Listen to the last podcast Shelby H did before she got banned

They had a pic on front page of her winning a race by beating Hassan and Muir. Hassan is definitely on PEDs and Muir may be as well. Shelby wasn't even winning ncaa college meets and then she beats the top runners who are saucing? Come on.

One of the biggest things that stood out to me was how stoked she was to try out the 10k (listen towards the end of the podcast for more perspective). One can only think she would have destroyed the AR. Thinking back, she missed out on "The Ten" which almost certainly would have been a low 30:00s race for her (considering how fast Elise and Karissa ran).

She talked about basically training like a sprinter in high school and somewhat in college (probably where her closing speed comes from) so the fact that she was going to jump up to the 10k is all the more impressive. Does nandrolone help with endurance?

Steve The Addict^^^^^^^------- wrote:

Shelby wasn't even winning ncaa college meets and then she beats the top runners who are saucing? Come on.

She did win an NCAA title

Steve The Addict^^^^^^^------- wrote:

They had a pic on front page of her winning a race by beating Hassan and Muir. Hassan is definitely on PEDs and Muir may be as well. Shelby wasn't even winning ncaa college meets and then she beats the top runners who are saucing? Come on.

Innocent until proven guilty. Hassan has never failed a test and is one of the most regular tested athletes. Explain how she could surpass these tests every week if she was dirty. Horrible take.

What medications would one be prescribed in the case of a permanently removed gall bladder and spleen?

Presumably one would get a TUE for those?

I'm glad as a fan base we are finally moving away from the "tragedy" rhetoric, which tbh has only stuck around the media so much because she's white, midwestern, BTC, and is chummy with all the running "journalists" like Erin Strout, Bromka, Melly and others.

Shelby cheated. That is so freaking obvious I just don't understand why it wasn't clear back in June before the trials.

Her career trajectory has always given me side eye. Great potential in high school (28th at NXN as a senior), strong college career with one (1) NCAA title to wrap it up.

Doesn't make worlds in 2015 as a first time pro, qualifies for the 2016 Olympics and finishes 11th in the 5K in 15:08. In 2017 at Worlds in London, places 13th out of 15 runners. Her time is 15:06.

Then 2018 rolls around. At the USA Championships she beats Olympic bronze medalist and former world champion Jenny Simpson in the 1500 by out kicking her in a seemingly ferocious kick. Shelby could always kick but there is a deadliness to it that didn't exist before. She then takes the 5K as well.

She sets the American record in the 5K later that summer running 14:34 a far cry from her 2017 shape of trailing in the 5K in London while the big guns did their thing up front.

2019 gets crazier. USA Cross 10K on the grass. Dominates. Comes back around and wins the 2 Mile at USAs indoors and places 2nd in the mile to Colleen Quigley. Colleen had a far more modest season, racing much less and only racing the mile indoors when she did.

In 2019 she doubles the 15 and 5 again, and then crushes an American record of 3:54.9 at worlds for 4th in the world. I guess 13th place and 11th place internationally are distant memories huh.

In 2020 as if that isn't enough, she crushes her own American record running 14:23.

I hope I'm painting a picture. It's not just the natural progression of a pro athlete. It's the amount she has put on her legs, and the seemingly endless upward trajectory. She's talked about breaking 14 minutes and winning a gold medal. Those things are possible because of what she has been doing behind closed doors to achieve them.

Shelby is not as active on social media as her peers. Maybe it has been the guilt and secrecy. She is also not as strict about her diet. Sometimes I find that a bit shocking. Even in the report, she notes that all she had to eat that day was cheesecake. Like what pro runner is not focused on their food habits? But maybe you don't have to as much when you are juicing?

The thing is: it still stands that there are athletes who are also CLEARLY doping. Sifan Hassan is the biggest one, and that will always be a bother that Shelby was banned while Sifan made a mockery of the sport at the Olympics. But Taking Sifan out of the equation, Shelby's career is extremely fishy on its own. And we have to stop giving this girl a pass.

