LOS ANGELES—Authorities say a 70-year-old man has died by suicide after he was disqualified from the Los Angeles Marathon over cheating allegations.
Frank Meza of South Pasadena was found in the Los Angeles River last Thursday, July 4, after reports that someone may have jumped from a bridge.
The Los Angeles County coroner’s office says Meza died from multiple blunt force traumatic injuries and ruled his death a suicide.
Days before his death, the Los Angeles Marathon disqualified his finish in the March race. Officials said he left the course and came back from a different position. His time of 2 hours, 53 minutes 10 seconds had been the fastest ever for a man his age.
The family of Frank Meza, the 70-year-old marathoner who was found dead last Thursday amid cheating allegations, says he was cyberbullied into suicide. pic.twitter.com/dIyCXC8LwQ
— Inside Edition (@InsideEdition) July 9, 2019
Meza, a retired physician who began entering marathons in his 60s after coaching young athletes, had denied the allegations of cheating.
He had come under suspicion for his fast splits and finishes in marathons statewide but claimed it was impossible for him to prove he didn’t cheat. He did say he had stopped to relieve himself, but said he ran the entire 26.2 miles.
“My take on all this, it was supposed to be fun,” he told the Times. “Obviously it’s not fun anymore.”
Meza’s family could not immediately be reached by The Associated Press on July 5 for comment.
The family of Frank Meza, the 70-year-old marathoner who was found dead last Thursday amid cheating allegations, says he was cyberbullied into suicide. https://t.co/p303KTIagX pic.twitter.com/QPuRQf2Wow
— Inside Edition (@InsideEdition) July 9, 2019
Meza’s wife, Tina, told the Daily Beast her husband had been devastated by the allegations. He told her Thursday he was heading out for a run.
The marathon said in a June 28 statement that it had video evidence and an eyewitness report.
“We deeply saddened to learn of the death of Dr. Frank Meza,” Conqur Endurance Group, the marathon’s operator, said in a statement Friday. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”
Meza had told the Times he’d planned to enter the 2020 race to prove he could finish in less than three hours.
Derek Murphy, an amateur investigator who operates the website MarathonInvestigation.com and probed Meza’s finishes in multiple races, posted on the site that he was also “deeply saddened” by the 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,” Murphy wrote.
Suicide Hotlines
If you are in an emergency in the U.S. or Canada, please call 911. You can phone the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1 800 273 8255. Youth can call the Kids Help Phone on 1800 668 6868.
In Australia, the suicide prevention telephone hotline at Lifeline is 13 11 14. You can also visit the Lifeline website at lifeline.org.au. Youth can contact the Kids Helpline by phoning 1800 551 800 or visitingheadspace.org.au/yarn-safe
By Stefanie Dazio
