justad3runner wrote:
While I am upset that Clevenger is more than likely doping, the d3 people on this thread are kind of ridiculous. As a d3 runner, you must surely realize how little things like championships matter--I say this as a d3 guy myself. So what that a doped up 13:3x guy transferred to d3, it could just as easily be a clean 13:3x guy! Look at all the studs Hopkins gets every year! Screw Clevenger for cheating sure but who cares if he wins a fake title. The point of d3 is to improve and have fun.
This logic applies at every level of the sport. Since Laros or Meyers could have chosen to run D1 instead, should the UW guys not be proud of their titles? Theres almost always be someone faster who could have entered your race but didn’t. That’s true at D3, D1, and even the pro level. We don’t invalidate results because Cole hocker wasn’t on the line.
I agree D3 is very "improve and have fun", but that’s also true of D1 and even pro level. Outside the top top tier, most pros aren’t making lifechanging money. Theyre talented, disciplined people who could easily earn more in other careers, yet they choose this path because they love competing.
Championships matter within the context they’re contested. You can acknowledge cheating as wrong without dismissing the value of every title as “fake” simply because someone faster might exist somewhere else.