Derek Murphy is an American blogger and journalist known for writing the Marathon Investigation blog that investigates suspected cheaters at marathons, triathlons and other running events.
Marathon Investigation Blog
editMurphy became interested in investigating suspected marathon cheats after reading posts on LetsRun.com about Mike Rossi, suspected of cheating at the 2014 LeHigh Valley Marathon.[1] This led him to start the Marathon Investigation website and blog in 2015, and to begin looking at individuals who might have cheated in order to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Over time, he began to look at cheats as well as so-called 'bib bandits' in other events.[2]
Murphy compares race times to find likely cheaters, and assesses publicly available Strava data as well as race photos, chip splits and eyewitness statements to determine whether runners have cheated.[3] His investigations are regularly picked up by national and international press, notably in the case of Murphy identifying over 300 cheats at the Honolulu Marathon.[4]
An investigation by Murphy and others on running forums of Frank Meza, a "lifelong runner", also attracted widespread press.[5] Meza supposedly ran "faster than the official world record" for his age group and was disqualified and banned from multiple races for suspected cheating.[6] He subsequently took his own life, leading some to criticize an online culture that 'hounded' and 'bullied' suspected cheats.[6]
Criticism
editMurphy's approach has attracted criticism within the running community and from external commentators who feel his investigations expose people to disproportionate backlash for a relatively minor offense.[2][7]
Personal life
editMurphy lives in Cincinnati, Ohio,[8] where he works as a business analyst.[2] He is married with two children[1] and is a former runner himself.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b Miller, Jen (19 April 2019). "Cheating to Make the Boston Marathon? You Can't Run From This Detective". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
- ^ a b c Wilding, Mark (28 October 2018). "Meet the marathon cheats". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
- ^ DeCosta-Klipa, Nik (3 April 2019). "For a marathon cheater, the biggest obstacle isn't in Boston". Boston.com. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
- ^ Francis, Anne (12 December 2018). "300+ probable cheaters at Honolulu Marathon". Running Magazine. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
- ^ Wharton, David (21 June 2019). "Must Reads: Is this 70-year-old marathon runner from East L.A. a record setter or a cheater?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
- ^ a b Fritz Huber, Martin (9 July 2019). "Frank Meza's Death and the Running Internet Mob". Outside Magazine. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
- ^ a b Shepherd, Katie (17 April 2017). "The man who catches marathon cheats - from his home". BBC. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
- ^ Thompson, Ann (9 April 2018). "How One Cincinnati Man Catches Marathon Cheaters". Cincinnati Public Radio. Retrieved 7 August 2019.