Email Tip - photo found showing KL at start of 2010 Vermont City Marathon

UPDATE 9/28/12
Received an email from tipster w/ photo of KL at start of 2010 Vermont City Marathon (a suspicious performance on the interactive race map).

Recall Vermont City was a race where race staff were suspicious of the performance, but did not feel that they had enough evidence for the DQ (see note from the Technical Director of 2010 Vermont City Marathon)

START photo

FINISH photo - NOTE that the sign says 2:53, but he actually "ran" 2:49 because of the absurd chip/gun differential

KEY SUSPICIONS:

• Bib Covered
• Changed shorts
• Took 4 minutes, 34 seconds to cross the starting line yet finished 41st overall in a race with 2895 finishers
• Results can be found here: http://www.coolrunning.com/results/10/vt/May30_22ndKe_set1.shtml
• Split the first 10 miles in 63:21 (6:20/mile). Would be difficult if not impossible to do starting 4 minutes, 34 seconds after the gun went off. Tons of people in the way -
• Expect to see Kip at about 6 minutes into the video. Does it look like he could run 6:20/mile through all those people? Email tipster believes you can see him at 6:17-6:18 if you look closely: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoKAbUJmyAQ
• Split the final 10K in 38:23 (6:11/mi pace).

Kip's SPLITS Broken Down
-10 miles in 1:03:21 (6:20/mi)
-10 miles to 13.1 miles in 20:01 (6:27/mi)
-13.1 miles to 20 miles in 47:17 (6:51/mi)
-20 miles to 26.2 miles in 38:23 (6:11/mi)

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Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2012 19:14:38 +0000
From: ---------------
To: soklr@hotmail.com
Subject: found pic of KL at start of VT marathon

fyi I browsed through 25000 photos so far and I found Kip at the start of the VT City Marathon, 2010.

Here are the photos of him if you search by bib number

http://www.asiorders.com/view_user_event.asp?EVENTID=60448&BIB=1609

If you go to the event home and select photo browser

http://www.asiorders.com/view_event_photos.asp?EVENTID=60448

put in the options 

start with photo 24817 and show 48 then hit go

Look at the photo 5 rows down in the 1st (left) column.  There is KL with the same hat, shades on the hat, same watch, different shorts, and a blue shirt over his red singlet and of course his bib is not visible, presumable under the blue shirt.  Note this pic seems to be near the back of the pack crossing the start line.

I will browse through the pics again looking for him with the blue shirt on.  I did not see any pics of him in the red singlet on the stretches of the race through the city streets where I saw other competitors multiple times from multiple angles.

Not sure how interesting this pic is, all it shows is he did cross the start line which is nothing new.  It is consistent with his MO where he starts at the back of the pack with his bib obscured.

Sincerely,

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Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2012 20:28:43 +0000
From: ---------------
To: soklr@hotmail.com
Subject: KL in start of VT marathon video

Hello again.  Based on the picture I found of KL at the start of VT city 2010 I looked at the youtube video on your blog.  I think you can see KL in the video.  A person wearing an outfit that looks identical to the pic mentioned below can be seen starting at 6:17-6:18 in the video.  He comes around the corner and runs down the right hand side of the crowd as we view the video.  This is consistent with the picture of found of KL near the start as it is taken from the right hand side as the runners are coming toward the photographer.

I find it odd in the video that he is ahead of the 2 runners in army fatigues wearing backpacks and seems to be pulling ahead of them.  In the picture of KL he is just ahead of the 2 army fatigue guys and a woman in a white sports bra.  In the video you see the woman in white bra a little behind KL and then the 2 army guys are bringing up the rear.  One other person who stands out in the video is a woman with an orange top and pink shorts with a black arm band on her left arm.  In the video she is a ways ahead of KL but she also hugs the extreme right hand side.  She can be seen in the photos, 6 pictures prior to KL.

Perhaps the photo I found was taken a little further down the course from the video and KL is starting to slow down getting ready to drop out of the pack.

