Is EPO a factor in NCAA distance running?

I would be surprised if some high schooler with middling running talent but decent enough grades/scores to become an Ivy League recruit did not attempt to improve his prospects by juicing up. Think about it. If you manage to reduce your 3200 from, say, 9:30 to even 9:10, and you have SATs in the 2000 range (far from good enough to get an offer of admission on their own, but good enough for a male athlete), you could be going to Harvard. And since, after securing admission, you would not be required to actually train or race-- or, if you did choose to run, race well-- you could quit the juice and go about your business with no one the wiser, and no real chance of your secret ever being revealed. Surely an Ivy League degree would be worth it to someone to try this. (So keep your eyes peeled for fast improving Ivy recruits!).

After all, people are known to have tried cheating their way into these schools in far more flagrant ways...

Wasn't there a Collegiate Olympian in 2004 who dropped like 5 sec in the 1500 after the olympic trials to get the Standard?

From Univeristy of Missouri maybe? or Oklahoma?

I don't think it is used in significant numbers.

I don't think it is a part of any team's culture.

If anything, any use may be from individuals doing this on their own. And I don't know how easy it is to do this.

I ran at a pretty serious track school in the 90's and know there wasn't any team culture or anything from the coach (Cook).

In this anonymous internet world, I think we would hear a lot of tales on this site if it were prevalent on any team.

There could be individuals that had something going on with their coach knowing, or a side coach.

I can't think that it is much of a factor in NCAA distance running.

that is not what creatine monohydrate does. you had the ability in you all along!

Don't know about EPO. I do know of one D1 t&f dynasty that had a "team friend" prescribing steroids.

Agreed. I highly doubt it is much of a factor if at all. Think about it, you have to (a) want badly to cheat, (b) actually find a source to give you the drug (how do you do that?? unless your coach/trainer hooks you up, which again I seriously doubt happens anywhere), (c) actually pull it off in a medically safe way, (d) not get caught or ratted on (and we haven't heard anything about this on letsrun, it's doubtful large numbers of people could do this without rumours flying).

I dunno if it could be different for sprints or throws, but in distance running, I really doubt there's much influence. As a recent d1 xc runner I never even considered the possibility that anyone in my conference (or even the ncaa) was cheating. Never saw anything, never heard anything to hint at it either.

In high school I knew of some football guys on steroids. Probably got them from meatheads at the gym, and I imagine those guys don't have or need hookups for EPO. I also knew a good runner who tried ephedrine (banned) a few times to see if it helped him run faster (IIRC it didn't). I'll bet if he had access to EPO he would have taken it. But access is probably the biggest barrier. You can't get it unless you know a doctor or something.

Adderal is the most performance enhancing legal supplement out there.

Only the same people who believed LA think Webb was clean in high school.

adhdman wrote:

Adderal is the most performance enhancing legal supplement out there.

can you elaborate on this? Never heard of addy for physical purposes.

Anyone tried echinacea?

Google "I Couldn't Be More Positive"

mystery miler wrote:

i've always been curious about what would happen to a non-'elite' EPO user

yes

Not implying anything necessarily, but I'd like to mention that Dave Smith was a pharmacology major or something like that.

Nothing ever happened with Keating, did it?

The post was actually from a medical student that I advise somewhat informally. It was from an e-mail he had sent to me and I meant to mention that it was not me.

TLW wrote:

Coach d. Are you serious? That is a fascinating story but with the way the message board is I can't tell if your trolling or not.

If you are not can you explain have EPO impacted your training and hard efforts + recovery? Thanks.

SickPuppy wrote:

The main reason it is not a major issue is cost.

EPO is expensive and you really need a doctor to monitor your levels, that's expensive as well.

If it were as easy and taking a pill it'd be every where.

This.

I'm a pretty terrible collegiate runner. My PRs are absolute trash compared to most people on this site and many who compete in the NCAA. If I could afford EPO (and was reasonably sure of my ability to not get caught), you bet I would take it.

It's all over the Arkansas program. I know at least two women who left the program because of it and their refusal to go the PED way!

undisclosed collegiate athlete wrote:

SickPuppy wrote:

The main reason it is not a major issue is cost.

EPO is expensive and you really need a doctor to monitor your levels, that's expensive as well.

If it were as easy and taking a pill it'd be every where.

This.

I'm a pretty terrible collegiate runner. My PRs are absolute trash compared to most people on this site and many who compete in the NCAA. If I could afford EPO (and was reasonably sure of my ability to not get caught), you bet I would take it.

Not at all accurate. Who can't scrape together $300-500 to have a huge peak for a month? Roughly $400 for a 14:40 5000 guy to drop to 13:50 for 5000. The problem is staying under the radar, at which point, why even do it?