Rita Jeptoo tests positive

Maybe I have no idea of what is going on, but I don't want to put performances down my coaching. I am Always very honest when I speak about athletes and coaches. Many times somebody joined some athletes to my coaching, and I explained I was not their coach. I don't need to boast about my coaching in the World, who is in athletics knows me from long time, because now I'm almost seventy (unfortunately...), and Always my passion was to spread advanced methodology in different parts of the World (I do this for IAAF, too).

But I have not the idea, but the real KNOWLEDGE of what happened with my athletes, especially from 2003 till 2011, when I lived with them for long time, may be in the same room, and had the opportunity to know, deeply, their minds and their behaviors.

And I can say, without any doubt, that some result (like the WR of Shaheen in steeple, or of Moses Mosop for 30 km, or of Florence Kiplagat for HM) depended on their talent and their training ONLY.

I like to put online the REAL training of my best athletes because this can be a help for Young coaches, who can achieve a different vision of training.

This is for me a pleasure, and for some Young coach a service, nothing else.

What pushes me to continue this type of life (in one year I have about 100 flights everywhere, and I continue to move from China to Kenya to Ethiopia to Europe) is the PASSION for athletics, that gave the imprint to all my life.

It's because I know where it's possible to arrive without any aid that I don't believe in the effects of doping. And, in spite of some "excellent doped", I don't change my idea.

Renato, can you explain the arrangement between Berardelli and Jeptoo? (or Kisorio, for that matter)

You say Berardelli was not involved, but shouldn't we expect Berardelli to know his athletes just as well as you know your own athletes?

Renato, as always, thank you so much for your authentic responses.

I pray that you are currently or will consider writing a book soon. Not just about the knowledge you have acquired in regards to training, but with your anectdotes and experiences with people all over the world. Yours would make for an exceptionally interesting auto-biography. Nearing 70, it may be time to start if you haven't already!

It's encouraging to hear about Rita Jeptoo the person from someone who has known her closely. I really do fee for her, she must be in a horrible state of shock right now, whether she was knowingly cheating or not.

It is Rod Serling, not Rod Sterling…though I make no claims of being a great typist :-)

The voice of Rod Sterling: wrote:

From the voice of Rod Sterling:

"Abbot Laboratories, THE FIRST Title Sponsor of the World Marathon Majors, is an American pharmaceuticals and health care products company. The global healthcare company that conducts innovative research

Taking on the moniker of the word meaning "Father", Abbot's international headquarters are located in....CHICAGO.

(que in Twilight Zone music: "doo-doo-doo-doo doo-doo-doo-doo")

' This means that people can finish to think that controls don't work, when it's possible to catch the number ones in the World in almost all the disciplines in athletics, from sprint to throws to jumps (and, of course, to middle and long distances).'

Unfortunatly, this is not the case runners manage to run without testing positive for years before getting caught out. Others never get caught. Testing may have improved but there is still inequality between countries and even those most tested are avoiding positives. How many timed was Lance tested!

'After that time, she had several personal problems, and found the solution of many of them thank to Claudio Berardelli and Federico Rosa.'

How about Federico?

Great to hear from you though and I do think such performances are possible drug free but a some are not using this method

Really ? I'm surprised that Florence Kip was sober enough to do any training for this WR. If you know her that well then .... Wake up.

You paint a picture where Rita's last marathon victories , before Chicago were clean. By that logic, Rita would not have doped. The fact is that she did, and likely was dirty for all these competitions. She knew how to hide it, but didn't go off quite soon enough before Chicago. I bet the difference was only a day or two. But the time she was caught indicates she has been cheating for a long time. You need to wake up, if testing improves, more and more drug cheats from Ethiopia and Kenya will be caught. The reality is very few athletes can run a marathon in under 2:06 without cheating in some way.

"No way to treat a lady"? Bullshit. Cheating and doping is no way for a lady, wife and mother to act."

The Majors gave a budget for carrying out antidoping tests in Kenya and Ethiopia.

London Marathon helped, with a big amount of money, Lornah Kiplagat to build the tartan track in Eldoret.

The image of all the Majors is strictly connected with the credibility of the best runners, winning big prizes, running great times and exciting all people following the big marathons.

The Majors have big budgets, due to the great number of participants who has to pay very expensive fees for entering the race.

I launch one proposal : Why all the Major together (may be in different percentage) don't give WADA some money, for building a lab of analysis in Eldoret, officially authorized (of course, after checking how can work) for testing the most diffused drugs, particularly interesting blood doping ?

The main problem because there are not blood test in Kenya or Ethiopia is the lack of one lab authorized to carry out tests using the advanced system of the official labs.

I think that the main problem for bulding a lab is the lack of money, and the world can't ask Countries with real problems for the most part of people to use money for something interesting a very little part of the Nation, only. But this is a problem involving all the athletic world, looking at the weight of Kenya and Ethiopia in all the events of middle and long distances.

I don't know exactly how much an advanced lab can cost, but in Eldoret (or Iten) for sure with 200,000 USD it's possible to build a very good building to use as lab, and I don't think can be a big problem to find sponsors for the equipment they need in order to have frequent tests with high percentage of correct results.

