Sarah-
So a couple of photos proving you ran in the half marathon at Storm Lake Iowa on 04 September have flittered about the blogosphere. One made some of us shake our heads, quite sure it had been photoshopped. One made us go oops she really did run it huh?
And I must be painfully honest with you Sarah, I really don’t give a crap whether you did or didn’t, do or don’t run at all. I’m quite sure you ran as a young woman and that you enjoyed it and even possibly used running to trim down after each of your pregnancies. (I was a dancer. I danced away all the pregnancy fat after each of mine.) I don’t, however, believe for a second that you run every day now because you’re Sarah Palin. Cameras follow you everywhere you go and not one inch of celluloid showing you running on a remote road (other than those pre-planned runs for photoshoots) has surfaced in almost three years.
And I would be quite happy to drop the whole issue except for this nagging feeling in my gut – and a closer look at the photos proffered as evidence of your almost 2 hour run on 04 September 2011.
Let’s look at them together shall we?
Well I must admit these certianly do look like beginning and ending shots of a runner. Wait. What the… Huh?
Can we zoom in a bit please? Aww thanks…
[click each image to enlarge]
Well sure, I suppose at some point during the 1.46 race time the weather shifted and you shed some layers – like the headband and top red shirt. No worries. I also guess that it’s possible the grey collar is just the top band of your tee-shirt pulled up for some reason. Ok. I’m fine with that. But umm…
Why is the sleeve on a shirt that visually only comes to your waist so giant-like huge? It’s literally two or three sizes bigger than your arm and is so long it covers your hand completely. Ok maybe you grabbed someone else’s red shirt and it just doesn’t fit. But then why roll up the hem? Hmmm…
And doesn’t this picture show the race number as being attached to the top of the red shirt in the front? If it is, how on earth did you manage to slip it off during the race? Lifting it over your head would have pulled the grey tee with it no?
And where did the word Jump disappear to? It should be partially visible above the number 6. Shadows? Wait – no shadows… it’s 7:30 am and overcast.
Uh-oh – looks like you bumped into some wet paint and stained your nice black pants. What a shame!. They look great on you!
But wait a minute… how did the paint stain shift from one leg to the other during the race? (Update: According to comments, there’s a white smudge on both legs – but even blown up I can’t find it. I am, however, willing to concede to younger eyes than mine!) (H/T to Andrea)
Surely you didn’t stop during the race and take them off and then put them back on back to front did you? No wait that wouldn’t work. If you’d put them on backwards the paint stain would shift to the back of your leg. Well that’s certainly a head-scratcher!
Ok Sarah now I know you’re just messing with us. Where (during the race) did you get the snazzy timing gear? Doesn’t that type have a wire that runs up your arm, through your sleeve, down your back to come out and then run down to your shoe? Did you attach this when you took off the red shirt and white headband? UPDATE: Correction – that thing that looks like a cable is in fact a sidewalk crack – what a terrific illusion! (H/T the problem child)
And if you did this during the race, how would it give you an accurate time at the end?
You’re really a Houdini at heart aren’t you!
Now Sarah, I know you hate science but…
…did you know one can tell the time of day a photo was taken by the shadow the images cast? You need to know the city and state, the height of the image and the ratio between the shadow and the image height.
Well Sarah, according to Sandburg Center for Sky Awareness, someone your size between 9:30 and 10am on 04, Sept 2011, at Storm lake Iowa would have cast a shadow 12 inches (or more) longer than the one you seem to be casting here. The length of your shadow actually seems to more accurately portray a photo taken at either 11am or 1pm. Of course – I can be wrong but still…
And I guess I’m also a bit befuddled at the whole lack of people in this second photo. I’m sure you have a reasonable explanation but really Sarah… where are all the folks who drove, flew, trained, biked and bussed themselves in to see you at this shindig? One would think that fans willing to spend several hours on freezing nights in shopping mall parking lots just to get a glimpse of you and a signed copy of your book would surely be patient enough to wait one hour and forty-six minutes for you to run a race and be there at the finish line to cheer you on?
But there’s no one. Just the nice man waving you across the finish line. That is what he’s doing with his arms, right? Waving you over the line? Well no, that would be silly because you’re just walking calmly checking your time. He would surely have relaxed his arms by now, wouldn’t he?
Especially since you’re checking your time against a device you only wore in part during the race? Hmm…
Ok Sarah I’m signing off now. Can’t wait to hear all the explanations come out of the woodwork. You need to know though Sarah, that if you actually did run the whole race and in one hour and forty-six minutes, that these badly staged, after-thought photos injected to ensure we all see what you want us to see rather than just showing us the naked truth from the beginning are just the kind of thing that make most of us disbelieve you in the end.
When I see video footage of you running through an entire race, then I will happily concede. Until then – for me – this was just another phoney image you dreamed up to give yourself a legitimacy you didn’t earn just to fill your wallet.
-OzMud
PS – Don’t know how I could have missed this earlier but Sarah? How can a person sweat so profusely on their neck and shoulders while staying perfectly bone dry under their arms? You continue to amaze…
Oz Mudflats 
September 6, 2011 at 11:30 am
I imagine the reason for the red shirt being high is because the number is attached to the grey one so… she hiked up the red so it would be visible. People who run marathons in weather that starts off chilly will shed clothing during the race. My husband wears old clothing over his good stuff when he runs a marathon so he doesn’t need to worry about it if we cannot track it down after the race.
