A marathon runner was found dead in the Los Angeles River on Thursday, days after he was disqualified from the Los Angeles Marathon following allegations of cheating.
The body of Frank Meza, 70, was discovered shortly before 10am, authorities said.
Coroner’s office spokeswoman Sarah Ardalani said an autopsy is pending.
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 did not cheat.
He did say he had stopped to relieve himself, but said he ran the entire 26.2km.
“My take on all this, it was supposed to be fun,” he told the Los Angeles Times. “Obviously it’s not fun anymore.”
Meza’s family could not immediately be reached on Friday for comment.
Meza’s wife, Tina, told the Daily Beast that her husband had been devastated by the allegations.
He had told her on Thursday that he was heading out for a run.
The Los Angeles Marathon disqualified Meza’s finish in this year’s race after they 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 and triggered suspicion within the running community, which began investigating.
The marathon said in a statement on June 28 that it had video evidence and an eyewitness report.
“We [are] deeply saddened to learn of the death of Dr Frank Meza,” marathon operator Conqur Endurance Group said in a statement on Friday. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”
Meza had told the Times he had planned to enter next year’s race to prove he could finish in less than three hours.
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