The latest two-year suspension of Kenyan path runner Joyline Chepngeno supplied yet one more reminder that path working and ultrarunning are removed from proof against the impression of performance-enhancing medication (PEDs) on the game. In my case, this newest information crammed me with a wide range of feelings: anger, disappointment, frustration, and, most notably, disappointment. It merely makes me deeply unhappy that the beloved sport that I first embraced wholeheartedly over three a long time in the past has grow to be a spot the place PEDs are actually used.
I got here of age within the period of Lance Armstrong in biking and Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa in baseball. On the time, I truthfully believed that PEDs have been for different sports activities. But, as elevated competitors and publicity have fueled the unimaginable progress of path working and ultrarunning over the previous 15 years, it appears that evidently using medication has additionally elevated. We’re not immune.
The unimaginable enlargement of path and ultrarunning has include some rising pains, together with PED use. Photograph: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
Whereas I do know it sounds Pollyanna-ish, up till a number of years in the past, I actually believed that path working and ultrarunning may avoid PEDs. I believed that sensible race organizers, well-educated coaches, and enlightened manufacturers may mix to face up to the strain of excessive efficiency and hold the game clear. That’s definitely not the case now, and it makes me unhappy.
I do know I typically sound like a damaged report on this house speaking in regards to the good previous days, the less complicated occasions when sponsorship was a number of pairs of sneakers and a few race entries, when manufacturers promoted occasions as a result of they believed in them, and when those that participated within the sport did so for the easy love of the outside and the camaraderie of their fellow runners. I’m certain that in some locations, that is all nonetheless true, however doping violations just like the one we noticed earlier this week, and a number of other different occasions over the previous few years, go away a stain on the game and a foul style in my mouth.
A runner within the excessive nation in the course of the first afternoon of Hardrock 2023. Photograph: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Definitely, at this level, we can’t stem the rising tide of huge cash within the sport. In some ways, I’m glad about this, because it permits athletes, media personalities, coaches, and race organizers to really make a residing doing what they love. However, it additionally comes at a price, and I’m wondering how nice, in the end, that price will likely be to the core of the game.
Two years in the past, I wrote a chunk about path working as a “soul sport.” In that article, I in contrast elements of path working with the soul sports activities of bouldering, browsing, and fishing, with examples of three mates of mine who embrace these sports activities: Ryan Whited, Andy Gere, and Bryon Powell. From my standpoint, a soul sport is one that isn’t essentially aggressive however moderately is a sport that exists for the easy act of participation. A sport that, whereas constructing the physique, additionally feeds the soul.
AJW and pacer Bryon Powell, deep into the journey on the 2025 Cocodona 250 Mile. Photograph: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
As of late, with a view to quell the disappointment that fills me with the present state of the game, I’ve chosen to embrace path working as a soul sport, and I encourage you all to take action, too.
Bottoms up!
AJW’s Beer of the Week
This week’s Beer of the Week comes from Montana Brewing Firm in Billings, Montana. Fatbelly Amber is a deliciously balanced amber ale with a wholesome dose of caramel and simply the correct quantity of hops to maintain you trustworthy. An ideal ale with which to have a good time the arrival of fall.
