Cristina Noble, there she is on the left...the first woman to cross the finish line at Sunday's Sarasota Marathon....has been disqualified - she cheated, circumvented the course (a
Katie Holmes).
Thomas Becnel of the Herald Tribune reported Race officials say she missed electronic checkpoints at mile 17 and 18 of the Marathon. Course monitors (race officials) confirmed that she
did not run a mile of the marathon on a section of the course, the Ken Thompson Parkway. The official women's winner of the 2008 ABC-7 Sarasota Marathon is now Madeleine
Zolfo, 43, that woman below on the right -she learned the news Monday night. Cristina Noble, a 33-year-old marathoner from Brighton, Mich., did not return calls to her cell phone (from reporters). According to the Web site for the 2007 Detroit Marathon, she finished that race in 3 hours, 9 minutes. Her disqualified time in the Sarasota Marathon was 3 hours, 10 minutes. At the finish line, Noble told
SNN-News 6 that she was happy with her time. "It was kind of warm. I'm not used to it, since I'm from Michigan," she said. "It was a really nice course,
kind of scenic, with the causeway. It's kind of a big hill there." [END]. Okay - I see She's ran a 3:35 Boston Marathon in '06, a 3:20 NYC Marathon in '06, a 3:51 Chicago Marathon '07, - remember, you can go to places like
Athlinks and track down anybody - just click that link and out of
curiosity I checked her times. Did she cheat? Yes....and even very good runners can and do cheat, take drugs to enhance their performance, etc. even at this weekend warrior level of a runner. Her other times suggest she is capable of a 3:09 on a flat course no problem - however 2 "missed" chip markings is "smoke". It's odd to have chip mat detectors so close together - and the only reason you would do that is because the course layout possibly had a "turn-around" or a section easy to circumvent - hence justifying chip mat detectors so close - Cristina Noble is clearly an experienced runner/marathoner - she simply failed to consider the chip mats that could possibly lay ahead - along with the race officials "spotting" runners. In any
Marathon - race officials know and spot the top 3 or 4 women quite easily, in fact they are usually shouted to as "first woman" along the course, "second woman", etc. Race officials know who they spotted - and who they did not -Cristina Noble just got busted - that's all - she cheated. Plus - she's not protesting this or responding to phone calls...? Sad. Have a great day.
did not run a mile of the marathon on a section of the course, the Ken Thompson Parkway. The official women's winner of the 2008 ABC-7 Sarasota Marathon is now Madeleine Zolfo, 43, that woman below on the right -she learned the news Monday night. Cristina Noble, a 33-year-old marathoner from Brighton, Mich., did not return calls to her cell phone (from reporters). According to the Web site for the 2007 Detroit Marathon, she finished that race in 3 hours, 9 minutes. Her disqualified time in the Sarasota Marathon was 3 hours, 10 minutes. At the finish line, Noble told SNN-News 6 that she was happy with her time. "It was kind of warm. I'm not used to it, since I'm from Michigan," she said. "It was a really nice course, 
kind of scenic, with the causeway. It's kind of a big hill there." [END]. Okay - I see She's ran a 3:35 Boston Marathon in '06, a 3:20 NYC Marathon in '06, a 3:51 Chicago Marathon '07, - remember, you can go to places like Athlinks and track down anybody - just click that link and out of curiosity I checked her times. Did she cheat? Yes....and even very good runners can and do cheat, take drugs to enhance their performance, etc. even at this weekend warrior level of a runner. Her other times suggest she is capable of a 3:09 on a flat course no problem - however 2 "missed" chip markings is "smoke". It's odd to have chip mat detectors so close together - and the only reason you would do that is because the course layout possibly had a "turn-around" or a section easy to circumvent - hence justifying chip mat detectors so close - Cristina Noble is clearly an experienced runner/marathoner - she simply failed to consider the chip mats that could possibly lay ahead - along with the race officials "spotting" runners. In any Marathon - race officials know and spot the top 3 or 4 women quite easily, in fact they are usually shouted to as "first woman" along the course, "second woman", etc. Race officials know who they spotted - and who they did not -Cristina Noble just got busted - that's all - she cheated. Plus - she's not protesting this or responding to phone calls...? Sad. Have a great day.
22 comments:
Course monitors are not "officials." They are volunteers who get free donuts on race day. They usually aren't even runners, and couldn't care less about running. I've run in many races and heard the "first woman" holler, only to respond, "no, I'm 2nd woman" (or 3rd, or . . . ). I've also been told I was 2nd (or 3rd . . . ) and had to tell the COURSE MONITORS (not to be confused with race officials) that I was first woman. Zolfo was very gracious toward Noble. Since you weren't even there (and most likely know neither of these women), I suggest you adopt that same attitude.
Heh... Bitter?
