Why Was A Man With A 10-Year Doping Ban Enjoying The 2012 US Olympic Track & Field Trials From The Nike Sky Box?

The pics of Mark Block That LR has up on the front page ARE from Cap's Corner. You absolutely need a Nike credential to sit in those seats, I know, I've sat in them myself. Free food, free beer, and top athletes, former athletes, and those with Nike connections or top Nike employees and their families. Each end has an entrance and there is a security person at each end only letting the proper colored credential for Cap's Corner up into that area. The picture of Mark Block is from Cap's Corner.

---

162430 wrote:
The man used to be your agent.

---

Capriotti is scum of the earth.

Interesting to see the ultimate response from USATF/USOC/USADA/Nike.

Who wants to wager one who actually follows up on this?

My guess: only USADA, who already made a preliminary statement.

Throw the b4stards out!

I used to run against John Capriotti in high school.

Wow that's pretty insane. He booked right out of there when was questioned. That in itself means he knows his ass shouldn't be there.

Dear WEJO and ROJO:

First off, I love your site. Great, mostly unbiased news, all the time. Keep up the good work.

I can tell you with certainty that large unnamed shoe companies are actively involved in supporting doping (and providing false tests) at all levels of elite track and field.

Most top Nike athletes are dirty. How do you think they compete with the rest of the world? Don't be naive.

Doping has and always will continue. You don't get caught if you've got a brand behind you with lots of dough.

Case in point: Armstrong. He'll never serve time.

It is beyond me why most of the LR crowd seems so oblivious to the ELITE side of track and field.

few of the elite mid distance crowd who made the team are clean that i know of...with the exception of Lopez Lomong. remember that name. he'll likely never deserve the fame that should be his. he really is that good. even Webb can't redeem his former doped self - we in the know know can "see" he is trying.

TandF is a dirty sport. Don't get too deep in it all. What you'll find is sickness.

That said, perhaps doping should be made legal for athletes. everyone's doping at the top level of all sports - IRONIC that Armstrong himself said in the 90s (before his Tour victories) that in order to keep up with the Peloton one must dope..

EVERYONE ON THIS SITE SHOULD READ THIS IMPORTANT ARTICLE

http://www.bicycling.com/news/pro-cycling/lance-armstrongs-endgame

all for now

For the past 9 years, since about my sophomore year of high school, I've worn almost exclusively nike shoes to train and race. Even in college when provided with several pairs of free Adidas shoes, I would pay out of my own pocket for Nikes beacasue I preferred their training and racing shoes to what Adidas could offer.

I was able to disregard what I perceived as a small decline in the quality of their shoes the past few years, but was still sticking with them because their shoes are what I have been used to and have known. However, Between the Brooks incident and now this, my opinion of nike has taken a nose dive in the past few days, and I won't be purchasing their products any longer.

I hope to continue running a significant amount for at least the next 20 years. At 3-4 pairs of shoes a year, that probably comes out to at least 6000 - 8000 dollars. Certainly that amount is not even noticeable to a company like Nike, but at least I won't feel I am knowingly contributing to the continuing hypocrisy and willful blindness surrounding the doping culture that is all too prevalent in this sport.

I've gotten a VIP pass with someone elses name to walk around at Penn Relays before.
Seeing pictures of him walking around in a VIP area doesn't tell me that this is Nike approved.

You hi-jack the homepage for this but didn't give Ashton Eaton a black page for the deca WR?

Yeah, that's my real name and god bless you brojos. Keep kicking up the dust. I have no idea how much doping goes on in elite t/f, but unless people like you keep fighting, I do know that there will be more.

Part of the problem is the lack of popularity of track and field. This leads to less scrutiny by the the public, media, sports officials. Granted, the Tour de France is enormously popular and still has drug scandals, but the cycling press, doping agencies, race officials, etc. have also removed Tour winners and gone after Tour legends. There is an ongoing battle in that arena. The fear, with track and field, is there is no battle and not likely to be one since the public is, largely, disinterested.

But why is this question being asked of Carmelita and not of Nike, Vin, USADA, or the Eugene gang?

If he is in fact connected with Nike, that would be consistent with what many of us believe about the Portland distance programs. If the guy is supposed to be banned from situations like this, SOMEBODY gave him a credential. You should be asking who gave him a credential and why.

The REAL question you should be asking is, "What connection is there between Nike and Mark Block, who has been banned from the sport by USADA?"

Unless you have evidence of a continuing relationship with Jeter, why are you asking her?

---

formerjournalista wrote: I can tell you with certainty that large unnamed shoe companies are actively involved in supporting doping (and providing false tests) at all levels of elite track and field.

Most top Nike athletes are dirty.

---

Do you think with enough pressure USADA/WADA could be conviced to test Jeter, Gall, Kipyego, and Symmonds more frequently until the olympics? They all have an affiliation with Nike, Total Sports, and Chris Layne who is and always has been just a brainless follower of Block.

To let this occur is outrageous. Each athlete still competing that has any affiliation with block or once did should have their emails watched, phones tapped, and be frequently tested until the games. If they want to do something about drugs in track and field, they need to put some effort in.

Rojo, the answer is simple. Block knows too much. He could bring down Nike in a heartbreak.

Why do you think that Dick Brown was given an office in the Bowerman building despite being fired for paying for drugs through a slush fund. (read "Swoosh")

Dick Brown knows too much, too.

Great Job reporting from Eugene,and this is a great site and I for one is glad that it is the go to site for all things track and field. The image does not paint nike in a good picture that is all I have to say. The USATF should have asked him to stay away

---

rojo wrote:

Check out the homepage which will be archived at this address:

http://www.letsrun.com/2012/homepageblock.php

I think our story pretty much says it all.

---

what sucks is that if there is a scandal then it wouldn't take much for Nike to leave track and field high and dry and without any funding..Nike probably brings loads of money into track but now you probably have ruined that for the sport.

Excellent reporting, Rojo. I smell a new moniker for you -- Track Cop. Can't help but notice how much smaller Jeter is.

Unless Nike provides a reasonable explanation for this situation, I won't be buying Nike products in the future.