Frank Meza: Marathon runner accused of cheating to set Los Angeles record found dead, say officials

Officials waiting on results of post mortem tests

A 70-year-old runner who had been accused of cheating in order to set a marathon record, has been found dead.

Officials said the body of Frank Meza, who just days ago was disqualified from the Los Angeles marathon amid clams he cheated to set a course record for his age group, was found in the Los Angles river.

A spokesperson for the coroner’s office said a post-mortem test had yet to be carried out.

On Monday, officials had disqualified Meza after reviewing video of his performance in March’s event, for which he set a new course record for men of his age – 2 hours, 53 minutes and 10 seconds. They said it appeared he had left the course and reentered the race.

“The video evidence is confirmed by a credible eyewitness report and our calculation that Dr Meza’s actual running time for at least one 5K course segment would have had to have been faster than the current 70-74 age-group 5K world record,” the organisers said in a statement.

The runner denied the allegations.

“All kinds of allegations were being thrown at me,” he told the Los Angeles Times.

“It was pretty traumatic.”

The activities of Meza, a retired physician who began entering marathons in his 60s after coaching young athletes, had come under suspicion for his fast splits and finishes in marathons across California.

Derek Murphy, an amateur investigator who operates the website MarathonInvestigation.com and probed Meza’s finishes in various races, posted on the site that he was also “deeply saddened” by the runner’s death.

“There will be a time for comment and a broader discussion, but at this point, I feel that we should all allow those close to Frank the space to grieve,” Mr Murphy wrote.

“My heart goes out to his family and friends, and I wish for everyone to be respectful and to keep his loved ones in mind.”

In a statement, the coroner’s office said: “On July 4, Frank Meza (DOB: 1/16/49) was found down in the LA Riverbed, underneath Figueroa Street. Meza, of South Pasadena, was pronounced dead at 10.05am. An autopsy is pending”

Additional reporting by Associated Press