If Scarah did run this race (probably so) I find it difficult to believe that she averaged an 8 minute mile. That does require a bit of training on a regular basis. Not impossible but I have my doubts.
The photo of her over the grass does look shopped to me (I like to photoshop) She looks like a cutout. I wonder about it being done so that she would appear with a group of people in a photo.
Maybe she did, maybe she didn’t . She just wants people to talk about her. No matter how much she runs, Forrest Gump will always seem the genius compared to her.
September 6, 2011 at 11:36 am
That’s no timing device. It’s a crack in the pavement. But the shadow lengths… hmm.
September 6, 2011 at 11:37 am
the woman in the first pic is clearly NOT palin. Look at her face. It’s totally not her. This is just another wierd story to get the bloggers to warp speed in keeping her pathetic name out there. This was done on purpose. whatever……..stupid woman.
September 6, 2011 at 11:45 am
Here’s my question: where are the other racers? According to what’s been circulated, Sarah Heath placed second in the race.
What were the times for the first and second runners… and where are they?
As for the lack of fans along the route, if she truly did keep this on the QT, then that would be expected.
The weird position of the guy at the finish line, though… what’s up with that? Is he stretching? Why are his arms back like that and why isn’t he looking at the runner just crossing the line?
Imagine what her time would have been if she hadn’t taken the time to unpin the number (or however that’s attached) and ditch the shirt and headband! And she must have amazing antiperspirant, because her pits are appear to be dry.
September 6, 2011 at 11:53 am
The first picture of her on the grass indeed shows a collar like from a regular shirt/blouse – NOT a crewneck t-shirt like she wears at the finish line.
September 6, 2011 at 12:03 pm
She has blue or black shoes with some red stripes in the first photo showing her running and she has red shoes with some white stripes in the picture of her at the finish line.
I am annoyed more at the media than I am of Sarah. I expect Sarah to lie. I would prefer that others not propagate her lies.
September 6, 2011 at 12:19 pm
So this woman in a red shirt runs in from the grass and not one person on the pavement even looks toward her, not even the woman she’s about to run into?
And then she crosses the finish line and her blush is still in place–amazing stuff! And she WALKS across the finish line and checks her watch? No last minute sprint, followed by blowing, no bending over, no panting, just, ho, hum; let me walk across the finish line and see how much time I have left to shower, wash my hair, and get to NH.
Looks to me like someone took a bottle of water and splashed it around her shoulders.
How does she keep getting away with this shit?
September 6, 2011 at 12:22 pm
I agree on the shoes Ja. I commented on them on another site yesterday, but no one else seemed to see it.
This was a great post Ozmud, especially the shadow part! Good sleuthing.
September 6, 2011 at 12:27 pm
OZ,
Take a look at the picture with Palin taken after the race on this link. Note the shadow of Palin’s head which goes down onto her right shoulder and shades the right side of her neck. The women next to her has no such shadow. The radio tower is directly behind Palin’s head, as in her crossing the finish line shot, so this appears to have been taken looking back toward the the finish line, i.e. in the same direction as her crossing the finish line photo. If you look at the person on the far left of the picture, it would appear that all shadows should point directly to the rear. Any thoughts?
http://iowans4palin.blogspot.com/2011/09/governor-sarah-palin-is-running.html
September 6, 2011 at 12:33 pm
@Ja & Jo
The shoes, when blown up to 200% appear to be the same shoes in both photos. What’s rather odd, however, is the design on the left shoe seems to be different from the design on the right. The white and black soles appear identical though.
haha this is like a game of spot the difference eh?
September 6, 2011 at 12:34 pm
Someone on IM did some checking. The flags at the “finish” line are blue and red. At the actual storm lake site, they are blue and yellow. Oooops.
September 6, 2011 at 12:38 pm
Both pantlegs have that white arc under the knee… it’s more visible in the last photo when blown up.
September 6, 2011 at 12:42 pm
RLS,
I am with you on this one! I was just staring at those two photos from the end. At a minimum, the photo from the iowans4plin website is fake. Sarah’s shadow from her face is on her right. The man’s shadow from his right arm is is on the left of his arm.
I would need to stare more at the tower shadow. Last time I looked at it, the shadows seemed to go in the wrong direction since I think the two photos are looking in different directions, and yet my patience with all of this may have just expired for the night!
September 6, 2011 at 12:44 pm
In the first photo, Sarah’s left leg looks as though it has a right foot attached to it.
September 6, 2011 at 12:46 pm
Did you also noticed in the first pic…the uncovered legs are different , one set is more rounded at the ankles. Chins look different too. Look she knows the media will play ,so anything to inject herself and why choose a small town where hardly anyone knows about it. The finish line so empty only one officia l?
September 6, 2011 at 12:57 pm
If you look to the right of Palin there is a women with a pink head band in the background. I can see what appears to be a vertical line that extends from a white striped blue leg upward to the top of the image. I can even see a difference in the illumination of the tree foliage in the background along that line. It jumps out at me now that I see it. Magnifying the image slightly makes it easier to see. It looks like they spliced a group of runners on the right with a group of walkers on the left and then placed Palin over the whole mess.
September 6, 2011 at 12:59 pm
@ RLS & Ja
The shadows in the shot of Teledude and his wife with Sarah are both consistent with a time of almost noon. Look in the background on each side. OIn the left is a man standing. On the rt is a big truck. Both are casting very short shadows.
