I've got an alternative view. I like these guys and the similar groups of ethiopians in the dc/md area. They make races fast and I feel proud when I can beat them. Nothing wrong with what they're doing. You could go to morocco and whoop up on the road circuit there, if there are even any races with money. If it werent for guys like these, I'd have to run nothing but college meets to get competition at anything other than half marathons and marathons.
I do agree these guys should be drug tested though.
How many of these Drug Cheats will be at Grandmas Marathon in a few weeks ?
Well teach, it sounds like there are multiple separate issues people have here.
1. The idea of foreign athletes coming here specifically to win relatively small change by running lots of local races.
2. Some of the things certain of these athletes and groups do, like doping, agents who exploit the athletes, not giving any thing back to the race organizers or community in terms of media or community involvement, etc.
You can be in favor of #1 and still not like #2.
Haven't heard much from this group in a while, since the doping investigation. any news on the runners or where about's of Larisa M ?
I know a few of those athletes connected with Larisa got busted at the Richmond marathon last month for cheating.
Last I saw on this site was that she moved the group to Morristown, NJ.
Yeah, I did see that those guys where racing under morristown, NJ address. but haven't seen much of there groups names in races anymore. BUT, I did notice huge bummer that A LOT of those races these Cheats ran in are no longer offering prize money.
Saw them recently at a 8k in Pigeon Forge Tennessee
That race was back in August and none of those runners from that Doping group was there? unless Patrick Cheptoek is with them now?
Were are they hiding out at? Haven't heard much since they got busted in Richmond.