Interactive Map (Please click on a dot to see evidence)

Interactive Map - Please click on a dot to see evidence

Kip E-mails from Scott Hubbard, former collegiate runner and high school coach

From a 2/2/11 correspondence, from Kip: 

'The Marshall Marathon is another example of inaccurate and limited info getting skewed. I did use my first and middle name for the race (but he used FL for address, minus last name). My initial plan for this race was to run the full marathon in around 3 hours. It was a test to see how well my previous injury had healed. Unfortunately, I woke up late for the race & by the time I got near the start area, the race had already begun. At that point, there wasn't much I could do so I decided to just run half the race. I was still interested in getting something unusual that was promoted at the expo - a finish line photo on the field carrying a football. So I went to the half way mark on the course & ran only the 2nd half. Since I never crossed the timing mat at the start or the halfway point, I thought there was no way I could be in the results. I was offered an award at the finish, but declined & told them my time was incorrect. When I saw that I was listed in the results, I immediately contacted the RD & requested to be removed. A few days later I checked & I was still there, so I contacted him again and a short time later my name was removed. Thus, I was only DQ'd by myself, not by anyone else.'

'I did use another name for the Brooksie ('08) race (he used Rich Rodriguez). I am sorry if that upset anyone. It was meant as a UM-MSU joke w/a friend who was going to enter as Mark Dantonio that day. I know I am not alone in using funny names in races. At one time I think the majority of my PRs were under joke names (sorry) including some decent times in races that our forum friends have not yet discovered or have chosen not to disclose. If using a different name is grounds for disqualification, I will accept that.'

"Lovely stuff ... imagine getting this in your in-box! I might be able to dig up one more today."

Read more: http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=3863010&page=239#ixzz25QhjPWcO

GOP VP nominee Paul Ryan claims to have run a sub 3hr marathon

http://www.hughhewitt.com/blog/g/3229320e-2c55-4122-93f1-2ebe4fbc8663

HH: Are you still running?

Paul Ryan: Yeah, I hurt a disc in my back, so I don’t run marathons anymore. I just run ten miles or yes.

HH: But you did run marathons at some point?

Paul Ryan: Yeah, but I can’t do it anymore, because my back is just not that great.

HH: I’ve just gotta ask, what’s your personal best?

Paul Ryan: Under three, high twos. I had a two hour and fifty-something.

HH: Holy smokes. All right, now you go down to Miami University.

Paul Ryan: I was fast when I was younger, yeah.

Courtesy of RunnersWorld sleuths:

2008 Dallas WhiteRock Half Marathon: 10Mile split missing, 6:01 chip/gun difference

Results here:

http://onlineraceresults.com/race/view_race.php?race_id=9880&submit_action=select_result&re_NO=7223

Here's a look at the top 50 finishers. Kip was 45th overall. Kip took 6:01 to cross the starting line. Every single finisher except Rose Kosgei and Kip Litton have a 10Mile split.

---

From: --------
Subject: dallas white rock half
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2012 08:51:46 -0400
To: soklr@hotmail.com

I didn't see this on your Kip Litton Timeline, thought you might want to add it. Started 6m after the gun and no 10M mat time!

http://onlineraceresults.com/race/view_race.php?race_id=9880&submit_action=select_result&re_NO=7223

Tonight's Note from Scott Hubbard, Michigan race director, major contributor to Kip Litton investigation & Mr. Singer's article

Some e-mail correspondence with the head of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CF) and with the man (Dr. Litton) himself, dating back to January, 2011:

"I want to get to some ice cream & baseball tonite so will close out w/a thanks to SOKLR, Kyle Strode, Mike McGrath and all the fantastic LR sleuths who outdid themselves in digging up damning stuff on you-know-who. I really wanted no part of a story and tried twice to end his deceit - but our boy rallied even after I got him to take down his WWR site to make more crap up and cheat in that Dec '10 NC marathon.