If the sun is almost directly overhead, the shadow from Sarah’s head and Teledude’s arm would be accurate. They simply are not from between 9:46am and 10am when Sarah was supposed to have crossed the finish line, but like the other shot, way later.
September 6, 2011 at 1:06 pm
I don’t think any of your points hold water, sorry. The red shirt could have been shed, the t-shirt seems the same, the number’s on the t-shirt not the red top, the shoes are the same, the pants are the same (design, not paint), the shadows, oh, come on. The only thing that’s worth anything is what Cackling rad said about Palin showing no genuine evidence of exertion–leaning over, etc. Given her time, she wouldn’t have been able to walk any of the course, so she apparently ran hard. I don’t doubt she scammed the race…going incognito (really more than incognito, a pretty big effort to do a gotcha on the press) makes it easier to do that, slipping in and out where she wants. But I don’t think the photos say much about that.
However, I did get kind of a jolt out of these post-race pix, which someone kindly linked on Laura Novak’s site.
September 6, 2011 at 1:10 pm
Mel — Where would she have shed the sweatshirt and the headband? (I’m serious.) Do you think someone took them from the side of the road or would she have just thrown them on the ground and kept running?
Whatever happened to them, it seems like it would affect her time.
Since the number looks to have been affixed to the red shirt, she would need to remove it and re-attach it to the gray shirt… which isn’t a huge task, but it does take precious seconds off of a runner’s time and throw off their stride.
September 6, 2011 at 1:39 pm
Not sure if this has been said yet, but those marks on her pants are brand names. See her runner’s world spread. She has on the same or similar pants with the logos on both legs. I suspect they are probably light reflective, too, also.
September 6, 2011 at 1:42 pm
I just saw a piece on TMZ that lists the runner’s times and it looks like she was a minute & 05 seconds behind the 1st place runner and about six minutes ahead of the 3rd place runner, who was about five minutes ahead of the 4th place runner.
Wish someone could talk to the 1st and 3rd place runners to get their take, because she should have been in their general or immediate location when they crossed the finish line.
September 6, 2011 at 2:25 pm
It will be interesting to look at all the photos when they are posted. That line doesn’t look like a crack in the cement. I’m not sure what it is.
September 6, 2011 at 2:28 pm
Look how big her head is compared to the woman right next to her in the first picture.
September 6, 2011 at 2:38 pm
Where are the runners from the other age categories that should be visible at or near the finish line? She came in second in the 40 to 49 age group but all ages ran in both male and female categories. The woman who came in second in the 30 to 39 category was only 45 seconds behind her. Where is she? She should be visible if this is truly Sarah crossing the finish line. The 3rd & 4th place winners in the same category, 30 to 39 were less than 45 seconds behind the 2nd place winner. Where are the people on the sidelines to greet them or cheer them on at the finish?
Here’s the link to the results for anyone who is interested.
Click to access SLhalf-marathon2011.pdf
September 6, 2011 at 2:39 pm
normal to wear layers and shed them as weather warms – I wore 4 layers for dublin marathon (4th layer for rain) – we wore “disposable” clothes, which were picked up by people who needed clothing.
Methinks she accomplished what she set out to do – detract from her hideous speech about NO taxes for corporations etc. and have everyone talk about her run.
September 6, 2011 at 3:31 pm
AKRNC — There appears to be a runner in the distance in a dark blue or black top. She’s running on the sidewalk by the park. Could that be the 45-seconds-behind runner?
Something else I noticed about the first photo… the red on her top just POPS out, whereas the red of the man’s headband is very muted. Weird.
September 6, 2011 at 3:32 pm
@ everyone who took the time to comment:
Thanks and many thanks again – I hope I’ve made all the corrections in the post – (I’m still laughing over thinking a crack in the sidewalk was a cable haha)
TBH the first thing that caught my attention was the photo posted on Joe Mc’s site. A shadow’s length changes every ten minutes and if you know the height of an object and are probably much smarter than me, you can judge the time of day by a shadow on the ground.
I spent a good deal of my youth on airport runways waiting for winds to die down so we could get in another jump before sunset and honestly, the shadows at Sarah’s finish line looked to me like the same afternoon shadows. I know some of you think I’ve lost the plot over the shadows thing but – for me this is the telltale heart beating beneath the surcface. There are entire charts one can use to research exact times of photos and if you’ve ever spent much time outdoors you’ll know there is a different look between morning and afternoon light. I am convinced the ‘Sarah crossing the finish line’ is a put up job – not an honest photo at all.
If the shadows aren’t enough to get you thinking, then look around at the rest of the photo. Other morning photos have people milling around, cars parked – activity. This looks like a shot taken after an event is over and everyone has packed up and gone home.
Sarah’s drenched but there’s no sign she’s out of breath.
There’s no sign she’s sweating under her arms albeit the tops of the shoulders are soaked. How is that?
I have no problem wrapping my head around the idea that runners wear layers they can strip off – I hadn’t realized people used disposable clothing however – that’s a new lesson learned. However, look really closely at the first photo. the race numbe is on top of the hem (rolled or not) of the red top and the only reason to think it would stay put is if it were pinned – just like the photo appears – which means she had to slow down and unpin it? That remains confusing to me.
