Sunderland Harriers expels Rob Sloan from the club over cheating charges in the
Kielder Marathon
Rob Sloan, the runner who was accused of cheating in the Kielder Marathon last week, got his membership suspended from the athletic club he used to train in.
While telling the details of the accusations, Sunderland Harriers said that there was strong evidence that the 31-year-old former mechanic had cheated during the meet.
Not only did the spectators not see him throughout the course, but the people who saw Sloan riding the bus also disclosed it to the investigating authorities.
Sloan, on the other hand, angry over the accusations, while giving an interview to a reporter of an international news channel, denied all the accusations and maintained the fact that he did not cheat during the event.
It is an altogether different matter that the club’s executive committee felt it the other way around and did not take long before expelling the runner from their club.
According to the eye witnesses, while running into the race, the athlete first decided to pull out to take some rest before joining the field again.
However, later on he went on to take a ride on a bus. He appeared on the track when the finish-line was merely a few hundred meters to go.
Before joining the rest of the lot, Sloan hid behind a tree, and upon resuming with his race, he ended up for a third position in the run.
Scottish runner, Steven Cairns, who had initially found himself as the fourth finisher of the race, was later on awarded the third place on the podium.
Dwelling on to the decision to expel Sloan from the club’s membership, Sunderland Harriers said, “We have expelled forthwith Rob Sloan from membership of the club through his actions during the Kielder Marathon. The decision was made at an executive committee
meeting, which Mr. Sloan failed to turn up for after stating he would attend. We apologise again to the Kielder Marathon organizers, especially to Steve Cairns”.
Talking about the decision of his disqualification, Sloan told a reporter, “I’m upset and angry that someone wants to cast these aspersions. It’s laughable is what it is, where they’ve come from I don’t know”.
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