Correspondence w/the MI head of CF, Cathy Zell of 1/20/11:

'Thank you for your email. We appreciate your concern but please rest assured that the only web page that was available to accept donations related to Kip Litton's fundraising belonged to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. As such, any donations contributed in support of Mr Litton would have been received directly by the CF Foundation. To our knowledge, Mr Litton has not received any donations intended for the CF Foundation directly. The CF Foundation takes the public trust bestowed upon it by the CF community very seriously and we appreciate the concern you have shown in reporting this matter.'

Lastly, this from me to my Clarkson/Davison buddy [Dr. Kip Litton] from 1/12/11:
'My friend, as this tale has continued to unravel, the circumstantial evidence is piling up and, frankly, is so deep I dont' think there's a way for you to dig your way out. However, my offer for you to be monitored in races still holds. At this point however, I don't see how the races you run will escape the sharp eyes of the mass of people watching/following your every step - regardless of how discreet I try to keep up my end of the bargain. Don't get me wrong, getting monitored in races is probably the only way you can save face. Saving face would help but won't make your trail of deceit disappear.

'At some point, independent of me, somebody may contact you to do a story. At some point, you'll be quizzed pointedly about wildly uneven splits, missing photos, mid-race changes of clothes, fabricating races, etc. Somebody's going to call you out.

'I'm going to toss something out: I see the noose around your neck tightening. I don't see how you can avoid a story that'll cast you out as part of the wildest matter of sports deceit in many a year. Unless you can come up w/plausible, clear, factual explanations for all these alleged sub 3 marathons. Allowing that that won't happen, my idea: come clean. Let the truth set you free. I don't thnk you want to go through the public hell of a story detailing your long trail of chicanery. A story might appear anyway but if you come clean first, it'd have the effect of mitigating the fallout. I'm not saying you should do this - offering it as an option.'

As we know, Dr D Kip Litton did not come clean, denying culpability to the end and somebody did write a story. I wish the man no ill will & hope his son w/CF can lead a productive life. Too bad it all had to come to this...

Dang it all - forgot to thank Mark Singer for contacting me in Apr '11, indicating interest in writing about Kip. He did a terrific job of it! The thought of writing about Kip made me feel uneasy. I like to have fun w/topics & Kip was no fun.

Be good everybody and keep that training between the navigational beacons!"
Read more: http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=3863010&page=239#ixzz23caJrGhd

Kip's old WorldRecordRun.com domain now links to his stories

Kip's old worldrecordrun.com domain name now serves as a nice overview

http://worldrecordrun.com/

Spotted this tweet the other day from Pat Price at WritingAboutRunning.com:

West Wyoming Marathon Technical Tees Now for Sale

Parody T-shirt design for the race that was never run.

Purchase Here

A Google Cache of Fictitious West Wyoming Marathon

Purchase Here

Michigan Local News Article - Davison dentist's improbable running claims land him in New Yorker expose

link to article - http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2012/08/davison_dentists_improbable_ru.html

http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2012/08/davison_dentists_improbable_ru.html

Check the comments section. Here are some screenshots:

Kip Himself Posting on LetsRun.com Forum?

These are all from the current Letsrun.com thread on Kip Litton: http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=3863010

SPECIAL NOTE:  Some of these posts, such as the RN Runner one below, are discussed specifically in Mark Singer's recently published article about Dr. Kip Litton in the New Yorker titled Marathon Man, (published on July 30, 2012 -> August 6th cover date of New Yorker magazine)

-----------------------------------------

From:

http://www.runnersworld.com/community/forums/training/marathon-race-training/kip-litton-article-new-yorker-magazine-monday-july-30th

Email from "old acquaintance" of Kip's

From: --------------
To: SOKLR@hotmail.com
Subject: KIP LITTON
Date: Sat, 4 Feb 2012 11:38:34 +0000

Good Morning Blogger:

I ran across your blog on Kip Litton and almost fell out of my seat.  I was looking up old acquaintances on the internet when it lead me to an article in a Flint paper.  I saw Kip’s name, read the article, looked at the times and couldn’t believe it.  The Kip I remember was very, very lazy.  I checked everything again:  Dentist, Lapeer, 48 years old, wife Lisa, etc. sounded like the same guy. How could he run so many marathons at 6:30 pace,be so consistent and not start running until 40 with no previous running history?  I swam in college and have observed several former swimmers compete in masters competition with great success after long layoffs but they were also high level college athletes before the long layoff.  I knew Kip and Lisa from the Amway Business 20 years ago (that says something right there).  Then I saw it, the word “Cheat”.  I found your blog and read through it – WTF?????  Who would do such a thing?   Why?  What purpose would it serve?     Is it possible this entire thing is a joke he is putting over on everyone?