The photo of Sarah in the link Mel offers above is just bizarre. The times of other runners crossing the finish line offered in the link provided by akrnc just clinches the deal for me. There should have been other people around or their shadows (there I go again) on the ground or their cars still lining the streets in the background.
But there’s nothing. That’s a big empty background. Big.
If you want to tell me it was just a small crowd and she was incognito, that’s fine. But realize this: As runners became aware that Sarah was in the race – as early as 7am I might add – you have to know they got on cells and called people they knew to say I’M RUNNING WITH SARAH PALIN! just like the blog says in the link provided by RLS above. So people knew she was there and had a good couple of hours to get out there to see her cross the finish line.
Where are they?
At any rate I appreciate all of your input – Oz
September 6, 2011 at 4:04 pm
You know, I was not even interested in looking for discrepancies until I came across your site tonight. But you got my curiosity up. So my assessment is as follows: (Iam not an expert)
I don’t know about y’all, but the first time I saw the photo, (Iam referring to the one that is slightly out of focus with Sarah wearing the red sweater & headband) I immediately noticed neither feet are not or do not appear to be touching the ground.
Granted the photo is fuzzy, but it also struck me odd that she would be running on the grass rather than on the sidewalk. It doesn’t look normal … she looks misplaced somehow.
Same photo: the outline of her shoe starting from almost the top of the heel down across the sole I see a very, very thin white line. I know absolutely nothing, nada, zip, zilch about photo shop so it may be nothing, but Iam curious if it might indicate her image was photo shopped.
And last but not least, I am not convinced the woman is Sarah Palin, notwithstanding one is a side profile and the other is a frontal view: the woman’s face profile does not look like Sarah. The women’s bodies: the shape of their hips & thighs don’t match-up either. Sarah has an ironing board-type figure. Her hips & upper thighs are disproportionate to the rest of her body. And right above her knees — the most lower part of her thighs are quite slim. That does not appear to be the case with the other woman, but then again Iam not an expert … Sarah’s ankles seem to be slimmer than the other woman’s.
Oh I almost forgot: the “sweat” stains on her T-shirt, Iam pretty sure, water had been poured on her. For 1 thing sweat is usually more uniform in shape — if that makes sense. Also I do not re_member ever seeing anyone sweat across their shoulders.
But we’ll probably never know — if she really did run in the race or hired a “look-alike” or what … nevertheless if history is our guide, Sarah’s dishonesty is so much a part of her personality, that I wouldn’t put anything past her. ;))
You did a great job with photos along with an added bit of humour.
Thanks …
I do not know what the time difference is as Iam in Texas … at any rate …
Have a great evening/day/week … ;))
September 6, 2011 at 8:51 pm
Initially, I thought she was alone. But obviously Todd was with her, he’s holding her red shirt. She should have crossed the finish line with the shirt around her waist and headband accounted for. She doesn’t. So either Todd drove the car with her and they stopped to rest, fixing herself and passing off the stuff to him, or he took it all from her at the end, then staged a “cross the line” photo later. The long shadows might indicate the latter.
Either way, it doesn’t invalidate her run, but how hard is it to run 6 miles in a little under 2 hours for a person who is used to running?
The only real problem with the clothing in the comparison pics, is the fact that she’s wearing a long-sleeve gray collared shirt under the red sweater. You can see the collar, plus the bunched-up arms of the shirt under her sweater (see where it ends near her wrist and then flattens out on her hand?). I wear a lot of tees and pullovers and when you wear a short-sleeve scooped tshirt under a sweater, it doesn’t bunch up or show a collar. Even if you pull up the tshirt to try to make it stick out, it won’t, especially if you’re running. So…..most of all this looks normal to me in terms of clothing but I think she changed her shirt.
September 6, 2011 at 9:35 pm
The funny thing is check out this photo.
Hair is remarkable dry after running and obviously sweating; no hair sticking to her fact anything; all flying in the wind. Who does that.
Armpits dry (one on the left is just a dark shadow of the grey top, please do inspect it)
September 6, 2011 at 9:36 pm
Look at the second photo of sarah in the group; the link doesn’t seem to go to the exact photo.
September 6, 2011 at 9:38 pm
Hi Oz! It is so obvious this picture was photoshopped! Just a couple observations of mine I would like to add. First off, I wholeheartedly agree with the poster above who pointed out the discrepancy in the colour and design of her shoes. Secondly, the grass blades where her feet came into contact with the sod do not look like someone just stepped on it. Thirdly, the grass would have dew on it in the morning; her shoes would have a wet sheen on them. Lastly, it appears that her left arm is not there. The evidence continues to mount; judgment day is coming $arah; be very afraid…
September 6, 2011 at 9:50 pm
I’ve noticed that Sarah’s make-up is still intact. I ran when I was younger and the last thing I could ever imagine doing before a 13 mile run was to layer the make-up as she did. It would have been disgusting to have all that perspiration mixing in with the make-up and when it gets in your eyes, it stings like hell!
I read that this race is done on the honor code so tell me when did Todd manage to pick up Palin’s red shirt and sweatband during the race? Why do other runners put jackets on while Palin leaves hers off to “show off her sweat marks”? Just more questions as usual where Palin is involved.
September 6, 2011 at 10:20 pm
Okay, I’ve read a bunch of these. I cannot stand the sight of SP, but I think almost all of these comments, if not all of them, are a total stretch. The shoes, the pants, the everything is normal. WHO CARES???? This woman is not going to run for president! She is an idiot! People, please stop hyper-focussing on her! It is beneath you!!!!!
