Cambridge’s diversity poster boy faces questions over ‘miracle’ 600-mile run
The Cambridge professor at the centre of a plagiarism row is facing questions over claims he has made about his athletic prowess and charity fundraising.
Prof Jason Arday says he once ran 600 miles in six days for charity, 300 miles in three days, and 30 marathons in 35 days, partly with a broken leg.
But experts in ultra-distance running have cast doubt on his claims, expressing surprise that he is not known in the ultra-distance community despite achievements that would put him among the world's top athletes.
Prof Arday also claims to have been a professional footballer and snooker player, and to have raised £5.5m for more than 70 charities.
13 comments:
Eddie Izzard is famous for running many marathons back to back - but there were support teams or conference hall treadmills and video calls to back the runner up. Can Prof Jason Arday provide confirming detail, or payments to charities, or does he claim he ran anonymously and in secret?
My wife once knew an academic scammer who inveigled herself into a Chair in an ancient university. I asked "How did you spot so quickly that she was a wrong'un?" Answer: "Because she claimed to have two PhDs and be a concert-grade pianist." She was an out-and-out crook who was eventually sacked.
The Cambridge chap is perhaps half-crook, half-fantasist. But who on earth could fail spot him as a wrong'un straight away?
Give the guy a break. I once ran a 3 minute mile before swimming the Atlantic. I just don't like to brag.
It is laughable the stuff that he's claimed he's done, and has just been accepted at face value by Cambridge, presumably because he has the magic black skin. The idea you could raise over £5m for charity via sporting achievements and public donations, and there be no record of it whatsoever in the media in this era of social media and universal communication is utterly implausible. TBH it sounds like Jay from the Inbetweeners.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktUTfefzlrY
I know that Joss Naylor from Wasdale in Cumbria regularly ran incredible distances as a matter of course. He was also as thin as a piece of string.
DJ - he reminds me of a lad our son knew at school, nobody really believed him and evidence was never presented because there wasn't any.
dearieme - yes he probably is half-crook, half-fantasist. He should have been spotted, but maybe academic sociologists are expected to be like that, he just pushed it a little too far.
Mike - you aren't the chap I bumped into in the middle of the Atlantic while I was using my waterproof phone to win an online international chess game?
Sobers - I haven't seen the Inbetweeners, but from the clip Jay seems to be an exaggerated version of a lad our son used to know at school. Everybody knew what he was, but Cambridge apparently didn't believe that there are such people.
John - I remember Joss Naylor, he became quite famous. I have a suspicion that Prof Arday is no Joss Naylor.
I have googled and can bring you news of the sacked crook. She couldn't play the race card, being white, nor the sex card, being in a discipline dominated by women. So which card did she play? The Catholic card. You don't see that often nowadays but she was booted out in the 90s.
dearieme - playing the Catholic card sounds desperate even in the 90s.
The reputation of Cambridge University, and the reputation of the title "Professor", have both suffered a decline because of this fiasco.
Peter - yes, the reputation of both must have suffered, it's so absurd. There must be a few people within the University who think they would be more credible without certain academic disciplines.
She had been a nun. Maybe she was playing the Franciscan card.
Strange that academics, (at least in the medical profession) are so quick to identify Munchausen's syndrome by proxy, but entirely fail to see a Baron Munchausen?
Tammly - yes it is strange, maybe people today don't know about Baron Munchausen.
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