Drug Testing @ Road Races — HELP

Pi$$ off! If they start introducing drug tests at Park Runs, how am I supposed to outsprint the 60 year old hobby joggers? Ok, test for EPO, but not dbol and sarms as well. PLEASE!

Add that extra $5k to the prize money and hopefully you'll attract some local talent to compete with the East Africans.

They'll most likely also be doping but at least the win and the cash will go to an American.

I really don't know why you think East Africans in the US are more likely to dope than Americans. Unless you are Coevett.

As a runner (though no longer fast enough to win $), I'd rather see that $4-5K added to the total purse. That's a lot of money, more chance for someone that needs it to take some money home (including the East Africans).

Tell all the athletes that there will be drug testing. Even have them pee in a cup. But then don't actually drug test them. Saves you money and encourages a clean race.

another runner wrote:

Tell all the athletes that there will be drug testing. Even have them pee in a cup. But then don't actually drug test them. Saves you money and encourages a clean race.

This. And if you don't have any use for the urine you collect, feel free to send it my way.

On the table is the possibility of implementing drug testing, as our top 3 runners each year are generally East Africans, and we do offer prize money.

to persuade others you need to be clear in your own mind why you want to implement drug testing. which means you need answers to the following:

1. do you think the top-3 who are East Africans are more likely to be on drugs because they are a) East Africans, or b) in the top-3 at your road race.

2. when you hand over the cheque to the top-3 East Africans, how does that make you feel, inside. would you rather that money went to some white dude, or someone from your local community, or an American citizen. what exactly is it about them that means you would prefer to give that money to someone else.

if you don't know the answers to those questions you are not going to persuade anyone else to think like you.

having answered those, you need to know how the board feels about the future of your road race. if the board, collectively, want to grow the race to having 100,000 competitors annually then you will need to have more prize money, USATF certification, and drug testing. drug testing deters cheats, but attracts quality. once you get named professionals coming to your meet it becomes more popular. every man and his dog wants to race against the guys they see on TV.

and, drug testing at road races is not as expensive as other posters have suggested.

cheers.

Ex Runner wrote:

Pi$$ off! If they start introducing drug tests at Park Runs, how am I supposed to outsprint the 60 year old hobby joggers? Ok, test for EPO, but not dbol and sarms as well. PLEASE!

The 60 yr olds who use T through a low-T center? What's wrong with that?

Helpful angle. Thanks!

1) Because they're East Africans flying out to a race that offer prize money, without drug testing. It's whats happened for the last 30+ years of the race's history.

2) I like your take on this "how it makes me feel" and then persuading the board. It's not that I don't want the money to go to these athletes. It's that I want the proper procedures in place so we aren't the race that elites go to because "they don't do drug testing."

Thanks!!

Cottonshirt wrote:

and, drug testing at road races is not as expensive as other posters have suggested.

The $4K-5K is what the original poster said, not the rest of us guessing.

The cost of testing is not an issue for us and 4-5k is what would be the high end. We have the budget for it, but the fact that it costs anything at all is the board's excuse to not implement testing, but really they just fear change.

How about make the prize purse for Americans only? It’s a waste of money to give prize money to a bunch of no name C level Africans who bring nothing to the event and could more likely be doping. There needs to be more races supporting the careers of Americans.

zzzz wrote:

I really don't know why you think East Africans in the US are more likely to dope than Americans. Unless you are Coevett.

As a runner (though no longer fast enough to win $), I'd rather see that $4-5K added to the total purse. That's a lot of money, more chance for someone that needs it to take some money home (including the East Africans).

Probably because they've come to the USA for that very purpose (to win $5K purses in local races, which is an annual salary for a Kenyan), and we know there is a massive doping culture in Kenya.

go american only wrote:

How about make the prize purse for Americans only? It’s a waste of money to give prize money to a bunch of no name C level Africans who bring nothing to the event and could more likely be doping. There needs to be more races supporting the careers of Americans.

preach

zzzz wrote: The $4K-5K is what the original poster said, not the rest of us guessing.

it doesn't really matter where the original guess came from, and I wasn't accusing anyone of anything, I just based my comment on a recent article by Jonathan Gault (link below) about a road race where they didn't, but probably should have, had drugs testing. they interviewed a guy who knows, and he said it can be done from as little as $2,000.

cheers.

I forgot about this article. Great example I can reference. We pay our first place runner $5,000. So while it’s not as much as this race, it’s significant enough to warrant testing.

Could you add the 4-5k to the total prize purse, and perhaps create a second division that locals participate in which will be validated by a divers license or state id. For example:

Overall:

1st: 5000

2nd: 3000

3rd: 2000

4th: 1000

5th: 500

Locals:

1st: 2000

2nd: 1500

3rd: 1000

4th: 500

5th: 250

Locals will collect from the higher of the two divisions. While everyone else will only collect from the overall.

This might make sense for top Americans but not too locals..

Depends on the particular runners you are talking about. The Kenyans where I live came for school quite obviously. There is not enough prize money in local races to make argue otherwise if they stick around after graduation.

how much is the prize purse. If we are talking a few grand for winning, drug testing is a must. If the board is so truly morally corrupt they don't care if their races winner is cheating, probably nothing will convince them. Although it looks bad for you if the guys winning your race get big checks then get popped elsewhere. It establishes even more of a reputation that your race is the race of choice for dopers.