Since all these situation (Kenya / Ethiopia for long distances, Jamaica for sprint) create big shadows on all the athletic world, I think that IAAF too must have, as priority, the goal to build something, in these two Countries, valid for testing the best athletes in the World, in order to dispel every doubt about the Champions coming from these two Countries.

The worst thing, in this panorama, is the climate of suspicion around everybody involved with top athletes (athletes themselves, coaches and managers).

Who is clean (I continue to say that the percentage is 95%) can't accept to be looked as cheater, only because he/she has the motivation and the application for achieving results connected with a talent better than the most part of other competitor. To have big talent is not something wrong, instead is a gift that athletes must use in the best way. In athletics, somebody has to become the winner and the record holder, and it's not correct to think that ALL winners and ALL record holders use some trick for being at the top.

I'm sure the most part of top runners are clean, and, for Kenya and Ethiopia, not to push for the solution of a domestic authorized lab is like an athletic suicide.

Thank you Renato! For everything you contribute to this board and athletics!

Agent Federico Rosa told The Associated Press that Jeptoo tested positive in an out-of-competition test in Kenya in September. Athletics Kenya said later Friday that the test was on Sept. 25 - just over two weeks before the Chicago race - and that the athlete's "A" sample "indicated the presence of prohibited substances."

Athletics Kenya said its medical and anti-doping commission would meet with Jeptoo early next week to determine whether she wants to have her backup "B" sample tested.

However, Rosa told the AP that the backup test was not required.

What a strange attitude from Rosa! How is Rosa sure that Jeptoo was on drugs, unless he had something to do with it!

I kind of like the guy. His posts can be informative and inspiring... but COME ON. WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE.

He is still posting, some credit there. But surely now he is just rearranging deck chairs, whilst his Titanic slowly sinks.

Renato Canova wrote:

I launch one proposal : Why all the Major together (may be in different percentage) don't give WADA some money, for building a lab of analysis in Eldoret, officially authorized (of course, after checking how can work) for testing the most diffused drugs, particularly interesting blood doping ?

The more credit given to the drugs, the more prevalent that they will become.

My proposal is to get rid of the drug agencies, and get big pharma out of athletics. Take the money away from them.

Let people do what they want, no more money for big pharma, and drug use will decline.

Renato, you and I are starting to agree. The good news is that you have more influence than I do. More controls, more intervention and education for young (and old) athletes can only be good.

You cannot though, generalize what motivates an athlete to dope. For some it is the combination of competativeness and lack of a moral compass, for some it's their susceptability to pressure of managers or coaches. Some may be ignorant of what they are consuming, and some may see friends or training partners do it and then normalize the behvior.

I won't put a number as to how many I think are doping. It's way to hard to guess. But even if you say only 5% are doping, there is no way for you to know which 5%. That is part of why I am generally skeptical, of everyone.

Building the lab is not necessarily enough. The lab in Brazil (I think) has been de-certified because of flawed tests results (including some false positives).

[next comment is not about Renato]

Some of the logic by people above is inadequate to support their stated position; if you want your opinion to be respected you really should not post conclusions that are not supported even within your own text.

sympathy for the diablo wrote:

Renato, as always, thank you so much for your authentic responses.

I pray that you are currently or will consider writing a book soon. Not just about the knowledge you have acquired in regards to training, but with your anectdotes and experiences with people all over the world. Yours would make for an exceptionally interesting auto-biography. Nearing 70, it may be time to start if you haven't already!

It's encouraging to hear about Rita Jeptoo the person from someone who has known her closely. I really do fee for her, she must be in a horrible state of shock right now, whether she was knowingly cheating or not.

The only reason that she is in a state of shock is because $500k has slid away. Knew what she was doing , will she hang people out to dry or lie? Time will tell.

26mi235 wrote:

The lab in Brazil (I think) has been de-certified because of flawed tests results (including some false positives).

All the labs are the same.

They should all be decertified and done away with completely.

J.R. wrote:

26mi235 wrote:

The lab in Brazil (I think) has been de-certified because of flawed tests results (including some false positives).

J.R. should be certified and done away with completely.

Renato Canova wrote:I launch one proposal : Why all the Major together (may be in different percentage) don't give WADA some money, for building a lab of analysis in Eldoret, officially authorized (of course, after checking how can work) for testing the most diffused drugs, particularly interesting blood doping ?

THIS, and only THIS is what really would be something good they could do. All their (Marathon Major's) talk about what they do for antidoping is PATHETIC. It's a FARCE what they are spending on it. All the talk is supposed to shut up the public. And it works, everyone thinks WMM is doing great things while they are laughing their asses off how easily people are convinced.

Until the day such independent (!) labs (plural!) are getting built by WMM, samples are frozen and kept for a decade and these huge events also do random testing among competitive amateurs, it's nothing but Disneyland.

Renato: THIS and only THIS could be your last BIG fight for better athletics. Use your influence, be outspoken instead of being yet another lamb for a paycheck.