"The recent two-year suspension of Kenyan trail runner Joyline Chepngeno provided yet another reminder that trail running and ultrarunning are far from immune to the impact of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) on the sport. In my case, this latest news filled me with a variety of emotions: anger, disappointment, frustration, and, most notably, sadness. It simply makes me deeply sad that the beloved sport that I first embraced wholeheartedly over three decades ago has become a place where PEDs are now used."
"I came of age in the era of Lance Armstrong in cycling and Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa in baseball. At the time, I honestly believed that PEDs were for other sports. Yet, as increased competition and exposure have fueled the incredible growth of trail running and ultrarunning over the past 15 years, it seems that the use of drugs has also increased. We are no longer immune."
A two-year suspension of Kenyan trail runner Joyline Chepngeno underscores that trail running and ultrarunning are affected by performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). Longtime participants experience anger, disappointment, frustration, and sadness over the encroachment of PEDs into the sport. Growth, increased competition, and greater exposure over the past 15 years have coincided with more frequent doping incidents. Earlier expectations that race organizers, coaches, and brands could keep the sport clean have proven optimistic. Nostalgia for simpler sponsorship and community-driven participation contrasts with the reality that doping violations leave a stain on the sport's integrity. Rising commercial incentives make eradication of PED use more difficult.
Read at iRunFar
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