10/15/2025 - This thread started well before anything was confirmed by Iowa State.
A volunteer moderator deleted several threads on this topic. That's not the way this should work. We believe in free expression and have reinstated them and merged them into this one thread.
As we wrote at the time, "If there is no truth to these rumors, please contact us at letsrun@letsrun.com or give us a call at 844-538-7786 and we will be happy to delete them and issue a statement."
It ends up appearing that the rumors had some teeth to them. Earlier today LetsRun.com co-founder Robert Johnson emailed head coach Jeremy Sudbury to let him know about this thread and asked if there was any truth to it.
At 3:31 pm ET, coach Sudbury emailed me the following:
Hello Robert, Thank you for reaching out directly. There were team rule violations. I have worked with our administration, and the involved athletes have been suspended and will not compete the remainder of this season. Have a nice rest of your weekend. Jeremy
I'm sorry Sir- you're not listening- it all comes back to institutional control in the eyes of an athletic director. Even the AD's who care a lot- only care so much. I do blame the guilty student-athletes - but it's a long process to get to this point. My hope is that the staff at ISU moves forward in a new direction that is reflective of what has worked in healthy college athletics for the last 100+ years.
I must admit, if we escalate things right to the top, it seems difficult to imagine that President Coe is not aware of where and how doping is going in running all over the world. Even if he doesn't have the time nor the inclination get involved in the actual processes or be cognisant of all the details involved. Any argument to the contrary welcome.
Usually it's not the top kids who are doping. Just like in pro sports it's not the top athletes doping. It's the next tier, either up and comers who aren't there yet or declining veterans trying to stave off father time, who get desperate and turn to drugs. I would be very surprised if anyone in ISU's top 5 was suspended. Pleasantly surprised because I don't root for them, but surprised nonetheless.
I have said many times that doping has now infected ncaa distance running. It used to be a safe harbor. But with NIL and mass recruiting from doping hotbeds and high profile athletes that are plainly doping and got rewarded for it, which influenced how other athletes behaved, the guardrails have come down. It is now in college and in high school.
Usually it's not the top kids who are doping. Just like in pro sports it's not the top athletes doping. It's the next tier, either up and comers who aren't there yet or declining veterans trying to stave off father time, who get desperate and turn to drugs. I would be very surprised if anyone in ISU's top 5 was suspended. Pleasantly surprised because I don't root for them, but surprised nonetheless.
You're wrong.
At this point we don't know who did it, what they did, how long they will be suspended, or what any role of coach and staff were?
All we know is "some team members violated team rules and are suspended."
It is obvious who deleted the other threads. Why do you allow it to continue Rojo? It is like a broken record with you saying that is not how it should be done, but that mod never learns.
What forces a student-athlete to do this? What environment suggests that a SA needs to dope?
Maybe this message board. Every damn thread seems to be accusing this person or that person of using drugs, from Olympic champions to high school kids. "Every elite dopes" is a common phrase. Any improvement is the result of drugs, every victory is questioned. Entire teams are accused because one person tests positive. All runners with particular coaches are doping. Your parent was busted for drugs 25 years ago? Yep, that makes you a doper. Break a high school record? Doper. Run faster than a certain time? Doper. Live in a certain country? Doper. Attend a particular university? Doper.
When a young runner comes to this board and sees all the top HS runners being accused of doping, most collegiates being accused, and ALL of the professionals, what does this tell the young runner? You must use drugs to succeed because every successful runner is using them.
The owners try to say that all of the drug talk here somehow makes the sport cleaner. It does not. If anything, it reinforces the idea that the only way to win is to cheat. I understand some drug talk is good and some even necessary, but it has completely overwhelmed this board.
"What environment suggests that a SA needs to dope?" you ask. The very one you are reading right now.
I have said many times that doping has now infected ncaa distance running. It used to be a safe harbor. But with NIL and mass recruiting from doping hotbeds and high profile athletes that are plainly doping and got rewarded for it, which influenced how other athletes behaved, the guardrails have come down. It is now in college and in high school.
