This story has sort of been leaking for a couple of years, but it appears to be reaching a new level of concern with Magness and the Gouchers weighing on the Salazar NOP stable. A more in depth article here. And there is this Q&A with David Epstein who sort of blew the lid off on all this. Sadly we have seen this sort of story play out before: accusation, denial, pointing to no positive test, intimidation, etc. I feel the fool for actually letting myself slip into watching the sport enough to suspend my disbelief around such matters.
Day got away for a variety of reasons and so it became a rest day. The universe speaks.
A reporter just contacted me asking what I know about doping on the professional burro racing scene. What do you want me to tell him?
ReplyDeleteHell no - you don't get to tell him anything. I want that spot on TV where I get to be all teary eyed and talk about betrayal.
DeleteI just said you had never failed a drug test.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxnqHvEbGnc
DeleteThis is the tipping point for me. I just don't give a f*ck anymore. Everybody is cheating, might as well just legalize everything.
ReplyDeletelegalize it all and the next headlines will be something like: "local teen running star--you know the one that looks like he's 35 that got your kid's scholarship spot at the local university--yeah, he died of a heart attack, immune system failure and some other stuff due to reaction with self administered medicines that we have no clue what the fuck he was taking them for."
ReplyDeleteGZ, I thought I'd check the blog today to see your thoughts on the news. I probably shouldn't care and just mosey over to the camp of disillusionment but I am having a hard time organizing my thoughts on this one. you've got a huge time lapse between initial claims/notification to authorities, rules that seem to have built in gray areas for the win-at-all-costs types to frolic in, possibly disgruntled former staff and athletes, and a big mess with medals and records mixed in it. it will be interesting to see where this all goes.
ReplyDeleteJosh - my feelings on it fall in line with what you and Brownie are talking about.
ReplyDeleteI am frustrated that the upper ends of our sport are so infiltrated with this sort of story.
But I am also frustrated that I have been duped on it time and time again. I mean - haven't we seen this all before? Accusation, denial, I never failed a test, I am within the legal limits, academic conversations on what cheating is and what is not, hurt feelings, questioning of motives of accusers, anger, etc.
I guess I am not overly upset about it because the cloud around Alberto has been there for a while. I mean none of us should be surprised - right? And frankly when I saw that post race workout that Galen did, it did little clear my mind of such thoughts. And Alberto looking to DQ folks at indoors by intimidation ... his winner take all attitude makes it not hard to imagine him doing any of the things he has been accused of.
Still - the accusers will take some heat. How can Kara say she was clean in that stable when everyone else was taking? Do we really think that some left over pill bottle or a story about what Alberto said here or there is credible evidence?
And it comes down to this? WHY DO I CARE? I care more about what you or Brownie or Dave Roche or Lucho or Dave Mackey or JV or The Padre or the Mountain Made Molehill Paid guy are doing. Or some local high schooler. I can see that and live through it and get more enjoyment out of that than some pro that I know otherwise nothing about.
I still get wrapped in occasionally though. If I suddenly found out one of those guys, or even some of the pros or high level athletes I know had done what they done outside of the spirit of the sport, I'd probably feel some disappointment.
There is a longer thought on the humanity of all this but that is probably not for this blog.
I dunno, both Salazar and Rupp are both committed to clean sport and hard work. These journalists and the accusers are just on a witch hunt, it is all just sour grapes ;)
ReplyDeletehttp://running.competitor.com/2015/06/news/salazar-rupp-and-nike-respond-to-doping-allegations_129542
My head is spinning, it all sounds a bit all too familiar.
I would expect this sort of thing (based on history) to drag out for years until there is some smoking gun.
DeleteI wonder though how this will impact things like Salazar's relationship with young prodigy's like Cain or possible future recruits.
Follow the money. The Nike Running Project is a big venture and money corrupts and this is what you get. Plus, Salazar is a win-at-all-costs guy. Then you have Goucher. I share GZ's skepticism about her in the sense that I'm not sure I buy it that she was clean when everyone around her wasn't. As far as Rupp, it was obvious he was on something; what he was doing was suspect. Then you had that TUE. More of the same. While they may run and we may run, we do not share the same "sport."
ReplyDeleteTUE's just open the door of what really the problem is all about. What is acceptable? When do we allow someone to take something so that they are in what is a so called natural state?
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