49/50/50. What a complete failure that would be.

#TheLittleLightsAren'tTwinklingClark #ShouldHaveDoneItInTheHurricane #PoolSwimingIsEasy #WhoHasn'tRunWithASoreHip #MoreLikeAluminumCowboy

Something tells me if you get Oprah involved, she's going to want to know about all the food he ate. Just sayin. #OprahAteHerTwinSisterInTheWomb

While I, too, feel the elliptical was a disappointment, let's see how this plays out and what he "claims". Or, does it take that long to sharpen the pitchforks so we have to plan now?

Yes, I think there probably needs to be some kind of interim media coverage now at the 25 day point and articulate in that media coverage that he's not at 25 AND not just because of the elliptical but other violations of generally accepted triathlon/ultra practices. That way it sets line in the sand "NOW" that he's not where he is claiming to be. 25 days later as a minimum he can make up "lost distance'. Having the coverage after 50 when he proclaims to Oprah or some other mainstream media what he did might be too late. You need the general media person like Oprah to be able to pull up some of the interim coverage to get the non biased journalism view of what happened. If not you get IM Cowboy's facebook fan club version which over represents he achievements vs ultra guys prior to him such as Didier etc.

As for the fishiness on the fundraising, while he might be loose on the fundraising front and also loose on definition of what constitutes an IM, I think it is logically flawed to claim that they are related. They might, but I have seen plenty of guys who are very honest in sport, who are plenty dishonest elsewhere in life, so it is possible to be squeeky clean in sport and still be kinda slippery elsewhere in life.

In any case, I think we really need Slowman as a minimum to publish an interim progress article to document what is known to have happened till now, both the good and the stuff that many of us are questioning.

Dev - I have thought a lot about the fundraising side and maybe Slowman can offer some assistance and utilize some of our collective powers to make sure the funds are collected and allocated properly. For instance, I for one would gladly volunteer my time to track all donations, donors e-mails and addresses to send confirmation letters and push that forward to the JOFF so they can acknowledge the charitable intent.

Also - if you sell a T-shirt in many states, it is taxable - so each state they should be remitting to the proper authorities (non-profits are income tax exempt, not sales tax exempt or exempt from collecting sales tax).

So, maybe these guys are not financially savvy, but if your look at the IRS990 and call the number listed on the tax return, it goes directly to JOFFs CPA firm - I will be calling them tomorrow to see where this really stands.

I think that if he wants to be able to claim the 50/50/50 he needs to make up the marathon while hooked up to an iv that removes the total amount of iv fluids they have given him so far. Under a heat lamp to make up for the parasol.

Edit: also he might have to do several swims with a weight belt because pics show him doing pool swims and warm open water swims with neoprene jammer on.

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Ed O'Malley
www.VeloVetta.com
Founder of VeloVetta Cycling Shoes
Instagram • Facebook

Haha, right because people who run scams always tell the truth.

This actually would be the best EVER for the charitable fund...Think about it...If the IC was doing something malicious (Im not saying that this is the case; I still think it is just a little selfish), then the fund gets exposure, and is viewed as the 'hurt individual' thus increasing donations.

Stephen J

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I believe my local reality has been violated.
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Happiness = Results / (Expectations)^2

This thread has taken several twists and turns.

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

Doubt seriously the CPA firm will tell you anything... You need to call the foundation.

CPA firm is the office of the foundation. Looks like a virtual operation as the have no ED. Charity phone number was CPA...called me back, need to give him a buzz. We will see.

Almost as good as T3..........almost

IC has bounced back from some tendinitis problems on the bike and is apparently running with 195 people in the great state of NC. He is getting stronger and gaining momentum....so what did the CPA Firm say??

He provided me the contacts in London. I have asked them to confirm the effort and fundraising program. JOFF has been without an executive director, but all their social media is London-based. We shall see. The CPA firm was quite nice actually!

Now, why does that surprise you?? :)

A nice CPA? Most are. I never got my CPA, but have had them in my life for 25 years. Good people - them and tax guys!

Yeah, most are not so bad.

Signed - CPA/TAX GUY

Especially the ones on Slowtwitch.

So what is your take? Scam or not? Would you donate $ to him and let him pass through? What does the CPA/Tax stud say?

Let's just say I WANT TO BELIEVE. Really hard to say -- I hadn't really thought about it until I started reading this stupid thread...of course, I also hadn't dissected his web site or anything either. I would advise the IC to get some proper tax advice and I would donate directly to the charity until we get some answers. I am truly hopeful he just hasn't got property advice and he is just a good dude trying to raise some money and achieve a crazy goal...and I hope he doesn't hurt anyone (including himself) in the process.

I see what you did there. 8/10

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What are you people, on dope?

—Mr. Hand

MMmmmmmmmmmm . . . no. not close. not yet.

but I haven't given up.

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What are you people, on dope?

—Mr. Hand

So lets just dissect one piece...on-line donations. Every $ he collects through his web site goes through a credit card processor. At the end of the year a 1099 will be generated in his tax ID or hopefully he has an LLC or something that protects him. Even 501c3's get these 1099's - I get them from my processor and when we used Paypal to collect member dues. This will be taxed as income to IC and even if he donates it all, he is still liable for the taxes under IRS codes.

Don't get me going on sales of merchandise and the cash collected - that is certainly sitting in a big bucket in his trailer and un-reportable cash donations - kiss that good by (unless he was the type of guy that WOULD NOT use a elliptical, and WOULD HAVE told every one up front that he was doing it and not get ferreted out by a photo....)

JOFF sent me a note and another person is going to respond to my questions. I think it is the EA to Jamie Oliver himself....but it is surprisingly hard to get any contact info and a number to call, but then again, they probably don't want crack-pots like me calling to verify IC.

I will keep you posted, but my week explodes with the final prep for the AJC Peachtree Road Race.

If any of you want to donate to a great cause....have at it: https://charitychase.kimbia.com/donate

Don't forget to select which branch of the military you'll support and if you do donate, let me know via PM and I will send you a Atlanta Track Club shirt or hat - a special treat. 100% of your donation is tax deductible and our Kilometer Kids program is amazing!

One thing I learned from all the people that scammed my old parents and watching American Greed, is all con artists are really really super nice people. I haven't met a nasty con artist yet. And by this, I am not trying to say IC is a bad guy or anything until proven otherwise.

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SmartBikeTrainers.com || YouTube || My Twitter

As someone who works in the non-profit sector I'll also throw it out that this guy may no clue about any of the tax implications of what he's trying to do. Yes, he could be a scammer, or he could be someone trying to raise money for someone else and has no idea how complicated being a pass through organization can be. Many well meaning folks approach us each year wanting to put on separate special events or fundraisers and have no clue what they are getting themselves into. If it is a scam, then he isn't doing himself any favors with the social media trail he has left.

On another subject: has he explained the big X through his mdot tat on his calf? For a guy that's done several WTC events and is using (infringing) on the Ironman aura, that seems like a strange thing to do. If I were a WTC attorney, that alone would be enough to insist that he cease and desist with all the Ironman references in his campaign, on his website, etc.

It's also surprising that such a positive guy would have enough anger to permanently deface his body, although I guess he already crossed that bridge when he put the mdot there in the first place.

But, I'm glad to see he got the message about "rules", and that his courses have been consistently more legitimate since elliptical-gate. I'm rooting for him to make 28-28-28. or 47-50-50 or whatever. It's unfortunate that whatever happens, I'm sure he'll be claiming 50-50-50.

IC would need to start having affairs with some of his groupies in each state; that would elevate him up to the T3 level:)

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."