Mike Smith IX wrote: I also never realized how accomplished she was in high school (perhaps the best high schooler in history in Iowa).

I would take Katie Flood, who was just one grade above Houlihan and owned her more often than not. Flood won the NXN individual title, which is a greater accolade than Houlihan earned in high school, and went on to win the NCAA outdoor 1500 in 2012 (Shelby won the same race in 2014).

Watch Flood (SR) dominate the 1500 at the end of the 2010 State Meet as Houlihan (JR) finishes a well-beaten 4th. Incredibly well-traveled stadium announcer Mike Jay is on the call and refers to Flood as “The best distance runner this state has produced.” Also, I’m visible barefoot in the corner of the infield at ~80”.

John Wesley Harding wrote:Also, I’m visible barefoot in the corner of the infield at ~80”.

Uh, not that it matters, but I’m definitely wearing shoes.

Travis knight wrote:

I do not feel sorry for her bc she brought this on herself, no one held a gun to her head and made her dope. Dopers are narcissists. She 100% believes she did nothing wrong. She was probably taking something she thought to be undetectable and there was some cross contamination that happened.

I feel sorry for the other women she cheated out of prize money, national records, and national teams.

agree

Shelby and Sifan are both obviously clean. Horrible take. If you hate seeing fast time and athletes improve, stop following the sport. Seriously.

Sliding Scale wrote:

Steve The Addict^^^^^^^------- wrote:

Shelby wasn't even winning ncaa college meets and then she beats the top runners who are saucing? Come on.

She did win an NCAA title

oh well that changes everything (sarcasm).

"obviously" might not be the thing to say here since one has literally been banned for a positive test and one has a banned coach...

It's quite touching the absolute faith that people have in the infallibility of the authorities. I'll bet Shelby felt that way too before she was found guilty of being a doper. Unfortunately skepticism is something that usually is acquired after bitter personal experience.

alanson wrote:

It's quite touching the absolute faith that people have in the infallibility of the authorities. I'll bet Shelby felt that way too before she was found guilty of being a doper. Unfortunately skepticism is something that usually is acquired after bitter personal experience.

Her side didn't contest the test results and a compelling case debunking her tainted burrito claim was made at CAS. Do you think she was treated unfairly? Perhaps there should no testing at all.

alanson wrote:

It's quite touching the absolute faith that people have in the infallibility of the authorities. I'll bet Shelby felt that way too before she was found guilty of being a doper. Unfortunately skepticism is something that usually is acquired after bitter personal experience.

There's validity to this take in general, but not in Shelby's case. In her case she was so clearly lying and found some gullible teammates to convince to come to her defense. She wasn't screwed over. She was doping, she lied about it, and then she got caught.

C'mon Man. wrote:

"Houlihan was born with a rare hereditary blood disorder called spherocytosis, which caused extreme anemia and fatigue, as well as an enlarged spleen, for the first eight years of her life. She spent a lot of time in the hospital for treatments and blood transfusions—and eventually surgery to remove her gallbladder and spleen, which was four times the size it should’ve been. " and "Mom, I’m going to be the best. I’m going to be somebody someday."

Thanks for sharing.

In my opinion, what her body came through, and how it may work differently than a "normal" body is just different. She could have easily reacted to this or that and create a spike of this or that. Scientists would say, we have never seen it before in our tests, but, I'm guessing, they never had a case like Shelby's, have they? It's like people testing rats in the lab and say, this or that will work on humans. Kinda a joke — it may work on some but never 100% for sure.

Awsi Dooger wrote:

DougC wrote:

‘“I like to get up at 7am because I’m a morning person…”

OK, Shelby. Getting up real early there…

I can't imagine seeing a grotesque hour like 7 AM. That's why my 24 years in Las Vegas were so awesome. Nobody acknowledged those worthless morning hours.

Right. Because everyone is still awake.

Thanks for your insightful

research.

I hope we are all well aware that the above take is completely insane.