Linda Somers-Smith, age 48, ran 16:14 5K at Silicon Valley Turkey Trot!

Frankly, I am really tired of the "is she or isn't she diatribe"...am personally on record with supporting a natural Linda Somers.

As this whole thread has beat such a dead horse, may I suggest that we/I/you consider taking this psychic energy and instead align it in a way where you can make a majorly positive difference?? Like helping out a former 1:44 800 meter runner in his battle back from brain cancer....Trinity Gray

Yeah, that's right, a chance to be PROductive versus DEstructive...imagine what such a behavioral shift like that might do for your soul and the heart of our sport.

Help Trinity Gray right here and now please :

http://helptrinity.chipin.com/trinity-gray

I have...won't you?

MF

Um, there was indeed EPO testing at the 2000 Olympic Trials and you're woefully misinformed. Just because you didn't read about it in some report in SI doesn't mean it didn't happen.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot wrote:

No, clearly you can't. If you can't master something as basic as the written word,(COMMA!) then more complex concepts are surely outside of your mental reach.

Dumbass.

It's optional there, mental midget.

Red Glare wrote:

Um, there was indeed EPO testing at the 2000 Olympic Trials and you're woefully misinformed. Just because you didn't read about it in some report in SI doesn't mean it didn't happen.

Please provide a citation for that. The 2000 US Olympic Track and Field Trials were held July 14 through July 23, 2000.

The IOC didn't approve of the EPO test until August 2, 2000. They were trying to get it approved in time for the Tour de France in July, but it didn't happen:

I found this link by the brojos that discusses why Jacobs was suspicious far beyond Somers. I was using this to refute someone's assertion that Jacobs and Hellebuyck were no more suspicious than Somers. It mentions the Tim Layden SI article:

Assuming the 800/1500m is more physically demanding than a 5k; Johnny Gray, Joetta Clark, John Walker and Edmond Coghlan for example were world class athletes into their late 30s and could have broke many age group records, but ended their career just before turning 40 for various reasons. If you don't stop competing, stay healthy and motivated, what Linda did is certaintly possible. The guys I named above were still world class athletes when they retired and could have competed for several more years, but when your standard is being among the best in the world...why bother. Also, I doubt someone like Linda would risk her professional career just to be good at something she does for fun.

TrackCoach,

wonderer of things wrote:

Has anyone checked to see if the course was accurate?

Yes the course is an accurately measured, four-loop USATF certified road race with substantial prize money and all the bells and whistles of a fast road race. Linda's cross country performances at PA-USATF XC were better than her 16:14.

USATF runs the OT and USADA does the testing there. Nothing to do with the IOC except to meet or exceed the minimum guidelines set forth by the IOC. The date of the EPO screening approval doesn't mean that USOC and USATF and USADA didn't know that approval was pending and imminent and thus wouldn't want to be sure that they wouldn't send athletes to the Olympics who would test positive and make them look bad. Remember the sample testing positives from the 1984 OT that came to light recently? USATF's M.O. is to be on top of what their athletes are using and then C.Y.A. regarding credentialing and sending those athletes to competitions where some other body is doing the testing and sanctioning and to uphold the image of USATF and its star athletes. It has a history of conducting drug testing that does not get reported. USATF and USADA aren't as transparent as you seemingly assume them to be.

Of course the test existed at that point. However, it was still being validated. Authorities were probably rushing to finalize technical documents, procedures, and guidelines. If they did the test, and it didn't have the proper validation, would a positive have stood up in court? No one has provided citations or evidence that there was testing for EPO at the Trials. Even if they did test secretly, the important point, in relation to this discussion, is that athletes were expecting to get tested for EPO at the Sydney Olympics, but they were not expecting to be tested for EPO at that Olympic Trials.

Are you suggesting a conspiracy theory that the USADA did in fact test for EPO at the trials, Jacobs tested positive at the Trails, and then was forced by the USATF to drop out from the Olympics? That might be plausable. However, that certainly doesn't support the assertion that Somers is as suspicious as Jacobs was before she was finally caught.