September 6, 2011 at 10:23 pm
the pic with the woman wearing the red shirt is NOT palin. She pulled a fast one and is probably laughing her ass off while everyone tries to figure it out. It’s not her – look closely at her face. Not palin’s face. Profile is totally different.
September 6, 2011 at 10:32 pm
Maybe she came in second in her age group (2/9) by cutting through people’s lawns. Would explain the running on the grass shot 😉
September 6, 2011 at 10:42 pm
It’s pretty easy to guess why she did not sweat under her arms. A lot of celebrities get botox to prevent underarm sweating, which is what botox injections were originally used for. I am betting she had her armpits botoxed to prevent prespiration there.
She is, after all, just another celebrity.
September 6, 2011 at 10:47 pm
Remember she ran half of a half-marathon. Perfectly suited to a half-term governor. Nonetheless, something of a feat. I agree with the commenter above who mentioned that the point of the exhibition was to deflect from the insanity of her speech the night before (do away with corporate taxes and pay for it by closing the loopholes!) and, I think, from the chatter about her bizarre manner the evening before her speech – when she refused to say even a few words to her ardent supporters.
September 6, 2011 at 11:27 pm
Totally fake and staged. I will believe it only when I see a video. Surely you have a video of you running Sarah? In this day and age there is video of everything. Ever heard of Youtube?
September 6, 2011 at 11:28 pm
I think it’s the lack of people around the finish line and no string of other runners finishing behind her that raised my eyebrows.
September 6, 2011 at 11:37 pm
I lived in Storm Lake, IA over 20 years ago. I looked through all 5 photos on Flickr that “Mel” posted a comment.
I’d have these questions. Did the ladies (and men) in the pic’s also run in the marathon? If so, why are they all in jackets and not Sarah? Everyone I see in the background of the Lake shots (finish line) are all in jackets and everyone in the pic’s with her are in jackets, except one young man in a long sleeve shirt.
Storm Lake always has a brisk wind coming off of it, always. In fact, it always seemed the wind was blowing in Storm Lake, because it came off the lake and across the whole town.
I looked on Noaa.gov and Saturday at 9:55 am, it was 60 degrees and the wind was 9 miles per hour. By 10:15, it was 61 and the wind was gusting up to 18 miles per hour. I promise the wind off that lake would cool you down in a hurry. Even in the summer, when it was really hot outside, you would be cool at the lake.
So, my question would be, why was everyone in jackets except her? The “sweat” (which is probably water, out of her bottle) would make you even colder after a few minutes. I know she is from Alaska but hey, it gets really cold in IA and these people are used to the wind off the lake and the cold temps (believe me below 0 alot, or it used to be). Looks like she’d be freezing.
September 6, 2011 at 11:57 pm
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hannahlcampbell/6113399472/sizes/l/in/set-72157627468163637/ Isn’t that Todd in the Eureka Collage cap holding her red shirt ?
September 7, 2011 at 12:22 am
She is absurd.
There are conflicting accounts of when she “jumped” in the race. Some say it was a 2-parter with a partner (whom she is not pictured with, btw).
So either she got there and ran her portion~ which would make it around 9AM and as your SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE with the shadow proves, that isn’t possible.
Or, Paylin was at the race at 7AM to chat it up w. the Iowans4Palin guy’s wife~~ and waited around for her portion of the race. And NO ONE else noticed Sarah Paylin. OR Todd Paylin, for that matter.
People know Sarah is in Iowa.
NOBODY raises an eyebrow over a SARAH HEATH running? NO ONE told their bestest, bestest friend to “shhhh. Don’t tell anyone, but if you come to the race tomorrow u may see someone you liiiikke. Bring your camera!”
NO. ONE.
No one noticed TODD PALIN going to pick up the registration forms the night before.
NO. ONE. (Again. You want to tell that if there was even a QUESTION of it being TP that someone would make sure to be there the next day with their camera at the ready? As it is, we’re supposed to believe that 1st pic. of SP was taken by TP, at the race. shyeeaaahh.)
Also, too, I’m no runner. (Long ago adopted the mantra “I do not run unless chased”). So it was interesting to read others’ comments.
Fantastic points-
She is WALKING across the finish line. RACERS do NOT stop until they RUN over that last line.
At 8 min. a mile for 13 miles, I do believe someone would still be holding their SIDES to try and catch their breath. But it sure looks better to be SO in CONTROL and able to LOOK at her time? Wow. That Sarah!
And she does not sweat from her armpits. She is a marvel.
The only person associated with the race who said Sarah Heath participated was the WEBMASTER. That’s really weird.
Sarah’s Tweet thanks the town for an amazing “EVENT”. It’s totally generic. She doesn’t mention “gettin’ out there and breathin’ in the REAL AMERICAN IOWA air, pounding the pavement with those other Rill Amerikuns”. Nothing whatsoever about running, a marathon, etc. NO specifics.
GREAT POST! I didn’t notice the gray collar. It’s hard to get a t-shirt to stay up around your neck like that, especially if you’re moving. I was trying like hell to try and pick apart differences in her clothing. It does look like the white mark moves…
IF she gave the headband and red sweater to Todd to hold at some point (I really don’t believe THAT many people simply throw their clothing on the ground! Funny thought! The X-tra long sleeves would be PERFECT to tie around her waist for the rest of the race. But she couldn’t even do that.)
