So GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan says he once ran a sub-3 hour marathon, but Runner’s World can’t find where or when. Naturally this has led to rampant speculation and demands for proof.

As Runner’s World noted, similar questions dogged John Kerry in 2004 when no one could find evidence of his running in the Boston Marathon. But as marathon controversies go, the daddy of them all is the 2006 campaign in Ohio’s 2nd Congressional district.

Write-in candidate Nathan Noy accused Rep. Jean Schmidt of lying about her marathon finishes and times, to the point of doctoring finish line photos. He brought the complaint to the Ohio Elections Commission, where it was summarily dismissed… for a lot of reasons, but primarily because the runner who finished just in front of Rep. Schmidt came forward with his finish line photo, plainly showing the Congresswoman just behind him.

After the hearing, Noy admitted he made a mistake. If Ryan made a mistake or is lying, he’ll take his well-deserved lumps. But if he’s telling the truth, will the doubters admit they were wrong?

UPDATE: Give Ryan his lumps. Turns out he ran a 4:01 in 1990. It’s easy to forget race times from 20 years ago, but not by more than an hour.