The story has been posted here in the past and I have heard it elsewhere previously from a highly credible source. Jacobs got popped behind closed doors at the 2000 OT. I am unsure whether it was for EPO or something else, but she did not just decide on her own to skip Sydney to avoid the EPO test. It was mandated in secrecy by a high-ranking official, straight from his mouth to her ears. You don't have to believe me, but I have no reason to lie to you or to disbelieve what I did hear. I realize how lacking in objective credibility that likely seems to anyone who doesn't know me personally, yet at the same time I am not about to roll on anyone who was in that room when that went down and name names. I was not there yet I have complete confidence in the sources for this.

Scratch Gray and Walker from your list: they made a run at the Masters records and got injured badly enough to force retirement. "Edmond" Coghlan did show that a 42-year-old could run within 10 seconds of their lifetime mile best.

Age is just a # wrote:

Assuming the 800/1500m is more physically demanding than a 5k; Johnny Gray, Joetta Clark, John Walker and Edmond Coghlan for example were world class athletes into their late 30s and could have broke many age group records, but ended their career just before turning 40 for various reasons. If you don't stop competing, stay healthy and motivated, what Linda did is certaintly possible. The guys I named above were still world class athletes when they retired and could have competed for several more years, but when your standard is being among the best in the world...why bother. Also, I doubt someone like Linda would risk her professional career just to be good at something she does for fun.

TrackCoach,

I had not bothered to read the last part of this thread till tonight, as whether someone takes drugs or not is of no interest to me. Probably the Brojos and most people on this thread take as many drugs as anyone else, as do 99% of all Americans.

Reading the rest of the thread, however, does convince me that Linda Somers (and the Brojos), are as guilty of taking drugs as was Regina Jacobs.

Women's unofficial @TurkeyTrotSV results.

https://twitter.com/Drew_Wartenburg/status/669913790624849920

Bze Diriba 15:43

Kim Conley 15:44

Alisha Williams 15:51

Marisa Howard 16:00

Men's unofficial @TurkeyTrotSV results.

https://twitter.com/Drew_Wartenburg/status/669920991359799296

Eliud Ngetich 13:55

Geoff Martinson 13:56

Mourad Marofit 13:57

Erik Olson 13:58

props to Linda wrote:

Damn that's good.

1 Sally Kipyego Kenya, 2 15:41 5:03 F Open/0 F-23 1 15:41 94.47%

2 Genoveva Kigen Kenya, 4 15:49 5:06 F Open/0 F-28 2 15:49 93.67%

3 Irene Kimaiyo Kenya, 10 15:56 5:08 F Open/0 F-26 3 15:56 92.98%

4 Barbara Parker GB, 40 15:57 5:08 F Elite/1 F-27 4 15:57 92.89%

5 Sara Hall Mammoth Lakes, CA 6 16:00 5:09 F Open/0 F-26 5 16:00 92.60%

6 Linda Somers Smith Arroyo Grande, CA 28 16:14 5:14 F Open/0 F-48 6 16:14 101.85%

7 Aziza Aliyu Ethiopia, 8 16:32 5:20 F Open/0 F-24 7 16:32 89.61%

8 Lisa Galaviz Johnson City, TN 14 16:33 5:20 F Open/0 F-29 8 16:33 89.52%

9 Kara June Morro Bay, CA 24 16:37 5:21 F Open/0 F-27 9 16:37 89.16%

10 Hellen Jemutai Kenya, 26 16:43 5:23 F Open/0 F-28 10 16:43 88.62%

https://www.runraceresults.com/Secure/RaceResults.cfm?ID=RCSV2009

Truly excellent result; however, it is almost hard to believe because there are that many 48 yo men capable of running that fast.

most of the WRs are over 100% on the calculators

Old thread. She kinda dropped of the running scene after 2012. She did run a sold 2:37 and change marathon that year. Maybe just burned out from the training and commitment?

Interesting revisit. Unless she got injured, the fact she suddenly dropped off just fuels the 'guilty' case to me.

ackack wrote:

Interesting revisit. Unless she got injured, the fact she suddenly dropped off just fuels the 'guilty' case to me.

Yes, Letsrun is guilty of destroying another top runner.