Oh Astro you are so damn naive. It was always in college distance running. To some degree it was always there. You really are just a rookie here.
I have said many times that doping has now infected ncaa distance running. It used to be a safe harbor. But with NIL and mass recruiting from doping hotbeds and high profile athletes that are plainly doping and got rewarded for it, which influenced how other athletes behaved, the guardrails have come down. It is now in college and in high school.
Oh Astro you are so damn naive. It was always in college distance running. To some degree it was always there. You really are just a rookie here.
People are suggesting Seth Clevenger may have obtained EPO. Not proven. Rumors.
Seth, 21, is a 1:55/3:48/4:07(mile), 8:12/14:24 runner. Good but not "great" times for D1, obviously.
Nuttycombe cc, finished 20th in 23:37, winner Habtom Samuel, 22:58. 7th Valentin Soca (CBU) 23:30. Both those guys are world class runners. Seth also beat Leo Young (23:43) at Nuttycombe among many others who are much faster in track. Young is a 27:48/10k guy.
Okay the point I'm making is that Seth has upgraded his standard a few notches above what would indicate his standard to be based on his track times alone but is that in itself an indicator or a water tight indicator that he took peds?
The case is open and in all this debacle Seth has not yet spoken? Let the kid speak - his whole future in NCAA rests on his version of the events. Testimonials will also play a part because all these kids travel and train together and it would be nearly impossible for somebody to be doing something without others being aware.
I'm sorry Sir- you're not listening- it all comes back to institutional control in the eyes of an athletic director. Even the AD's who care a lot- only care so much. I do blame the guilty student-athletes - but it's a long process to get to this point. My hope is that the staff at ISU moves forward in a new direction that is reflective of what has worked in healthy college athletics for the last 100+ years.
healthy college athletics does not exist at that level anymore
People are suggesting Seth Clevenger may have obtained EPO. Not proven. Rumors.
Seth, 21, is a 1:55/3:48/4:07(mile), 8:12/14:24 runner. Good but not "great" times for D1, obviously.
Nuttycombe cc, finished 20th in 23:37, winner Habtom Samuel, 22:58. 7th Valentin Soca (CBU) 23:30. Both those guys are world class runners. Seth also beat Leo Young (23:43) at Nuttycombe among many others who are much faster in track. Young is a 27:48/10k guy.
Okay the point I'm making is that Seth has upgraded his standard a few notches above what would indicate his standard to be based on his track times alone but is that in itself an indicator or a water tight indicator that he took peds?
The case is open and in all this debacle Seth has not yet spoken? Let the kid speak - his whole future in NCAA rests on his version of the events. Testimonials will also play a part because all these kids travel and train together and it would be nearly impossible for somebody to be doing something without others being aware.
My bad about Leo Young and his 27:48 10,000 meters which I don't see anywhere in his resume - but in 2025 he did surprise greatly with his 335 1500 and to a lesser extent his 1331 5,000 meters. The 335 1500 meters is close to world class. Obviously Leo Young has much more impressive credentials compared with Seth Clevenger.
In summary Seth's Nuttycombe result in the cross country, 20th, where he finished just seconds behind absolute world-class runners over eight kilometers raised eyebrows ....
You're focusing on the country of origin- it's simply the win-at-all-costs that is really going to hurt the NCAA in the next 5-10 years. What comes first? The domestic kid taking EPO to survive- or the 28 year-old freshmen? I can't blame the coaches who grew up in this mess- but it's the climate- you kinda have to ignore it- Iowa State is a great school- you'll always lose talent to other school- that's the way it's always been- to say- "Well they lost Chip Rudiger to Kansas State- so they had to bring in xxx from xxxx is just not accurate. John Wooden was great- but he cheated with boosters- that's what most people remember. Very few people make enough money in track and field to compromise their individual principles or the principles of sport.