Also, WHY ISN’T TODD PICTURED WITH SARAH at the end? So supportive, so loving. YOU telling me a Sarah Fan would give up the opportunity for a SARAH AND TODD Picture? Puh-lease.
This whole thing stinks like a fish fart.
September 7, 2011 at 12:35 am
What I don’t get is the red shirt. For someone who didn’t want to be seen (using her maiden name) that red shirt stands out way too much.
Besides that….why is she on the grass? No one else is…….
September 7, 2011 at 12:45 am
The woman in the first picture does not look like Palin. There is a bit of a resemblance – also the hair looks like Palin. But – I don’t think it is her unless she is doing something weird with her mouth and chin.
September 7, 2011 at 12:56 am
The “sweat” stains of her shirt look odd because the pattern is not from moisture wicked from sweaty skin underneath; rather the moisture appears to have been applied to the shirt from the outside (from water bottle).
And come on-really, the amount of sweat required to drench her shirt in that manner would be an entirely sweaty body which she does not have when you view the flicker photos posted above.
IMO, I don’t think red shirt photo was photoshopped. Occam’s Razor, people.. She started the race for photo op and then reentered the race with wet shoulders towards the end in order to cross the finish line for another photo op with her Iowa peeps.
September 7, 2011 at 12:59 am
OzMud
I also don’t understand why people are not convinced by the shadows as being the smoking gun. At the very least, the shadows prove to me that that shot was absolutely staged.
No matter where one is in the world; be it hot and dry Adelaide, tropical Queensland on the Sunshine Coast, or the corn fields of Iowa, or the tundras of Alaska, shadows are always consistent. At midday no matter where you are the sun will be directly above you, meaning that you will cast no shadow when it is strictly noon, but usually just a very small short shadow say fifteen mins before and after. In the early morning and late arvo, as the sun is just rising or beginning to set, you will see that you cast enormous giant shadows many times ones own size. To me; from simple experience the shadows in the photo show either late morning or early afternoon but not terribly close to noon. I totally agree with your assessment of between 11am and 1pm. There is no way these photos were taken as early as claimed; the shadows would have been much longer. I haven’t looked this up as you did but to me it’s just so clear that I don’t need to. I know it’s not early by those shadows, and no one could convince me otherwise!
Even so, it invites the possibility that either she faked the whole thing, or just faked the ending to look better for her panty sniffer fans who probably wouldn’t be pleased to see her with sweaty crotch, armpits, under breasts, and back, her make up nonexistent, her hair a fright wig, trembling from the exertion.
I guess yeah it is POSSIBLE she still runs and runs well, and uses a treadmill at home to stay in shape rather than ever running outside, but I also think it’s pretty unlikely that someone with her character has managed to stay THAT in shape! So in shape in fact, that even though she is in the latter range of the age group, she even bet the younger woman in the thirty something age group that came second, which I find highly suspect. Women are at their aerobic peak in the late twenties to mid thirties, so effectively she would have come first or second had she competed in one of the most competitive age groupings?! Please.
Had she come in 22nd or something it’d be believable, but here it’s not.
As well as the obvious; she should have sweat drenching her top, particularly under the breasts, arms and down the middle of the back. I don’t sweat much at all, but even I sweat a great deal more than this in just a one hour training session!
September 7, 2011 at 1:00 am
Her shoes are “trail runners”, Salomon XR Crossmax Neutral in “light rubis red/black/cane” retail $130.00
http://www.6pm.com/salomon-xr-crossmax-neutral-womens-light-rubis-red-black-cane?channel=78&mr:referralID=6755cb98-d833-11e0-9e9c-001b2166c62d
She wore them in the Newsweek photo shoot, in that cheesecake photo on her Lake Lucille dock.
September 7, 2011 at 1:48 am
This is a TERRIFIC analysis- thanks so much Oz. I really think your contribution here turned the tide. I’m glad that Gryphen added it to his post because when you put the two together — it’s dynamite!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BTW- on the last thread, there is a mysterious reference to “H.B.” in the comments. I am guessing — is H.B. Heather Bruce (SP’s sister ?)
September 7, 2011 at 1:49 am
OBSERVATIONS after COMPARING 2nd S’s PHOTO with two crossing-finish-line photos (female and male runners at http://www.flickr.com/photos/hannahlcampbell/6112851991/in/set-72157627468163637/):
1) RED TAPE at the finish line is gone in S’s photo
2) Notice the POSITION of the finish-line-POST on our right (with a concrete bottom, to the right of S as we look at her photo): it is on top of the white line and with one set of little flags in S’s photo, and very different in the photo with a female runner…The post was most likely moved by the time SP’s picture was ‘taken’
3) SP is crossing the finish line along the ‘groove’ in concrete, while the other two runners are to the left of the same groove (otherwise, they would be too close to the post)
It will be interesting to look at the additional pictures that the running club will post soon!
Dana7
September 7, 2011 at 1:52 am
I have been to several of these events (not as a participant), and there is no way that is the finish line for the race. One of the reasons I like to go to these things is because the finish line is like a BIG party, with music, people cheering, people standing around in crazy outfits, painted faces, reporters, photographers, moms, dads, kids, etc. All this is done to inspire and pump up the participants, who have trained really hard and might need support to finish. The finish is usually run right through a tube thingy that contains a timing device to automatically record everyone’s time, and most of the time the runners walk to a table to receive a computer printout with their time, and sometimes even more detailed info about the race, with number of participants, finishing times, etc.
