Not every athlete has improved or at the same rate if they have. But the most conspicuous improvements that have occurred in the sport in the last 5 years are more likely to have been fuelled by drugs than anything else. What supports that view is Howman's recent admission that dopers are getting away with it.
Of course not every single athlete improves or at the same rate. There are many variables like age and health that impact performance.
Overall, there is no denying that times have gotten significantly faster at all levels of the sport since 2019. You can't attribute that to illegal PEDs unless you think the top 300 in every event at every level of the sport are all doping.
Some times have gotten faster; not all times. You speak as though improvement has been uniform across the board, for every athlete. It hasn't. But it is easy to see that a surge in many of the better performances in the last few years can be attributed to drugs that athletes have access to and aren't being caught. We saw that decades ago with the former E Bloc athletes. We know dopers are getting away with it today. Howman said as much.
Of course not every single athlete improves or at the same rate. There are many variables like age and health that impact performance.
Overall, there is no denying that times have gotten significantly faster at all levels of the sport since 2019. You can't attribute that to illegal PEDs unless you think the top 300 in every event at every level of the sport are all doping.
Some times have gotten faster; not all times. You speak as though improvement has been uniform across the board, for every athlete. It hasn't. But it is easy to see that a surge in many of the better performances in the last few years can be attributed to drugs that athletes have access to and aren't being caught. We saw that decades ago with the former E Bloc athletes. We know dopers are getting away with it today. Howman said as much.
Explain these numbers then.
In 2019, 30 athletes ran under 3:35 in the 1500. Last year, 111 did.
In 2019, 129 athletes ran under 13:30 in the 5000. Last year, 285 did.
In 2019, the 100th fastest runner in the 1500 ran 3:38.11. Last year, the 100th fastest runner ran 3:34.33.
In 2019, the 100th fastest runner in the 5000 ran 13:26. Last year, the 100th fastest runner ran 13:13.
How did nearly 4 times as many people run under 3:35 last year than in 2019? How did the number of athletes under 13:30 more than double? Why are the 100th fastest runners so much faster?
Some times have gotten faster; not all times. You speak as though improvement has been uniform across the board, for every athlete. It hasn't. But it is easy to see that a surge in many of the better performances in the last few years can be attributed to drugs that athletes have access to and aren't being caught. We saw that decades ago with the former E Bloc athletes. We know dopers are getting away with it today. Howman said as much.
Explain these numbers then.
In 2019, 30 athletes ran under 3:35 in the 1500. Last year, 111 did.
In 2019, 129 athletes ran under 13:30 in the 5000. Last year, 285 did.
In 2019, the 100th fastest runner in the 1500 ran 3:38.11. Last year, the 100th fastest runner ran 3:34.33.
In 2019, the 100th fastest runner in the 5000 ran 13:26. Last year, the 100th fastest runner ran 13:13.
How did nearly 4 times as many people run under 3:35 last year than in 2019? How did the number of athletes under 13:30 more than double? Why are the 100th fastest runners so much faster?
My answer is to ask you the following:
- Has doping been present in the sport in that period?
- Does doping stand still or is it subject to ongoing development?
- Are athletes getting away with doping? (Howman says they are.)
- How much testing is there at schools and colleges?
- Have you taken into account the possible effects of drugs on performances across the board when attempting to calculate the effects of the shoes or anything else?
- The shoes have been around for years. So has bicarb. So why are performances continuing to get better today than they were when the shoes were introduced? The shoes haven't changed.
If we're going to talk about banning things that aren't illegal, I think carbohydrate consumption during races (mainly marathon) should be the first thing to go.
In 2019, 30 athletes ran under 3:35 in the 1500. Last year, 111 did.
In 2019, 129 athletes ran under 13:30 in the 5000. Last year, 285 did.
In 2019, the 100th fastest runner in the 1500 ran 3:38.11. Last year, the 100th fastest runner ran 3:34.33.
In 2019, the 100th fastest runner in the 5000 ran 13:26. Last year, the 100th fastest runner ran 13:13.
How did nearly 4 times as many people run under 3:35 last year than in 2019? How did the number of athletes under 13:30 more than double? Why are the 100th fastest runners so much faster?
My answer is to ask you the following:
- Has doping been present in the sport in that period?
- Does doping stand still or is it subject to ongoing development?
- Are athletes getting away with doping? (Howman says they are.)
- How much testing is there at schools and colleges?
- Have you taken into account the possible effects of drugs on performances across the board when attempting to calculate the effects of the shoes or anything else?
- The shoes have been around for years. So has bicarb. So why are performances continuing to get better today than they were when the shoes were introduced? The shoes haven't changed.
Responding to questions with your own questions is a non-answer. Please answer my questions.
If we're going to talk about banning things that aren't illegal, I think carbohydrate consumption during races (mainly marathon) should be the first thing to go.
Those carbs need to be consumed with water. So I say water should be the first performance enhancer to be banned in races.