Proven frauds - information request
KarenT
Charter Member
Hi all
Does anyone have a list / info about any proven marathon swimming frauds? I've got Dorothy Logan from the 1920's, and am aware of the suspicions around last year's claimed December North Channel swim. But I am sure there are a few more. I'm not looking for examples of swims where allegiance to particular sets of rules are at issue in terms of what kind of swim it was, but rather, out and out fraudulent claims to have done a swim either without having got wet or, as in Logan's case, only getting wet for short stretches at either end. Ideally, I'm looking for proven / confessed cases, if there are any, since I can write about those more directly, but am also interested in widely recognised or generally accepted out and out frauds. Do the Catalina / SB swims have any historical cases that I can look at?
I'm also interested in accusations of fraud and how they get played out publicly - I've already got Gleitz and have already written quite extensively about the Florida Straits disputes, past and present. But any others?
It's background info for the swimming book, which is now 50% written and proceeding at a glacial but steady pace...much like me on a long swim, really.
Many thanks
K
Does anyone have a list / info about any proven marathon swimming frauds? I've got Dorothy Logan from the 1920's, and am aware of the suspicions around last year's claimed December North Channel swim. But I am sure there are a few more. I'm not looking for examples of swims where allegiance to particular sets of rules are at issue in terms of what kind of swim it was, but rather, out and out fraudulent claims to have done a swim either without having got wet or, as in Logan's case, only getting wet for short stretches at either end. Ideally, I'm looking for proven / confessed cases, if there are any, since I can write about those more directly, but am also interested in widely recognised or generally accepted out and out frauds. Do the Catalina / SB swims have any historical cases that I can look at?
I'm also interested in accusations of fraud and how they get played out publicly - I've already got Gleitz and have already written quite extensively about the Florida Straits disputes, past and present. But any others?
It's background info for the swimming book, which is now 50% written and proceeding at a glacial but steady pace...much like me on a long swim, really.
Many thanks
K
Comments
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
loneswimmer.com
Thanks,
Kx
Not sure why the Dead Sea swim is unbelievable...
Just came across this site, dedicated to uncovering frauds in the marathon running world:
http://www.marathoninvestigation.com
The
secondthird post from the top, about a course cutter in the Ft Lauderdale half marathon, is particularly good. This may be my favorite thing since the Kip Litton New Yorker article.Another couple, though not swimming:
Ultramarathon runner Sergio Motsoeneng & triathlete Julie Miller
Check out Donald Crowhersr who entered a solo circumnavigation of Earth sailing race in the late 60s. Diana Nyad could have used his help as her escort, or maybe not since he died during his elaborate deception.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Crowhurst
Speaking of frauds in marathon running, this came up today in the Telegraph UK: Beijing marathon to use facial recognition in cheating crackdown.
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
Might be the same story but from the BBC: The man who catches marathon cheats - from his home
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-39584495
Mount Everest saw a widely publicised case last year in which a climber couple had photoshopped themselves to the summit: https://washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/06/29/indian-couple-accused-of-faking-widely-praised-everest-climb/
Milko
https://db.marathonswimmers.org/p/milko-van-gool/
From Capt. Tim Johnson's classic History of Open Water Marathon Swimming (2006 ed., pg. 289):
In writing a history of swimming, one becomes aware of the placement of swimming entries in indexes of newspapers. Swimming comes after Suicides and before Swindles. It could be said that marathon swims, in a queer way, are the same; some border on suicides and others border on swindles.
Classic Outside Magazine article from 2004.
https://www.outsideonline.com/1913496/truth-be-told-they-lied
Truth Be Told They Lied
Sport and adventure are often yoked to deception, and the chronicle of outdoor accomplishment comes studded with tales of those who deployed the Big Lie.
By: Philip Weiss May 2, 2004
Money quote:
The big liars tend to be desperate, deeply driven people who before long have created a superstructure of admirers and supporters who are innocently but fervently invested in their achievement.