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Hey - did you know if you click on the title of a thread it will take you to the first unread post since you last visited that thread?
but were afraid to ask: 
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Pretty Please - add it to our Events forum(s) and add to the calendar! >> 
CJD
Yoda
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It's hard to know what caused the cam to flatten. In most cases it happens when you install a performance cam that requires heavy springs. All that pressure goes against the cam and lifter, so break in can often be a 50/50 deal. If you can get through the first hour of running the cam will live for years...if not you have metal all through your new engine. Our engines in stock form have very light spring loads...so I doubt that cause any wear.
In your case, I think you may have the same issues many private airplane engines face. If a motor sits for a long period, the oil drips off of the cam and the lobe becomes dry. Corrosion can also cause small pits to form in the cam and lifter. Then, when started it takes a minute for the oil to splash back onto the cam lobes...so for a minute the cam and lobe can gall, leaving little chunks of metal bonded to the surfaces. As you can imagine, galling results in rapid death of the cam and lifter.
You can check the valves for being stuck by carefully tapping them with a brass mallet. The mallet should bounce right back up. If it sounds dull and doesn't bounce well, then the valve is not sliding properly.
I was thinking...normally you do not want the lifters to pull out of the bores, as they are hard to get back in without removing the head. But in your case, if you have a magnet you can pull the lifters out and flip them over so you can check the faces, and even get a glimpse of the cam lobe with a flashlight. That would answer the cam question pretty easily.
In your case, I think you may have the same issues many private airplane engines face. If a motor sits for a long period, the oil drips off of the cam and the lobe becomes dry. Corrosion can also cause small pits to form in the cam and lifter. Then, when started it takes a minute for the oil to splash back onto the cam lobes...so for a minute the cam and lobe can gall, leaving little chunks of metal bonded to the surfaces. As you can imagine, galling results in rapid death of the cam and lifter.
You can check the valves for being stuck by carefully tapping them with a brass mallet. The mallet should bounce right back up. If it sounds dull and doesn't bounce well, then the valve is not sliding properly.
I was thinking...normally you do not want the lifters to pull out of the bores, as they are hard to get back in without removing the head. But in your case, if you have a magnet you can pull the lifters out and flip them over so you can check the faces, and even get a glimpse of the cam lobe with a flashlight. That would answer the cam question pretty easily.