakeT. · May 2, 2014

I'm not convinced it was fixed. No one was counting on Meb maintaining that pace. Bad strategy from the better runners thinking they'd get to him later and he just kept going.

That being said, wouldn't be surprised if the guy was on some designer drug that is undetectable. Obliterating your best time at age 39 seems sketchy.

ivyconniver · May 2, 2014

I don't think it's out of the question. But if the race was rigged, they would have done it for the women too. Everyone was rooting for that blonde from Boston, Nike has been paying her to train all year, and they had a 60 minutes special about her before the race. It would have been the perfect fairytale story if two Americans including someone from Boston had won this year. She was in it up until the last split, then ran out of gas.

donkeybucks · May 3, 2014

How do you go about rigging the Boston Marathon?

GoSooners · May 3, 2014

Too much blood, sweat and tears go in to training for a marathon. It takes months of preparation. I would think the chances of somebody throwing a race like that are just about nil. Especially the Boston Marathon. There is no bigger stage in long distance running, except maybe the Olympics. Somebody cheating to WIN that race...different story

ivyconniver · May 4, 2014

GoSooners said:
the Boston Marathon. There is no bigger stage in long distance running

Except New York...and nobody except the runners gives a shit about marathons.

Donkeybucks said:
How do you go about rigging the Boston Marathon?

Pay the top 5 contenders $500k each to slow down.

GoSooners · May 4, 2014

ivyconniver said:
Except New York...and nobody except the runners gives a shit about marathons.

Pay the top 5 contenders $500k each to slow down.

I've always looked at Boston as the more prestigious race. But NYC does have a hell of a lot of runners. The Boston Marathon is probably the least likely race that a runner is going to hold back. The discipline and timing it takes for a runner to peak for that race is too much work for him to throw it. It's about as likely as Lance Armstrong throwing the Tour de France to finish second. Or a jockey throwing the Kentucky Derby. Nobody is going to pay a runner 500K to throw a race. Like you said, nobody cares but the runners. But Boston is a BIG feather in their cap. The sponsorship alone that comes from a win there would be worth more than 500k.