And I have never seen anybody leave the race path to run on the grass. No way.
bitch, please.
September 7, 2011 at 2:15 am
GREAT detecting, OzMud!
Here’s what I see — I compared Palin’s “finish line” photo with the one of a real finish: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hannahlcampbell/6112851991/in/set-72157627468163637/
The man in gray seems to be the same guy in both photos. Same hair, same shoes. BUT, in the first one he’s actually looking at the runner. In Palin’s he’s not even bothering. If she had run such a fast time, he would still have been looking at the runner who crossed.
Much more telling, however, is when I compared the shadows. A sundial works because shadows point in different directions around a circle as the sun moves (and time progresses). The shadows beside the actual runner were not only shorter, but also at a sharper angle that was more directly behind her. The ones beside Palin were longer AND farther away from her. They were pointing more toward the left of the picture.
Bottom line: if there were a clock face drawn on the photo, the actual runner’s shadow would be pointing at 9 a.m. while Palin’s would point to 11 a.m.
September 7, 2011 at 3:07 am
Why does Sarah Only have one arm in the picture?
September 7, 2011 at 4:20 am
Good grief! I hate Palin as much as anyone and I think she was transported over most of the 13 miles. The incognito thing speaks for itself because she would have to make it that way in order to pull it off. If she didn’t then there would be many cameras on her to show that she didn’t run it.
But! None of your objections or points hold the slightest bit of water. None! You’ve done more damage with this post than good because all your objections and points can be laughed at by Palin supporters. What a mess!
September 7, 2011 at 4:35 am
Whatever Michael. Shadows DONT lie. I know Palin supporters (like you?) don’t believe in basic science, but sheesh. Anyone with observation skills can see it is not as early as it should be in that photo. You don’t refute even ONE point, so just go back to C4P.
September 7, 2011 at 4:56 am
Disclaimer: all these remarks are based on a low-resolution image of the ‘Runner’ as found on this site. With a (much) higher resolution, obviously the research would be based on a better input:
a. If you look at the composition of the photo, it’s almost as if there are two parts: the one’s next and before Palin and the part (walkers) behind her. The runners are running and not just starting. Also the pixilation and coloring suggests a difference. So it could be made from two different background-parts.
b. SP is going for it, bypassing and ignoring everybody, probably just ‘in the zone’. If you look at her angle of view and the placement of her left foot, on an angled slope close to the curve, even an inexperienced runner like me knows that that’s not the way things happen. You fall and worse easily break your ankle. Her view and posture are tarmac-running, not on the grass with a curb ahead. And everyone is ignoring here. Even I would be curious, while drawing on my last reserves, to see who came barreling along.
c. She is just too tall compared to her ‘companions’ and the street. I don’t know if she’s a tall woman, but even including camerasetting, closeness and angle of view, she’s too tall.
d. Her parts are too sharp compared to the rest of the image (not forgetting the possible settings of the camera), even with a sports-setting the woman behind her would be as sharp as the guy running in front of her. The details of her body are just too much.
e. Looking at the saturation of her shirt and the rest of the photo, there’s a lot of difference. Especially if compared to the saturation-levels on the Flickr-photo’s.
f. Hair: the most difficult part of cutting out a person from the background. The blurred parts on top do not match the bottom (above the white hairband), in detail and structure.
g. If you’re cutting someone out from the background, often there’s a small edge of transition between the fore- and background. In close-up it looks like a white or light-grey line. I noticed those around her right leg.
h. If you look at her right shoe, you’ll see that the backpart is deformed. That’s not something a camera or decoding would have done. It’s too elongated, the angle is wrong and is too blurred (along with the part of the curb just above the heel). The right-front part of the shoe is sharp, the left-front part isn’t. The difference is too great.
i. The curb-line close to her right knee is too sharp compared to the lines immediately in front and back.
j. The left shoe is cut out badly. Though the design of the shoe has a lighter part on the back, considering the angle of the foot, it shouldn’t have been there. Especially because there’s no blurring on the whole left leg and shoe, while the ground underneath and curb are more or less blurred.
And so we can go on …
September 7, 2011 at 5:24 am
The whitish area under Palin’s right knee in the original red shirt
photo looks like a black Mueller’s jumping knee strap
with white writing.
I wear one occasionally when I run.
It does not appear in the finish line photo , so it could be another item that Palin stripped off along the route.
Or threw in the back seat of the car when Todd was driving her
to the finish line.
The sweat stains on top of her shoulders are mystifying.
Perhaps she has some sweating disorder.
Who allegedly took the first photo ?
I’ve run a few marathons and half marathons and never saw early finishers casually walk across the finish line.
Especially a near 50 yr old woman who set a near record pace who is not known to seriously train.
The Kansas City Star investigated and found that Palin shamefully faked a visit to the Liberty Memorial honoring
World War I veterans in Kansas City in July.
http://www.kansascity.com/2011/08/19/3087587/a-silent-sojourn-by-palin-puzzles.html
I put nothing past this woman.
September 7, 2011 at 5:54 am
In the pic with the red top on, I notice that the sleeve across the bottom of the arm – it appears to be cut up and around the runner number block as if to make sure the wording appears.