Please respond – I am curious.  My wife is going to love to hear this one.

Best Regards

E-Mail from person - Kip's neighbor?

I just received this email today from someone claiming to be neighbor of Kip Litton's. I'm copying and pasting it below.

"Hi,

I’m a neighbor of Kip Litton (literally live less than ¼ mile from him, same subdivision).  So I see him run in/out of the sub on a regular basis.  Although we share the same interest of running, that’s about it.  Recently I received an email from him inquiring about a marathon in Wisconsin that he mistakenly thought I ran annually.  He thought I ran the WhislteStop marathon in Ashland, WI, however I regularly run the Lakefront Marathon in Milwaukee.  That being said, he wrote “I wanted to ask you a few questions about the WhistleStop Marathon. If you have a chance could you call me tonight or one of the next couple evenings? Thanks. - Kip Litton”.  At first I ignored his email as I’m not really friends with him as he had previously insulted my father-in-law by mocking him like a high school sophomore after my father-in-law asked him about his Boston Marathoner Finisher jacket that Kip was wearing while both where dining at a local restaurant. 

When I told my wife about the email, she got curios and googled him and saw all the news about his running “style”.  She passed on the web sites and I quickly read as much as I could.  I did not respond to his emails until later that week after he dropped off an envelope in my mailbox asking the same.  He’s obviously determined to get some answers.  I responded with a brief email stating that I’ve never run the WhistleStop but have run Milwaukee’s Lakefront which was already sold out for 2011.  He thanked me and that was the end of our correspondence.  I’m speculating he wanted to know where timing mats were placed and where photographers were situated.  Again, just speculation.

Regarding all the allegations about his running “style” and DQs from races, I believe them.  I once respected him for his running “talent”, but now believe he is a cheat and a scam based on the incident with my father-in-law, the other subdivision encounters and his arrogance (now much deflated).  If I were a race director, I’d DQ him from a race unless he’s documented in photos.  Others I talk to in the neighborhood are aware of his cheating exploits and I am spreading the word encouraging those that are unaware to look him up on the web.

Kip can run, and he bikes a lot to cross train.  I’m speculating that he may get to the next timing mat by biking, posing as a race volunteer that rides the course monitoring runner’s physical condition.   He also bikes with a neighbor, regularly going out on 50+ mile rides in an afternoon, several times a week.  So he is capable, but probably of 3:15 to 3:20 marathons.

You may use the facts of this email in your blog, no names please.  If you want more information about him, call on my number listed below."

Kip Litton touched on in Sage Canaday's book Running For the Hansons

"Kip Litton would qualify as a Stroke, as would anyone who finagles his or her way into the Boston Marathon! Strokes will usually at least purchase some Gu, but not until they tell you that the marathon is too easy for them, so they moved up to the Ironman. They might test your prowess in running by asking you whether or not you have qualified for Boston, and if so, how many times."


Canaday, Sage (2011). Running For The Hansons: An Insider's Account of The Brooks-Sponsored Marathon Training Group Made Famous by Olympian Brian Sell (pp. 110-111). Vo2max Productions, LLC. Kindle Edition.

Bizarre Behavior Continues - Kip Litton a No Show at 2012 Boston

Dr. Litton didn't run Boston. No surprise since he hasn't raced since Dec, 2010.
Sources on location tell us that someone picked up his bib before the Boston Marathon. 

in summary:

TIME COURSE on Dr. KL
# of road races completed in year 2010: ~20.
with last road race - 12/10/2010
------------------------------
--------------
Date LetsRun thread allowed to continue,StudyOf KL blog started, etc. - 1/6/2011
---------------------------------------------
# of road races completed in 2011: 0. (DNS at CowTown in Feb)
---------------------------------------------
Today's 2012 Boston Marathon DNS - 4/16/2012

How might he have raced 2010 Boston Marathon?

