DQ’D marathon runner found dead in river

LOS ANGELES — A marathon runner was found dead in the Los Angeles River days after he was disqualified from the Los Angeles Marathon over allegations of cheating.

The body of Dr. Frank Meza, 70, was discovered shortly before 10 a.m. Thursday, authorities said. The Los Angeles Times reported that authorities responded to a call for a possible jumper on the bridge at 9:49 a.m. Four passing bicyclists pointed authorities to the body.

Sarah Ardalani, a spokeswoman for the coroner’s office, said an autopsy is pending.

Meza, a retired physician who began entering marathons in his 60s, had denied cheating. He had come under suspicion for his fast finishes in marathons statewide but claimed it was impossible for him to prove that he didn’t cheat.

Meza told the Times that he had left the course during the March race in search of a restroom and continued along the sidewalk for some distance before finding one.

“I didn’t cut the course,” he said Monday, contending that 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 wife, Tina, told the Daily Beast her husband had been devastated by the allegations. He had told her Thursday he was heading out for a run.

The Los Angeles Marathon disqualified Meza’s finish in this year’s race after deciding he had left the course and then returned from a different position. His time of 2 hours, 53 minutes, 10 seconds had been the fastest ever for a man his age.

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.”