Other thought – the runner number block attached, appears to be attached to the bottom of the sleeve as that portion of the sleeve appears to be then ‘behind’ the white block. The sleeve from the elbow goes along and then cuts up and across and then cuts down towards the hand.
I notice too that on the upper part of the arm sleeve, from the elbow, there is a ‘v’ dip, then it cuts up right and across and then cuts down and across to the ‘odd hand’ – the sleeve appears to end what may be the knuckles??
Such a long odd shaped sleeve for such a ‘short’ shirt!!! It’s like having hills and valleys on a sleeve.
September 7, 2011 at 6:43 am
57 – Cole,
Your mention of Palin faking a visit to the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City and the link to the article in the Kansas City Star – immediately brought to mind a comment that was made on IM of a theory:
“Since Sarah did not show her face in KC, I have a theory. Westin Crown Center is next to Hallmark Cards and is a part of the Hall family development. Sarah saved the girls to wear when she net Donald Hall who is a big GOP contributor. Her day was spent with a private tour of Hallmark and dinner with Hall associates. Tuesday morning, Hallmark’s private jet left MKC, downtown KC airport for guess where? Phoenix”
I found it quite interesting and took a look at the flight plan of the Hallmark private jet early morning on August 16th – as if to sneak someone out of town!! Hmmm- interesting thought! Had a possible familiar ‘ring’ to it with Palin.
As I posted on IM:
“The plane flew from KC to Phoenix (2hr 10 min flight) and the return flight to KC departed 54 minutes later (2 hr 24 min flight).
Certainly not enough time for an executive to conduct business”
Flight departed KC 7:06am CDT – Arrived Phoenix 7:30am MST Dur: 2:24
Flight departer Phoenix 8:24am MST- Arrived KC 12:34 CDT Dur: 2:10
54 minutes on the ground – sufficient time to inspect the plane, refuel if necessary for the return flight!!
Have to say – interesting thought!!!! Might not be the tour of Hallmark and who knows about a dinner but we do have to remember how on her ‘Bus’ tour of her book – she was exposed that she was travelling by flying private jets and not the bus!!
September 7, 2011 at 7:46 am
Tan (47) wrote: “At midday no matter where you are the sun will be directly above you, meaning that you will cast no shadow when it is strictly noon, but usually just a very small short shadow say fifteen mins before and after.”
There are parts of Australia where you can have the sun directly above you, but Iowa is too far from the equator for that ever to be true. You have to be between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, and Iowa simply isn’t. At this time of year, the sun isn’t going to get more than about fifty degrees above the horizon in Iowa at any time of day.
http://geography.about.com/od/learnabouttheearth/a/The-Equator-Hemispheres-Tropic-Of-Cancer-And-Tropic-Of-Capricorn.htm
September 7, 2011 at 8:12 am
The clincher for me… is the shot of her on the grass “passing” everyone, not one runner/walker glances over towards that direction, not even the slightest. Odd? Highly, and completely unnatural in the human world.
September 7, 2011 at 8:24 am
People saying she had her armpits botoxed: I don’t think so! Check out other pictures of her, when she is sweating up a storm.
September 7, 2011 at 10:27 am
Ted Powell wrote: “At this time of year, the sun isn’t going to get more than about fifty degrees above the horizon in Iowa at any time of day.”
That’s why it’s so important to compare Palin’s supposed “finish line” picture with the picture of the other runner. We KNOW what time the actual runner came across the finish line. So, we can see exactly what the shadow should look like there in Iowa. Yet, Palin’s shadow is drastically different.
September 7, 2011 at 5:47 pm
Palin very CAREFULLY worded a reference to this event when she wrote about it on SarahPAC. She used the word “joined” instead of anything related to “ran”: “Yesterday morning I joined the ‘Jump Right in and Run’ half marathon in Storm Lake, Iowa and last night in Manchester, New Hampshire we enjoyed a lovely dinner at the Puritan Back Room.”
If/when she is confronted with her lie (maybe when the official photos from the race come out and they show that she was not present for much of it), she can justify it by claiming that she never actually SAID that she ran it all.
http://www.sarahpac.com/posts/hawkeye-granite
September 7, 2011 at 6:15 pm
@Amazed – except – she took the medal… she wore it on her arm for several photos. Thanks for the link!
September 8, 2011 at 1:17 am
It’s not JUST the Paylin looky-loos missing…
There is NO ONE at the end of Paylin’s race cheering ANYONE! NOT a SINGLE FAMILY MEMBER of ANY OTHER RUNNER in that race was there? What about the person who came in FIRST?
Just a big nothing.
Just like Sarah.
September 8, 2011 at 1:34 am
@OzMud — You’re right; I forgot about the medal. Thanks for the reminder!
September 8, 2011 at 12:47 pm
i was there with my yfamily and none of us remember her. the picture of her at the beginning of the race in the red sweatshirt isnt possible! they started 5K ppl on one side of the road and 1/2 marathon runners on the other side. they would have had to be directly in front of all the runners to even get a photo of her! so there is no way they could have gotten that angle! she might have jumped in at the end or something, i dont know. but she definately did not start it when the picture said she did!
Thanks! Be sure to let us know your reactions to the online group photos w3hen Storm Lake Runners club finally posts them!
September 8, 2011 at 5:45 pm
Thanks, de, for the info about the Hallmark corporate jet. I will avoid Hallmark in the future — because I don’t care to send my very best to Sarah Palin.