Let's take a look at Kip's Outfits. 
http://kiplitton.blogspot.com/2012/04/study-of-outfits.html
He seems to like to wear 2 different caps (sometimes switching caps in the middle of races). Let's refer to them as Cap A and Cap B. At Boston 2010, Kip is wearing Cap A at 15K, 13.1Miles, & 30K............and Cap B right before the finish line. It appears he may have done the same at COX Providence, Rhode Island marathon - wears Cap A at the start and Cap B before the finish (along with a shoe change and shorts change). At Deadwood (South Dakota), where he was disqualified, he went with a light-blue cap to Cap B.


AT BOSTON 2010

It appears that Kip wore an all black outfit (black long sleeve and black long pants) and what we refer to as Cap A (a black colored cap with green/white logo) up until at least the 30K point (~18miles where he accidentally came into camera view at 30K where Jim Rhodes (an unofficial photographer i.e. not affiliated with marathonfoto.com) was taking photos).

-> wonder if he was on the sidewalk for most of the heartbreak hill area. Don’t forget Kip "ran" a 2:50ish at st louis the week before his supposed 2:52 at Boston, then somewhere before the finish he stripped the black long sleeve and the black long pants to have his race bib showing and also changed ball caps to Cap B (a black cap with a BAA logo).  We don't have proof it's the same person but the yellow tinted sunglasses, silver watch and red/white Mizuno shoes all appear to match. http://kiplitton.blogspot.com/2011/01/more-photos-discovered-of-kip-boston.html

We looked back at Kip's outfits to see if there was some pattern, perhaps with the ballcaps.

http://kiplitton.blogspot.com/2012/04/study-of-outfits.html

And It looks like he's worn Cap A at most of his races from 2009-2010.And it looks like he has switched ballcaps in the middle of the following marathons:

1. COX Providence, Rhode Island Marathon (can't tell for sure but looks like he went Cap A to Cap B, along with taking off shorts and the shoe change of course)

2. Deadwood, South Dakota DQ (he went from a lightblue colored cap at the start to Cap B at the finish)

3. & at Boston 2010 from Cap A to Cap B.  

Cap A - a faded black color baseball cap with a Green & White logo

Cap B - black color with a BAA logo

_________________________________________________

At Races that were Pre Boston Marathon 2010 (mostly Cap A)

Cap A - at 2009 Gasparilla Florida race

CAP A - at BAA 5K 2010, the 17:17 5K

Cap A - During Boston 2010, at 15K (~9.3miles)

At races that were Post Boston Marathon 2010 (some Cap A and Cap B)

July, 2010 - at Missoula Marathon finish (Disqualified)

Study of Outfits

The KL Story in Pictures

___________________________________________

___________________________________________

10/5/2008 - Inaugural Brooksie Way Half Marathon

2/15/2009 - Sarasota (Florida) Half Marathon

2/28/2009 - Gasparilla Distance Classic

10/04/2009 - City of Trees Marathon (Idaho) -- Disqualified

1/17/2010 - PF Chang Marathon (Arizona)

Gasparilla (Florida) 2010 5K - 2/27/2010

Gasparilla (Florida) 2010 Marathon - 2/28/2010

3/20/2010 - ShamRock (Virginia) 8K 2010

3/21/2010 - ShamRock (Virginia Beach) Marathon 2010

4/11/2010 - Go! St Louis Marathon

4/18/2010 - 2010 Boston Marathon

5/02/2010 - COX Providence Marathon

 

5/30/2010 - Vermont City Marathon

6/6/2010 - Deadwood South Dakota Trail Marathon (Disqualified)

7/11/2010 - Missoula Montana Marathon (Disqualified)

9/12/2010 - Rochester New York Marathon

10/03/2010 - Maine Half Marathon

12/11/2010 - Charlotte Thunder Road Marathon