Hebron, KY group outed in AP article!

What is happening is the result of three main things. (1) Offering prize money to attract professional runners, (2) not reviewing the list of banned athletes, and (3) not testing for bannerd substances. The IAAF has clear rules and procedures to test and ban. If local road races choose to offer prize money and then doesn't check & test, then you end up with what is happening. Most athletes would love to be tested before they receive their prize money so cheats are eliminated and the clean athletes have a list of clean test results.

We should let into the country any and all drug cheats. These are races Americans don't want to win.

Open borders Libby lib wrote:

We should let into the country any and all drug cheats. These are races Americans don't want to win.

I see what you did there.

Road races are free to establish the rules of their event however they want. They can make the only the eligibility for prize money wearing a gorilla suit if they wanted. The Indianapolis race is a perfect example.There are a bunch of RDs here saying something along the lines of "We're stuck" and "We don't know what to do."Well, its easy. Use the same language as they do. Explicitly make previously sanctioned runners ineligble for prize money, and athletes whose agents have two other sanctioned athletes ineligible.

To be eligible for elite entry or prize purse at any Monumental Event, an athlete must:

Not be currently serving a suspension for use of a banned substance

Not have ever served a ban for use of performance enhancing drugs

Not be represented by coaches and/or agents who have had 2 or more athletes receive such suspensions in the previous 4 years

Not be represented by coaches and/or agents who ever served a ban for use of performance enhancing drugs during their own athletic career

Provide proper documentation proving they are eligible for prize money (form W-9, W-8ECI or W-8BEN)

Consent to random drug testing according to the standards and procedures of USATF, USADA and WADA

Before you mail out checks, check their names against this database:

And if your race pays cash on the spot, you don't have that many prize winners. Just check the database before you hand out the awards. It takes 5 minutes to check the top 3 women, men, and masters. You probably have a wifi set-up for posting the results anyway.

As a race director, if you want to respect the sport your selling, then you will do everything you can to keep drug cheats away from your prizes or out of your races.

Are people jealous that they're collecting 1grand here and 2grand there? These people are barely scraping by anyways. You runners need to get real jobs so you can appreciate what real money is.

BigDuh wrote:

Sorry if this has already be addressed, but what attracted all these foreign athletes to Hebron Ky???

Who or what is the common link?

Cincinnati airport is in Hebron.

Ohhhhraly wrote:

If a Hebron group runner wins, you can't just refuse to mail him the check because he is from that group (unless he was on some banned USATF list). He would technically be entitled to the money. I suppose the RD could refuse his entry or prize money eligibility before the race. I'm not sure of the legality behind that either though. I think the best route is having those aforementioned forms, and forms that state no runner is eligible for money if they use a banned agent or associated with group utilizing banned agent. Do all these athletes have US citizenship? You could say US athletes only for top prize money and have small amount for open category (includes nonUS citizens).

You have to go back to the thinking behind offering relatively large prize money. I don't think it is to enrich a local runner or create a means for US runners to make a living. I think it is to attract some of the fastest runners in the world to put the local road race on the running map. But as I've written, if you step up to this level of competition then you need to check and test as well. Athletes, agents, and everyone else involved would welcome local testing. This guessing of who cheats, lumping people together, banning foreign athletes, and small town thinking isn't helpful.

You need to get a real life job, and stop posting on here if this offends you. because a lot of us have been ripped off by these cheats. Sorry your not fast enough to place or even come close, so this does not affect you. But instead go run more, get faster and then come talk smack on here instead of working your fingers.

Clerk wrote:

Road races are free to establish the rules of their event however they want. They can make the only the eligibility for prize money wearing a gorilla suit if they wanted.

You are right but there are limits and the rules need to be clearly communicated and fairly enforced. Regarding drug cheats, if the road race doesn't post the rules and doesn't enforce them, then in essence they've created an environment where cheats can freely compete and onlookers start to assume that even clean athletes cheat.

whiteline32 wrote:

You need to get a real life job, and stop posting on here if this offends you. because a lot of us have been ripped off by these cheats. Sorry your not fast enough to place or even come close, so this does not affect you. But instead go run more, get faster and then come talk smack on here instead of working your fingers.

How do we know that you don't cheat? Are you regularly tested?

How much does it cost to test? You would think that if they have the money to award cash prizes worth these people's time they would have the money to test 6 people.

You are correct; however, RDs are reluctant to add any additional tasks to their already voluminous check list. Also, what you describe is not that easy, for example, a runner can simply register under another athlete's name, a clean athlete who is a member of the group.

KY_Runner____ wrote:

How much does it cost to test? You would think that if they have the money to award cash prizes worth these people's time they would have the money to test 6 people.

Not USADA, but the Australian ADA, just to give you an idea:

Standalone tests

Standalone test prices (minimum four test mission) Test type Unit cost ($AUD)

Full-screen urine test 878

Half-screen urine test 730

EPO - in-competition (standalone including a full-screen urine test) 1,330

EPO - out-of-competition (standalone including a half-screen urine test) 1,181

EPO - analysis only, on an existing collection 451

TrackCoach wrote:

You are correct; however, RDs are reluctant to add any additional tasks to their already voluminous check list. Also, what you describe is not that easy, for example, a runner can simply register under another athlete's name, a clean athlete who is a member of the group.

You are right of course. Or just making up a name, like Alene Reta/Alene Emere/Amara Leta.

But even just putting those words on the website will stop some people. To suggest that because it won't be maintained with 100% precision doesn't mean it shouldn't be done. Speed limits, stop signs, 10-items or fewer lines, don't operate with 100% success, but still serve an important role.

Agree with you Clerk. All we can do is hope RD see this, and start to take action against them.

ttt

TrackCoach wrote:

You are correct; however, RDs are reluctant to add any additional tasks to their already voluminous check list. Also, what you describe is not that easy, for example, a runner can simply register under another athlete's name, a clean athlete who is a member of the group.

Road races with large prize money often have an Elite Athlete Director. It isn't extra work for the RD, it is THE job of the Elite Athlete Director. They should know the athletes who enter and whether they are using a ficticious name. They should have a budget for testing the athletes who qualify for prize money. If an RD doesn't have the time or money for this then they shouldn't offer prize money.

Here's a thought. Any Road Race who pays an athlete that is found to be cheating and wasn't tested by that Road Race, then that Road Race should be suspended for 2 years.

In that scenario the Great Buffalo Chace and others would be suspended for 2 years for allowing Marita to race, get paid, and not checked nor tested.

And to take it one step further, which is the way the AAU used to handle this years ago, any athlete who ran in that unsanctioned race would be tainted and not eligible for prize money for two years.

Enforce the rules wrote:

And to take it one step further, which is the way the AAU used to handle this years ago, any athlete who ran in that unsanctioned race would be tainted and not eligible for prize money for two years.

As would all other athletes in that race... except under the AAU (and TAC) there was no prize money

Enforce the rules wrote:

Here's a thought. Any Road Race who pays an athlete that is found to be cheating and wasn't tested by that Road Race, then that Road Race should be suspended for 2 years.

In that scenario the Great Buffalo Chace and others would be suspended for 2 years for allowing Marita to race, get paid, and not checked nor tested.

And to take it one step further, which is the way the AAU used to handle this years ago, any athlete who ran in that unsanctioned race would be tainted and not eligible for prize money for two years.

What fantasy world do you live in?? Are you a college sophomore?

You don't punish a road race for giving money, you punish people for breaking the rules!!!!!!

If a race has people cut the course should be strip the race of certification until the rule all all ways people could pull a Mike Rossi and cheat?