I have always hoped that the sport of ultrarunning would stay clean of performance enhancing drugs, but today I can confirm that is no longer the case. Elisa Desco of Italy, a notable European mountain runner, will be toeing the line with other elite women at the 2015 North Face 50 mile championship in San Francisco this weekend. What makes her different, however, is the fact she is coming off a two year ban for testing positive for EPO in 2009. Yes, 2009 was a long time, and yes her ban has been over for two years. However, this is the first time in ultrarunning where a known doper is being allowed to compete, and compete for a $10,000 cash prize at that.
When I entered our beloved sport in 2004, the only things one could gain from a race of extreme distance and difficulty were blisters, a muddy pair of shoes, comradery, personal achievement, and maybe a buckle or medal. Running 50 and 100 milers were seen as a way to get out and experience the wild beyond the traditional confines of mundane everyday life. It was the juxtaposition of the outer wilderness and the battle of the inner self. It's where the we sought the intangibles, and while much of this experience is still a very real part of ultrarunning today, some of it feels very lost. This may have been more so the case in the decades before I even knew what an ultra was, all the way back to the days of Ted Corbitt and the ultra(esque) European footraces of the 16th to 19th centuries.
It's a new era of ultrarunning for sure. It's a time when the pros equal the cons in terms of financial growth, sponsorship, and marketing. Deep down, money can be found at the root of all of it. Money is clearly a non factor for almost all participants, and for many elites, it's still not the single motivating factor as to why they run and race. However, it is absolutely a factor as to why they might cheat.
Lucrative prize money and sponsorship are the reasons why so many athletes dope, and it is no different in the world of distance running. Recently, we've seen icons like Lance Armstrong fall from grace after finally admitting to years of lying about doping. Then this past year, news broke about at least 40 Kenyan runners that had tested positive for PED's as well as a large number of Russian track athletes. The US side has also taken some hits, with controversy surrounding Alberto Salazar's methods of prescription and OTC drug use, and possibly more. Then again, we're talking about the world of high payout professional running, so while sad, this shouldn't have been much of a shock. The low profit community of ultrarunning could never have these issues, right?
Well, in the past five years ultra races have started churning out cash prizes of up to $10,000 at races like Run Rabbit Run, the North Face 50 mile championships, and $5,000 for the UROC 100k and Speedgaot 50k. While this is hardly comparable to a $100,000 purse for winning a major marathon (which also have time and record bonuses up to $50,000 each), combined with sponsorship and minimal "fame" it is certainly enough to push people to get whatever small competitive edge they can. It should also be noted that some of these events are at high altitude, which is yet another reason someone might try using something like EPO. Again, where there is money and social status, there is usually a trail to PED use. If there is no reward, there is no risk. While the monetary and social gains of doping are still relatively small compared to other sports, we are clearly well beyond the days of the Montrail Nathan ultrarunning team where the big endorsement deals comprised of several free shirts and a discount.
I certainly don't want to stir up any gossip, but my suspicions tell me that PED's have already entered the world of ultrarunning. It also gives me pause when groups like Carmichael Training Systems, which have been tied to PED use in the past, are now coaching elite ultrarunners. I have also witnessed runners improve by leaps and bounds and seen people do things 80 and 90 miles into a race that seem unbelievable. Some could say that we don't yet know the full potential for humans running long distance events, so it's possible that people will only get faster and faster. However, I can still recall all the times I watched the Tour Du France and saw someone relentlessly attacking a climb after two weeks of non stop racing and wondered, how is that possible, only to find out they were doping. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
But, seriously, does it really matter for someone like me who only runs as a hobby? I think so, because we measure a sport by the abilities of all participants from first to last. It's kind of ironic actually, because I remember a race where a unique award was given to the last finisher, so there ended up being a few folks "competing" to be the slowest. A bit of a slap in the face to someone who really is a back of the pack runner if you ask me. The same goes for the front of the pack. Anyway, back to the point. As a participant of any race that gives out prize money, anyone that pays an entry is contributing to that prize. I don't want my money going to a doper, nor do I want to see my elite friends losing to people who have cut corners. It just brings the integrity down a notch and makes you wonder just how far down the grapevine this trend will go. If someone is going to cheat for $10,000, what's to stop them from cheating for $1,000 or $500. Even winning one local race per month could earn someone several thousand dollars for the year.
How about using PED's for no prize money? Why not cheat to get into the Boston Marathon, the Ironman World Championships, or New York City Marathon?
Honestly, if I don't like the fact there are no PED policies in place in ultrarunning, then I can certainly choose to not run ultras with cash prizes. But, I don't like is the principle that someone else's PED use could limit my enjoyment of something, and trust me, this isn't about me and what I enjoy, but instead what other people are doing to damage the sport. But, the time has come. We now have one known PED violator competing for money, and I would be foolish to think she will be the last. So, while I will get my ultrarunning fix by doing small local trail runs, it still ticks me off that the pureness of the sport in general has lost something for the sake of monetary gain.
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