I've never ran the Sarasota Marathon but taking a look at the course map there are MANY opportunities to cut it short. Reported missing markers at mile 17 and 18? That doesn't make sense as its not a shortcut area. Zolfo mentions City Island and the story does mention Ken Thompson Parkway earlier; both likely places to shortcut.
Noble ran a 3:08 at the Bayshore Marathon (5/07) and a 3:09 at the Detroit Free Press International Marathon (10/07). Chicago was very hot in '07, so hot they closed the course! Boston '06 was also very hot! Results can also be found on MarathonGuide.com.
The other commenter is right about spotters, volunteers actually, lots of times they never ran a race, call out the wrong place, easily distracted. . .
I sense a quick rush to judgement and unfair smearing of an athletes name. Shameful. Have a nice day.
Rush to judgment? How about the denial of the obvious by her friends?
Where is her voice of protest if she was wronged? She has yet to deny the assertions of the Race Director are valid. How do you explain that? On what foundation or basis does anyone have to claim she is not guilty? when (1) she makes herself unavailable for comment or response to media and (2) has not protested being victimized to anyone.
I acknowledged she's a very good runner, researched her, documented her times, offered a link, I did not speak out of school.
Her behavior post race - these past 5 days - clearly suggest she knows she made a poor judgment in circumventing the course (cheating), she got busted, she's not protesting or making herself available, she just wants it to go (fade) away.
I welcome comments from anyone including her friends, but c'mon - why is it not possible the assertions of the Race Director are spot on? First place prize was a $2,500 McCarver & Mosher watch or something?
If she is innocent I would love to see her claim her rightfully earned first place prize if for nothing else to have it auctioned off on Ebay or whatever and proceeds directed to her favorite charity in her name.
Very few people who are deprived their hard and rightfully earned winning spot....hide in silence when they are stripped and denied. I don't think Cristina Noble is an exception.
Why is Katie Holmes mentioned in this context?
Hey Mark - nice blog site. "a Katie Holmes" is my feeble attempt of humor, circumventing the course a la Katie Holmes - the most celebrated finisher of the NYC Marathon '07.
That was the rumor, I never took it seriously - a reader of this blog prompted me to look into it - and whereas most focused her - I focused on photos & her bodyguards - did research, noted bib numbers but names missing names from the finishers database, etc. all fact based stuff and believe it or not the case of Katie Holmes circumventing the course was broken on this blog site.
A major Hollywood gossip site picked up on this blog
http://defamer.com/345709/katie-holmes-marathon-mystery-deepens-with-new-questions-about-unidentified-runner-6074
It literally went world wide and in that one blog entry got over 500,000 hits - collectively we (readers) documented the Katie Holmes Marathon Conspiracy.
Check the link in this blog entry - it's all in the comments in detail.
I have known Cristina Noble for over 6 years and have trained and raced hundreds if not thousands of miles with her and other running friends in the Detroit Area. I have run Twin Cities, Detroit, Chicago and relay trail races with her and other close running friends. She would never cheat in anything. I'm living in Chicago now and she along with another Michigan runner stayed in my home for the Chicago marathon. I'm a 3:24 marathoner and I barely survived Chicago in under 5 hours. At Chicago she just went out and had fun knowing the 87 degrees and humidity would be a killer for most...the 3:51 was a training run for her. She is a wonderful mother, great wife and outstanding person to be around.
What I know in talking with a close friend of mine and Cristina's is that she used a port o potty that wasn't a "course sponsored" facility. Cristina feels by using that she actually ran farther than 26.2 and did not cut the course going to or from the bathroom. Why her chip seemed to record her splits at the end of the race but now the RD has mysteriously said they are no longer recorded is the real smoke coming from this race.
Cristina could care less about winning a race as all she competes with is herself. How can she stand up for herself when an RD will claim other items? At this point it's best to not say anything and move on with your life.
>What I know in talking with a close friend of mine and Cristina's is that she used a port o potty that wasn't a "course sponsored" facility.
_
Not sure what this means? A nearby fast food restaurant for example? or true to your words, a nearby construction site porta potty?
>Cristina feels by using that she actually ran farther than 26.2 and did not cut the course going to or from the bathroom.
_
So it was not nearby and she actually had to cover distance? So she made the choice to randomly pick a spot to go off the course with no toilet facility in sight, committed to that decision, eventually found a porta potty and returned to to enter the course afterwards at the point where she left it? I am trying to connect and vision how your words actually could possibly play out.
> Cristina could care less about winning a race as all she competes with is herself.
I don't believe that for one second. With the hours a runner invest in prep for race day - if a runner has 1st place within grasp...a runner is into it, cares, and revels in the victory - and well they should, if only for a moment of personal joy. She's a good runner, but she would have to cherry pick to actually win a race - and then everything go just right - and yes - she can clock a 3:0x and win.
>How can she stand up for herself when an RD will claim other items?
