Not So Fast, Speedy Gonzales
A warning to all the competitive runners out there: technology won’t let you cut corners. Roberto Madrazo, a two-time loser in Mexican presidential elections, just found that out the hard way.
Via AP: "After a humiliating defeat in Mexico's presidential election last year, Roberto Madrazo appeared to be back on top: He'd won the men's age-55 category in the Sept. 30 Berlin marathon with a surprising time of 2:41:12.
But Madrazo couldn't leave his reputation for shady dealings in the dust. Race officials said Monday they disqualified him for apparently taking a short cut -- an electronic tracking chip indicates he skipped two checkpoints in the race and would have needed superhuman speed to achieve his win.
According to the chip, Madrazo took only 21 minutes to cover nine miles -- faster than any human can run. "Not even the world record holder can go that fast," race director Mark Milde said."
Photographer Victor Sailer said he didn't need electronic evidence to suspect that Madrazo, who crossed the finish line in a jacket, hat and running pants, tried to pull a fast one:
"It was so obvious to me, if you look at everyone else that's in the picture, everyone's wearing T-shirts and shorts, and the guy's got a jacket on and a hat or whatever," Sailer said. "I looked at it and was like, wait a second."
-- Michael Martinez
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