Santa Barbara Triathlete gets 4 year ban for doping, runs race this weekend

He tested positive for testosterone, which he claimed was for therapeutic reason and tried to get a TUE for.

I ran this race. It was a low key thing in a park, with $10 day-of registration and pumpkin bread for the winner.

I really doubt that anyone cared too much about Jason's status except, of course, for whoever posted this thread. I wonder who that might be?

States that they "apply sanction in accordance with the wada code." Says absolutely zero about whether they are SIGNATORIES to the wada code, and thus whether his sanction would be also honored by all other signatories to he code. Applying a sanction according to a set of rules and being a signatory are very different things, but thanks for the smart ass remark. Anyone else have actual info?

luv2run wrote:

I am guessing that you did not read the first link. I suggest you read it as it answers your question.

ok apologies to luv2run and humble pie for me, as I obviously skimmed it too fast. Doesn't say anything about whether they actually are singatories (as I recall that being an issue when they first started doing their own doping controls) but does clearly state that he's also under other signatories reciprocal sanction, so that's good to hear. If that cross country race was in any way sanctioned by usatf, then he's clearly violating that ban. lame. sorry again "luv2run," obviously it's far past my bedtime.

dude bro wrote:

I ran this race. It was a low key thing in a park, with $10 day-of registration and pumpkin bread for the winner.

I really doubt that anyone cared too much about Jason's status except, of course, for whoever posted this thread. I wonder who that might be?

I'm familiar with the park the race was held at, but not the course. Depending on the course they chose, this could have been close to a road race or close to a trail race, or somewhere in between. If you ran it, could you give some idea of what the course was like? Uneven dirt trails with gopher holes and short hills, or mostly flat smooth road around the lake?

I've run this course in the past and it's mostly uneven dirt trails with gopher hills, short hills, etc. but also has some smoother flat sections you loop around by the lake.

The fact that he attempted to get a TUE and was denied by USADA makes his ban even worse. He knowingly competed using a ban substance. Health issues or not, we have banned drugs for a reason. He could have continued running locally in charity races but opted to compete on center stage. Knowing this I think he deserves a longer ban.

VOTE Hilary!!!

SLO County Love wrote:

This guy was suspended for 4 years for exogenous testosterone. He should make amends by apologizing in public, stay off podiums for Ironman Age group or local races. Think about the guy who got 4th at this small race. Wouldn't he have liked to take his award and be proud and show his family members.

This is the correct answer. Very poor sense of ethics on this thread. It is not OK for him to be robbing athletes of wins or places at any level. What about athletes who set personal goals to finish in the top 30 for example, if this guy is the reason you are 31st and you just wanted to achieve something, its just not fair. He can run by himself and time himself, got no problem with that. He can run with his friends. 4 years ban from competition should mean 4 years ban from all competition.

He just did an interview with a local reporter in Santa Barbara. Sounds like it was innocent. See here: http://endorphinrelease.com/jason-smith/

Normally I'd say this is 100% bullsh** but I know Tak (the writer), he's a sharp dude and does his homework. My thoughts so far:

1. the guy has a legit excuse, getting testicular cancer and losing a ball is no joke. I honestly don't see how usada would have denied his TUE request.

2. regardless of the medical history, he basically needed to accept not racing at a high level, at least competitively (for awards). THe thing of racing pro seem ridiculous, unless you're willing to forgo the testosterone.

3. I could be totally wrong but I get the vibe that he knew good and well that he was skirting the rules and, in my opinion, deserves to be nailed for not doing his HW first. Plain to anyone with an IQ of 60 or above, he needed to get the TUE FIRST, no bones about it. This should have been done years ago, when he was first CONSIDERING racing at an elite (even high age-group) level. Obviously he's nothing special, but 8:32, even on a short course, is still pretty damn good, so the smart person would do their homework and cover their ass with a TUE before they pop a good race like that. I don't feel much sympathy for him at this point. We'll see what the second part of the story (due friday) contains.

From the article,

http://endorphinrelease.com/jason-smith/

:

“I didn’t notice any difference in performance,” he said. “But I did notice that I didn’t feel like a hermit. I felt I could actually go to a cookout after a six-hour workout instead of going home to crash.”

Yet, he doesn't help his cause with quotes like this above. Wouldn't it be normal to crash at home after ANY six-hour workout! It's only normal for guys on T to keep going like the energizer bunny, IMO.

Another quote:

“Two days before the race I was feeling down so I gave myself two clicks of the cream on my forearm. As I did that I was thinking that this might be a bad idea. But I was also thinking ‘Well, the doctor’s said I would be fine.’ So I did it. That’s where I screwed up.”

Another, screw up is the thinking he could get away with it. That's what he's saying. Rules don't matter, I can get away with it.

This might shed a little light.

http://endorphinrelease.com/2016/10/27/ban-triathlete-jason-smith/

cheaters gonna cheat