Those "other items" have merit, weight, and credence - that's the problem..
>At this point it's best to not say anything and move on with your life."
No. Staying victimized is not wise, prudent or healthy - in any situation. As of now? Cristina Noble cheated - and yes, I believe she circumvented the course. Why? The missing chip mat registrations, the race monitors word she never ran by them, Cristina's zero effort to refute, and Cristina not making herself available to media who tried to reach her afterwards.
These are fact based points, I don't think you've communicated anything fact based, have you? I understand you've constructed an outline of a wonderful woman of wonderful character - however I don't think the race monitors have an agenda against Cristina Noble, I don't think the chip mats do either. To believe Cristina Noble did not cheat, I have to believe those 2 things failed (monitors and mats) PLUS now this this kooky wacky "unofficial porta potty" defense/explanation she happened to randomly have the urge need, go randomly off the course at tome point to find, accounting for her to have ran more than 26.2 miles.
I am sure she's a fine woman and she's simply trying to prop up some rationale on how this could have happened, her circumventing the course, her finding the mysterious random unofficial porta potty out there in Sarasota, goodness gracious - she's an experienced marathoner for crissakes! Enough with the nonsense. This lovely lady CHEATED.
Come on, I don't believe in the Tooth Fairy - and I don't believe Cristina Noble is a runner done wrong by a Race Director. What she is - is a runner concocting excuses to account for her poor choice to circumvent. Poeple are just that, people - and even the most outstanding every now and then have their low moments - everything points to Cristina Noble having one of those moments on Sunday.
I was a bike monitor at the 2008 Sarasota Marathon..my first voluteer, although I am an experienced runner..biker..duathlon..
I know personally Mrs. Nobles situation and why she was disqualified and relate the following..at +-16mile Mrs. Nobles stopped at a construction site port a let (on the course but on the otherside of the cones) and emerged moments later walking in the opposite direction with her bib #removed..when approached by two experienced bike monitors to see if she was disoriented, they were told she was "not feeling good".."it was a training run" and that she would "be fine walking back in"...they then picked up the 2nd female runner and escorted her thru the remainder of the zone, approx. 5m. The port a let was approximately 1 mile from the 17 mile chip pad..which Ms. Nobles failed to cross..as the person maning that station attested..the 2nd female runner did cross..the course returns from a short loop to that porta let site..Ms. Nobles must have rejoined the runners shortly after that point and completed the race in her typical times.The bike monitors in this zone where all experienced runners and bikers..but that is irrelevant..as the facts were indisputable..I'm sure she's a fine woman and experienced runner..but she made a quick and bad judgement..a low moment..she will learn from this..the RD of the race asked that the media be left out for Ms. Nobles sake.. and i.e. my anonymous posting
Dear Bike Monitor,
Did anyone address this at the finish while she was still there? Didn't this all come to light before the awards ceremony (assuming there was one)?
Did anyone ask her to explain the missing miles, rest stop, disorientation, etc before the results were posted?
Zone 5 where the infraction occured is the outermost zone of the race.Ms. Nobles finished 1st..the zone 5 monitors did not realize, nor presume she had reentered the race; and finished patroling their zone over 2hrs later. When their shift ended they where informed who had won..they confirmed her identity as the female they had contacted and informed the RD.The RD confirmed the missed chip time, the visual confirmation of the chip pad monitor and other evidence.When told she missed the chip pad she responded "I didn't know it was there".She offered no evidence to having seen the chip pad or having run the loop. She had no explanation or evidence to the contradict the eyewitnesses.The facts are not worthy of a Sherlock Holmesian resesitation of why certain things did not happen..what is relevant is what did happen.Perhaps it is better to allow Ms. Nobles to move on to her next race.
Has anyone else noticed Ms. Noble's questionable record at the Detroit Marathon? It's easy to look up at their website, and it appears that she missed some chip pads at that race, as well ... two, to be exact.
I realize that she isn't the only one to have some missing split times, but this looks mighty suspicious in light of her Sarasota performance. Does she really possess the fine character described by her friend in the posting a bit earlier? Can anyone really know the heart of anyone else? Aren't we all capable of weakness and . . . being human?
Having said that, I have trouble with her repeated tendency to omit parts of a marathon race. The beauty of that race is in its purity, the simplicity of man or woman against the road for 26.2 miles. I've only done it once so far, but it was a near-religious experience, and it hurts to see a person "mess" with it.
I think she needs to lose her right to compete in marathon racing for a while. The rest of us need to know that we are surrounded by people who have more noble intentions -- not just a Noble name!
I need to stay anonymous, as well.
Look what someone fowarded to me regarding this.
