Another run across America underway - is it legit? Boots currently on the ground

willvlc wrote:

Hi all, a special guest appearance from me. The thread is starting to grow... This posted to the Jogle FB page:

WVLC Transcon newsletter.

Hi all,

Loads going on as the team muse on whether to adjust the 64 target to the 53 one mid-race. Either way, it remains a farce they're in this mess of calling WG the fastest Englishman of all time on his bus, and in the media and let’s not forget his key sponsor, who still have up in lights on their website:

"With NuCalm’s help Will Goodge is about to set the record for the fastest Englishman to run across America."

And then go on to say:

If this seems like a superhuman level of performance, it is. NuCalm has powered Will and his crew chief Robbie Balenger through an incredible range of extreme endurance challenges, giving them the power to recover and perform on demand with nothing more than the NuCalm Mobile App and a pair of high quality headphones.
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Steve Pope’s detailed post on LR is good, but of course I take issue with him saying that HRs are a red herring, just because he posts some odd ones too. I reiterate to Steve and others late to the party: These HRs are very specific, of high and normal, but then flatlining, crashing somewhere during the day, with no change in pace. They have occurred for nearly 10,000kms now, over more than four years, up to six watches and ONLY at these multiday fundraisers.

I will take the theme of Barack Obama in this newsletter who refuted the conspiracy theorists that the Navy Seals had not taken out bin Laden with this great line: “that’s fine to think that, but the truth is you won’t see him prowling the earth anymore…”

Here are some home truths about this event:

1) The truth is that no other athletes in history have returned clean heart rate data of just 10%, over such a long period of time, over specific events. If so, who? I don’t believe there is anyone under 80%. People try sending me stuff that they say is unclean but it’s 95% fine. I had one person point me to Goodge doing a mile in a race at 110bpm. I looked it up, the mile was 19:35!

2) The truth is that no other athletes in history have so consistently negative, or even- splitted days, often by a large margin at multiday events. Yesterday was over 20 minutes. If so, who?

3) This Transcon will be a very large negative split. The truth is no athletes in history have negative splitted at huge multiday day events like Balenger and Goodge. If so, who? [Balenger negative splitted his Transcondid 2524K for his first 37 days and 2656 for his next 37; Goodge negative splitted at Jogle by 1.4 days as a novice].

4) The truth is that Goodge’s 45 minute split for kms 71-78 on 12 May is the “best” piece of multiday running of all time, and most particularly for the second half of a race, and second-half of a day. No-one in history has run 8k at minuted splits so late and deep into a race of 5 4 5 5 5 5 5 5. If so, who?

If we take three random examples: Kostelnick Ks 71-78 of day 41 of his Transcon: 5 8 5 5 8 6 6 10. Or Lawson 71-78 on day 7 of Jogle: 66666666. And day 8: 77777777. Goodness the consistency is a marvel – but 5s they ain’t!

Or let’s take all six of Gabor Rakonczay’s 71-78 splits when winning the world trophy:

66655575
77678777
77799 10 87
9 10 986666
767 10 8898
8 19 20 12 9887

This sample alone shows us how difficult 5-minute K’s are to find in a multiday. This lot have found 7 in 72 attempts. It’s a very tough proposition and is roughly 9 minute miling. Not only has Goodge found them every time, he’s even dipped into the 4s. 9.7% to the power of 8 is over 100 million to one.

If we take someone of Goodge’s perceived level, say Balenger, his 71-78km on day 41 were:
9 10 11 9 10 9 8 8.

This throws up two questions: how has WG managed such a ferocious pace so late in the day – all off a heart rate which has risen, but only a tiny bit, to circa 125, when the mark should be 170+?

And more pertinently WHY? What’s the point of really smashing yourself late in the day for the fastest piece of multiday running in history that could invite a breakdown, and is totally and utterly removed from anything you’ve ever produced in your career? Is it so that you can finish the day at 7.15pm and not 7:30?

None of the footage put out by the crew, and certainly absolutely nothing I witnessed, suggests Goodge could even dream of running at such a pace at such a moment in the challenge.

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Quite soon though, there will be a day of reckoning. WG was apparently laughing when Chris Heinz asked for his HR and said 105, almost as if he’s trying to get us to believe it’s true. But 105s for 10 minute miling in a multiday is physiologically impossible. Anyone in running knows that. The WG Transcon team are going to have to commit and commit soon: either their data is at it is because WG is a freak of nature who runs at 130-190bpm OUTSIDE of these events, but 90-120 within them; OR he and Balenger have had a catastrophic tech fail for circa 9,000km, with up to 6 watches on two continents and four events, but they never fail on the opening days, or when they race during an event, or when I write them tough letters, and are over 90% clean when I observe.

There are loads of reasons why some low data cropped up when I was there. He was running with Balenger for one, maybe they did a switch. I caught Balenger watch-sharing at his Transcon in two seconds flat.

This story is becoming ever more complex, tawdry and sordid by the day, and as noted is becoming one of the largest LR threads of all time. It is the story of two unknowns, falling in love with running, deciding to turning pro with little to no ability, putting on lots of multiday stunts to attract attention, often lying in their literature [like saying world record holders and fastest Englishman], never getting into difficulty after shocking early days, attracting up to 8-10 sponsors and paid partnerships, and thinking never fatiguing is impressive, when to real runners it’s anything but, we just wonder why. However their sponsors adore them for it: “if you use our products, you too will never get tired in running or ever have a bad day, or even session.”

And if it rains? Oh then this superhuman, physiological freak will just walk through the day as for some reason he can’t run in the rain.

WG and RB clearly have hundreds of thousands of dollars behind them now with all their sponsors and are clearly making some serious loot. To burn through 10 pairs of incredibly expensive shoes a little over half way shows how little money is an factor. Running shoes last 500+ miles not under 200. They are looking to raise half a million GBP for their Go Fund Me.

We can but wait and see how this all develops, but yes, I for one remain convinced that something is off here.

willvlc wrote:

I'll do more on this because someone somewhere's messed up real bad.

These are his 8k splits yesterday - totally abnormal patterns, never seen in history, nowhere close. The 52 alone is world-class and then he slams down a 45 right after.

62
63
64
60
66
63
59
58
52
45
74

And this is how a world-class, totally pure piece of multidaying is constructed. [Lawson day 6 Jogle]. Witness the battle... the rhythm... and the natural fade of the thing.

59
54
53
50
52
50
61
53
54
53
53
55
58
57
58
60
59

I'll find out what % of 5s Goodge was doing before this, and his best streaks of 5s. This is one of the biggest smoking guns so far. What a foul-up.