Cheapeau.

It took bigger balls to admit it then to do it.

As others stated, that was huge.

It would have taken balls to admit it if he hadn't been caught. Explaining yourself once you've been outed is a good first step but my bar is a little higher for respect.

well then......... i guess that's a hell of an introduction the the forum.

i will say this might kill any chances of making any sales on the classifieds though......

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Tim

Kudos for coming clean on what happened. You did the right thing, and the right thing isn't always the easiest. Lesson learned.

In the grand scheme of things what you did is not a big deal. How you're making amends however, is.

Next, go see your parents and tell them. I'm sure they will be more proud of you for admitting what you did and taking corrective action than they were when you crossed the line. Physical achievements come and go, character lasts a lifetime. As parents we know our kids will screw up. It's how they handle it that tells us if we did our job.

Nice start here, now go close the circle. Then move on.

exactly my thoughts.

i'm not sure i'm ready to applaud this kid or worse, "respect" him. somehow i doubt this admission would've come if he weren't already outed here.

this was completely avoidable, and, while i'm glad he came clean, the act itself was morally reprehensible. it takes a bigger person to finish the race without cheating. it was a calculated action to ask for a time adjustment and lie about a stolen timing chip. actions like that, in my opinion, are rarely isolated or one-off and are an indicator of underlying moral character.

Totally agree.

He didn't "come clean", he was busted and the whole thing was going to come crashing down on him. He had no choice. If it wasn't for the OP he'd still be bragging about his awesome Kona run split.

Sorry. No respect here. The guy is a scumbag.

"I'm not even sure I exist".

If you think, you do.

You never did anything stupid at 22 ?

This cycle of wrongdoing-accusation-confession brings the Kona-on-Yom Kippur (the holiest day of the Jewish year, the day of atonement) discussion full circle. While triathlon1989 was succumbing to this temptation, a few Jewish triathletes were in synagogue learning that honest atonement should be met with honest forgiveness. I'm glad I've never had an epic Kona result dangled in front of me like that. It seems to happen that the biggest temptations of life come when we're weak and vulnerable.

So, triathlon1989...Happy Jewish New Year. May this one offer less temptation and more opportunities to fail honestly :-)

That took big Kahunas! As a parent of two boys, I have to say not matter how much they screw up..and continue to screw up...I still love them, nothing will change that and I'm sure your parents will feel the same.

I feel your pain as we all make mistakes yet few of us have the courage to admit it and especially in front of the tough ST crowd. I'm sure you have learned a great deal from this and hopefully you will continue to grow as a true and honest triathlete..good luck!

Nope. Not like that.

"I'm sure he'll be back to Kona in the future."

It was the right thing to do to come forward. But admitting guilt does not mean that you go forward without consequence. If allowed back to Kona (debatable), it should not be after a very very lengthy period of suspension.

I wonder how WTC will handle it when they get the letter? I'd be interested to know how that turns out.

you never tripped a guy playing soccer? Committed pass interference playing football? Why are we treating this like the guy robbed Matt Reed's condo? He cheated at sports. It's definitely dishonest but let's keep it in perspective here....it's just a hobby.

jpb wrote:

you never tripped a guy playing soccer? Committed pass interference playing football? Why are we treating this like the guy robbed Matt Reed's condo? He cheated at sports. It's definitely dishonest but let's keep it in perspective here....it's just a hobby.

Terrible analogs. This goes way beyond any of that.


I am no saint but there is no way I would even think of doing what he did. This behavior isn't much different than what Bernie Madoff did. It is similar in type but different only in scale. I despise cheaters especially those that do so for their own self aggrandizement.


His friend was on to him. Thats the ONLY reason he has come clean. Don't be naive people.


Oh, and you can be pretty sure he has cheated before despite what he claims.


They are always sooo sorry once they get caught red handed.

To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if they banned him for life from WTC events. Not expressing whether I think they SHOULD, but they might.

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If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
If at first you DO succeed, try to hide your astonishment!

You do the crime, you do the time. Tripping/pass interference have clearly delineated penalties and consequences.

What I don't want out of this is a free pass. What would the outcry/outcome be if a mid pack rider cut the course in a TdF? Cross country skiier cut the course in an Olympic race? etc etc.

You do the crime, you do the time. It's sad, as the alleged offender obviously has some talent for the sport.

John

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Top notch coaching: Francois and Accelerate3 | Follow on Twitter: LifetimeAthlete |

right. Yes. Cheating at sports is just like stealing billions of dollars from people. The unreasonable righteous-indignation forum is over that way. Try posting there.

For those of you wondering I will not be going back to Kona...its a privilege that I feel that I was given and did not appreciate. To think people work their whole lives to get where I have gone and I squandered it away.

Let someone else have my spot...if and when I qualify I will let you all know of the deserving person that gets my roll-down.

Also I did not know about this forum and already admitted this to my family, coach and close supporters before this. I could not live any longer with not admitting it. Me posting here is simply a product of me knowing this thread existed and not a catalyst to my confession.

-Mike

Not so different eh.

If this guy was in a financial field and he was way behind and under huge stress you don't think he might fudge the numbers to make it OK and then it snowballs. By his own words that is exactly what he did in Kona. They are VERY similar.

How many of the regulars would even slightly CONSIDER what he did?

Damn I was having a bad day until I read this thread. Now all I can say is "at least I'm not you!"

For all of the athletes over the years who struggled to beat the midnight cutoff.... I say in honor of them.... FUCK YOU!

I actually work in IT...you still have a valid point though and I am willing to accept any consequences by WTC

In my opinion, a wrong is a wrong. Some have bigger penalties than others, but unless you are perfect in all other aspects of your life, to judge this guy in the manner of which you are doing, tells me more about you, than triathlon1989.

We have ALL done things wrong in the past. IF someone comes forward and no matter when they do it, it IS a first step in the right direction.

After reading why he did it, it is very easy to understand how he got swept up in the moment. Especially at his age.