I guarantee you’re the donut who read Stride Report’s speculative click bait headline and made the assumption this situation is about the foreigners on the team, when all the athletes who’s names have been suspected to have been suspended are American. Obviously, I get that Stride Report is not going to post about rumors with any confirmation (to avoid defamation?) but I hope those guys will have the decency to post an update once the inside information gets out there to the public. Their vague post has caused an anti-foreigner insurrection based on an event that didn’t even (allegedly) involve Kenyan athletes to begin with. In an effort to avoid defamation, they defame (assuming rumors are true on who did it) the foreign athletes without even hinting that the ones accused were American. just take a look at the comments on their Instagram post and half of them aren’t even about doping; it’s just your everyday Stride Report xenophobia and racism they feed on.
Same org that click baits Solomon Kipchoge’s age knowing it’ll farm likes and engagement and that Solomon won’t go on social media to argue back. Yet won’t say a peep about Said Meechal’s or Tomer Tarragano’s age, despite both being foreign and over “traditional” college age.
And in a situation where this alleged doping situation was done by a group of American athletes, that weren’t in the top 7, that all did so without the coaching staff knowing. Who pays the price?
The athletes who had nothing to do with it will have a label over their heads for every performance going forward, people will shame them for winning the National title this fall, coaching staff will have this lingering over their heads going forward, and this all happens because a group of idiots did something stupid.
the suspended athletes need to take accountability and own up to ruining the reputation of those around them (assuming they acted alone). And if it is true, Stride Report better make a follow-up article and social media post clarifying who got busted.
why did i get downvoted for saying epo is probably easy to get ... i bet i could order some online within 5 minutes of making a search...and u dont need to know a shady guy to learn how to use it like back in the early 2000's ....now you can find all of that info online...
This post was edited 1 minute after it was posted.
I'm sorry Sir- you're not listening- it all comes back to institutional control in the eyes of an athletic director. Even the AD's who care a lot- only care so much. I do blame the guilty student-athletes - but it's a long process to get to this point. My hope is that the staff at ISU moves forward in a new direction that is reflective of what has worked in healthy college athletics for the last 100+ years.
I must admit, if we escalate things right to the top, it seems difficult to imagine that President Coe is not aware of where and how doping is going in running all over the world. Even if he doesn't have the time nor the inclination get involved in the actual processes or be cognisant of all the details involved. Any argument to the contrary welcome.
Sure, the statement in and of itself is not especially damning. But the statement in light of being asked about doping allegations? If its over something "minor" like academics or street drugs, why even mention that at all or not dispel that it in no way had anything to do with PEDs?
Agreed 100%. If you’re the coach and rumors are abound that your team is doing about the worst possible thing they could do on your watch, and you don’t deny those rumors, it’s pretty damming.
THIS! and THIS! Not only did Sudz issue a prepared obfuscatory response to TSR, ignoring the giant pink elephant in the room in doing so, but then he doubled down on his response to rojo.
It’s pretty obvious what has happened here, although it is unlikely that we will ever get a transparent response from anyone. Confirming that one or more of your student athletes have admitted to - or are suspected or accused of - using PEDs is likely a FERPA violation.
This post was edited 10 minutes after it was posted.
Usually it's not the top kids who are doping. Just like in pro sports it's not the top athletes doping. It's the next tier, either up and comers who aren't there yet or declining veterans trying to stave off father time, who get desperate and turn to drugs. I would be very surprised if anyone in ISU's top 5 was suspended. Pleasantly surprised because I don't root for them, but surprised nonetheless.
You couldn't be more wrong with the top usually not doping. Just remember that this year alone three world record holders got popped (Kandie + Koech + Chepngetich). Can't get any more top than that.
The common feature is that athletes (coaches) dope to improve for $$$$ (and fame), which can be to make the Olympics team or to medal at the Olympics or to win the Olympics, or to stay on at ISU or to become the top at NCAA and get a pro contract. All of that happens evidently.