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I like to be the one guy who makes overly obnoxious posts, only to switch to graciousness (or something like it) in the comments. It's like a reverse bait-and-switch.

More importantly, you pointed out a pretty serious mistake, one that a one-line correction didn't undo because of the depth of relevant references. The day I just say "aw, screw that guy for being right" is the day I quit writing for public consumption.

(It's also nice you used a name. Not doing so wouldn't have changed the message, but it's a diminishing sign of a good-faith effort.)

As for the big picture, well, in 10 years, maybe Ashley Paulson will have become the most accomplished ultrarunner in history, having shed any baggage she was carrying into 2022, and I will have to leave this thing sitting here as proof that I was a hostile dumbass. (Other evidence of this may also emerge in the years to come.) That comes with the territory.

To some extent I have taken out a lot of generalized frustration on a few specific commenters and styles. There is less internal resistance to cheating than ever -- in the track world, Shelby Houlihan is banned and widely considered blameless at the same time. It's weird.

I do appreciate the input.

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Jul 26, 2022Liked by Kevin Beck

Also. Perfectly ok to be suspicious. At least you state that publicly. The runners driving the accusations are now silent.

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Jul 26, 2022Liked by Kevin Beck

Hi Kevin. One point. She did provide the Garmin link the day of the initial article. When I reached back out, they provided the .GPX the same day.

Also note that I did go to a third party that does these types of reviews all the time. My review was mainly checking the data points with splits, their notes, photographs etc..and very high level look at cadences, heart rates etc. The third party reviewed deeper for evidence of tampering.

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Jul 6, 2023Liked by Kevin Beck

She’s at it again and managed to better her time at this year’s BW135 with a time of 21:44. I looked at her splits and as a previous finisher of this race I’m just having a hard time believing it.

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Feb 2, 2023Liked by Kevin Beck

I agree with you on the article but take out the "bleached buttholes" comment; it detracts from an otherwise solid argument. People might not take it as seriously! The key to winning public opinion is to come across as serious and avoiding insults. Otherwise, I agree with you that she cheated to a degree.

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Aug 2, 2022Liked by Kevin Beck

You ashley lovers are in denial. She's bi and has had snatch and they will defend her. The men who rode her while she was married won't snitch. We all know she cheated and used illegal substances.

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Jul 27, 2022Liked by Kevin Beck

You nailed it,Kevin! I was just about to write you on this very topic when it appeared in my email.I admire Derek for carrying the torch with M.I. Not a a big fan of Ashley and her self-promotion and phoniness.It is all about her and nobody else.The D/Q for doping and course cutting the half tells me there is still something we are not being told at Badwater. I hate cheating intensely in any form --course cutting,doping,fudging results,whatever.You and I combined have about a hundred years in our beloved sport.We both go back to more innocent times in New Hampshire. I ran Boston in 1980 when Rosie the Patron Saint of all cheaters and who tops anybody's of Hall Of Shamers.My brother was driving me home from Boston after a really bad sub par 3: 12 in the brutal heat(like 2004 was)when he told me of the discrepancy.I could not fathom ANYONE in our honorable sport cheating.I was angry that she was accused.I had never known even one person who was a fake in running.The way it unfolded the next week was my baptism into the real world.Innocence lost!It broke my heart when that code of honor was violated.Then no owning it.She never ever did.And the flood gates opened.Oscar Miranda and many more followed.And Derek--God bless him--as his hands full. Now it is all the rage and there seems to be no end.It wasn't only the Eastern Block.Cierpinski robbed Frank Of his second gold in Montreal in 1976 and then in 1980 got another tarnished medal.But we were all in shape in those pioneer days. We were all fit.If you couldn't run at least 8 mins per mile for a 5 mile race,(they would be dead last),you didn't bother.I get called elitist all the time.But it has all changed.The selfies and self- praise for Social media glory is just too much to resist for these millennials. Nobody is in shape.No training,no investment and no hard work.Once again, you capture the pulse. I wanted to send you a donation via PayPal but I recall you closed your PayPal account.Loved that article too.Can you PM me to let me know what is the best way to help.I am in The Philippines,retiring and a missionary. Now 63.But running 5 days per week.is sad when the good guys are vilified for speaking truth.I miss those early days of distance running,track,cross country and club races(North Medford Club and Fred Brown)half a century ago.Thank you for your crisp, clear, powerful,and spot on writing.Love it all! Bless you and Mr.Murphy!

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Dr. Dorsey misdirected/lied for 7+ years, and ended up a Director of USA Triathlon. She continues to lie, fleece her donors/charity and has yet to be stripped of her USAT coaching certifications... https://honestathlete211358887.wordpress.com/2022/06/27/dtd-everything-everywhere-all-at-once/

Point is...yeah, it's ok to be skeptical/suspicious. If, when and how that should go public will never be perfect. It will always be a personal preference, and as you say, based on your views of speech and social media, cheating and how we should deal with these issues in society.

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Jul 27, 2022Liked by Kevin Beck

Anybody remember the good old days when ya only needed one transit ticket to game the system?

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Stop hating women because they are more successful than you <3 Much love!

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That's a lot of words to add nothing to the conversation. Somehow you just manage to add crass namecalling with no substance, while copying and pasting reddit and letsrun. Not even a history of cheating, just two instances which are easily explained as a supplement tested by USADA and found to be bad, and missing a turn off the main road into a park at a half (and then declining to podium even if it took a little longer to update the insta).

Seems like a clean record to most. Some guys just don't like to see a woman with pink hair win I guess.

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Well, this didn't age well. Care to revise your position based on this year's Badwater?

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Feb 4, 2023·edited Feb 4, 2023

I'm not saying I'm perfect either. I'm 39 and get caught in the comparison trap as a runner. I am trying to break a certain split in the marathon that had me off by 0:01 second. I also follow the Cleveland Browns football team and there is drama there--but it is a totally different dynamic than a sport like tennis and/or distance running. It's a different kind of drama, more about locker room drama and a mix of many, whereas running is a sport of individuality and personality.

I think Blogsnark on Reddit is a good place to find material; many runners there know all the actors we are discussing (E Clor wrote Boston Bound and talked about her anxiety) and call them out when they are being stupid. When the instabloggers actually make a good point the Blogsnark ladies will give them props (ie when Ali gives good advice on Crohn's they will be fair to her). But the problem is 99% of the time the instabloggers are full of it and it overshadows the few times they are legit and have solid tips for runners. And some of them are NOT aware of their privilege (except @Laura McGreen (not her actual name) comedy running channel; she even admits she has a rich husband in an interview). I respect her honesty!

I saw you wrote a training book when I was in college in '05, I never got around to it; I may pick it up to try to lower my time 5-10 mins. to BQ too by the way. I like using Hanson's and am learning about Canova's training methods too!

You can filter by date, up or down:

Source:

https://www.reddit.com/r/blogsnark/search?q=flair_name%3A%22Fitness%20%26%20Wellness%20Influencers%22&restrict_sr=1&sort=new

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She's a big time cheater. Accidentally went off a course and her friends don't want to dime her out. Its not a random thing marathon investigation is on the case as well as numerous sources.

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Multiple sources say this is all true

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