I first found out about Cristina Noble's disqualification from the Sarasota Marathon in a very sensationalized news story on a Detroit affiliate of NBC (WDIV) the Thursday after the race. It was presented in the promos to the news, was presented by the local news anchor, and not a lot of details were presented in the actual story that I can recall. I about fell off my chair when I heard Cristina was the subject. My first thoughts were that this was an excessively cruel thing to do to a non-professional athlete on a television newscast and, undoubtedly, Cristina must have been DQ'd for something inadvertent that was being blown out of proportion.
The first thing I did was write a note to Cristina saying I heard the news, I'm sure there's some reasonable explanation for it, and I'm really ticked at WDIV as they must not be telling the whole story. I could just feel the pain of this woman as she was being slandered on a major metropolitan news station in front of family, friends, and co-workers. Before I wrote a note to WDIV letting them know of my displeasure for their sensational reporting, I wanted Cristina's approval. If she just wanted things to just go away, I could accept that. I really wasn't asking her for explanations. I KNEW she couldn't have cut the course. Who does that sort of thing? It is just preposterous.
She e-mailed back telling me what she called the real story; which you all read. I bought it hook, line, and sinker. This note confirmed my suspicions! WDIV got the story wrong! I sent my note to WDIV, and then asked Cristina if she'd like me to share her story with the team. I would not have sent it out if she said no, but she said sure,,, so I did. Only, as I've now found out, Cristina's story was not true.
A reporter (that asked to remain anonymous) got a hold of what I wrote to the team. He expressed doubts with Cristina's story. I played devil's advocate to a number of things the reporter passed on as evidence. However, his ultimate conversation with the race director confirmed the evidence that had been gathered from various sources. Cristina, did, indeed, cut the course; knowingly and willingly.
I truly take no pleasure in writing this note and I carry no grudge towards Cristina. I wish her well and hope she is able to recover and move on with her life. It all must be very difficult for her right now and I do wish there was a way to have helped her out.
Fred Vanhala
President: Front Line Racing Team
I was the Elite Runner Coordinator at the 2002 Detroit Marathon when the 4th place finisher told me at the finish line that the 3rd place runner had "jumped" the course. Doug Kurtis and I immediately spoke with the runner and told him that we would need to investigate the situation.
Upon review of the mat splits and of the competitor's watch, the competitor did admit it was possible that he did not complete the whole course. If he had run the entire distance, I am confident that he would have won the masters division, which was only a few hundred dollars less prize money. Did he purposely "cheat"? We will never know.
I hate to use the word "Cheated" for any competitor as it is possible on many courses to exit and enter a course. If it is true that Cristina has had a history of missing split times, then I would suspect that she has purposely cheated.
I agree with Fred that our sport is a pure one in which a "true" runner would never cheat. But I suppose that it is possible that someone that is so close to their goal might lose sight of their conscience and purposely cheat.
It is a sad day for running, but unfortunately cheating and marathon deaths make news. Runners running a PR is not.
Hey Steve & thanks for contributing, you might be surprised with the mentality of some of the weekend warrior runners, I've blogged about how pervasive "cherry picking" is these days.
http://harlemrunner.blogspot.com/2007/06/cherry-picking-needing-to-win.html
It speaks to a Wall St. Journal article that's still there and linked, one quote for example:
"Wendy Abma says entering a race is like being a bridesmaid; winning one is being the bride. Ms. Abma's home in Ridgewood, N.J., is decorated with a half-dozen plaques and trophies "where everyone can see them." Sometimes, she'll finish a race and set a personal best, but she says coming in first is "more impressive."
Should surprise no one there are those driven to take it even further, up a notch, and cross the line (cheat).
I ran the race in question and saw Ms Noble twice during the event. I finished in 10th place overall. I am also the race director of the Mount Desert Island Marathon held in Maine. I passed Ms Noble at approx 15 miles and told her she was doing great. I passed her again around mile 21 but strangely she or for that matter nobody else had passed me in the miles in between so I thought it was unusual to see her again. Honestly I was working to hard to worry or really care. The truth of the matter is Ms Noble did not run the entire distance nor did she run extra. It would have been impossible for her to get in front of me without passing me except if she cut off part of the last out and back section. I'm not saying she intentally cheated but she may have been misdirected or gone off the course or had planned on 'calling it a day' by heading for the finish early and got caught up in spectators telling her she was leading and in was one of those spur of the moment poor life decisions, she finished. One thing is certain she did not run the entire race. I did not bring this up with race officals at the finish line but intended to drop them a note and report what I had observed. When I read in a local FL newspaper that Ms Noble had already been DQed I saw no need to add more insult to injury by adding my 2 cents
Thanks
Gary Allen
race director
Mount Desert Island Marathon
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This same girl cheated at the 2012 Racing For Recovery half ironman. She some how ran a faster 1/2 marathon than every man, and was called out by the #2 girl that says she covered 2 miles in less than 4 minutes to catch her on an out and back. Christina admitted to cheated when confronted. What a tool!!!!
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