Gene Dykes-how does he recover so fast???

Magic12 wrote:

He was drug tested this weekend at usatf nationals.

Link? (How would you know unless an athlete tests positive?).

Inquiring minds want to know wrote:

Magic12 wrote:

He was drug tested this weekend at usatf nationals.

Link? (How would you know unless an athlete tests positive?).

Exactly. How do we know he was tested?

All winners were tested and the tent was public.

He does get tested. Ypu are just jealous and snarky.

Would Viagra or Cialis make a difference?

It is totally clear this fellow is doping. Do some research and line up his races and results from week to week and note that probably no other runner in history can match them. Ultras followed by marathons, ten milers, all back to back at over age 70. It strains the imagination.

Put very simply, either this guy is a total biological anomaly or he is the most remarkable runner who ever lived. Which is more likely?

Aslan7 wrote:

It is totally clear this fellow is doping. Do some research and line up his races and results from week to week and note that probably no other runner in history can match them. Ultras followed by marathons, ten milers, all back to back at over age 70. It strains the imagination.

Put very simply, either this guy is a total biological anomaly or he is the most remarkable runner who ever lived. Which is more likely?

I’m now almost 55 and the rapid advance of the inability of my body to recover over the past 5 years has been astonishing and depressing.

I hope he’s just an outlier. Most people over 50 couldn’t fathom being able to recover so fast. But I think he deserves the benefit of the doubt and yes, I am jealous.

The answer is small but regular doses of human growth hormone that can be applied on the skin. It is generally difficult to find via drug testing because the hormones are natural but certainly show elevated levels. Gene's performances are of course exceptional but the real indicator of HGH use is the lack of any need for recovery at that advanced age. One cannot rely on this stuff forever (even though he clearly has no preexisting medical conditions consistent with his age) so perhaps the big drop between the Jacksonville Marathon (where humidity is always a factor) and Boston is indicative of a decline or problems from using the stuff for so long. Also, for him to attribute these successes to coaching and springy shoes sounds pretty hollow. Ask any MD who specializes in exercise physiology and they will conform the probability of this theory.

Pretty weak to post disparaging comments about someone you don’t even know.

Ed Whitlock was jogging 3 hours a day in his 70s

Gene Dykes is jogging 50- 200 mile races in his 70s

That should make recovery a little easier if you can do that.

Actually I do know him and have observed him first hand. The truth will emerge. Anyone who doesn't think all this is highly suspicious knows nothing about physiology.

Not suspicious, just unusual. He's a very good 70+ runner, and almost certainly the best marathoner in the age group, but he was beaten at Club XC Nationals by another 70+ runner who also consistently performs at an elite level. He seems to be a talented athlete who has made it into his 70s with no orthopedic or other typical health problems and has the time and motivation to pursue his training seriously.

Everybody is decaying at a different rate. It sucks, but that's the way it is.

fred wrote:

Everybody is decaying at a different rate. It sucks, but that's the way it is.

Right...but science needs to find out why aging athletes decay at different rates. Whether it just simply boils down to genetics or if there's certain supplements and pharmaceutical interventions (TRT, HRT, etc) that can make a difference.

THIS effing sh1t gets so old here on this site. He is faster than me, so he must be doping. He drives a pick up truck, so he hates runners, cyclists, and the environment. He supports Bernie, so he's a communist. STFU

Old Stiff wrote:

fred wrote:

Everybody is decaying at a different rate. It sucks, but that's the way it is.

Right...but science needs to find out why aging athletes decay at different rates. Whether it just simply boils down to genetics or if there's certain supplements and pharmaceutical interventions (TRT, HRT, etc) that can make a difference.

Lets say you smoked cigarettes when you were a teenager and started the process of damaging the walls of of your blood vessels. Then plaques built up on the insides of the vessels due to your

diet and life style. By the time you hit seventy your oxygen delivery system is cr@p.

Whereas a guy like Whitlock did not take any pills or see a doctor. He just drank tea and ran 3 hours a day.

Another guy might have taken free radical quenchers in his prime and reduced the degradation of his physical systems. He gets to 70 in better shape at a molecular level.

Etc.

Roy Stevenson :

"Ironically, there's also a down side to strenuous aerobic activity. The huge amounts of oxygen we process while running cause increased oxidative stress to our body's cells. This process, called oxidation damages the muscle cell's membrane, internal structure and organelles impairing their function. The result: muscle soreness and inflammation, fatigue, and premature aging of the cells-all done by some nasty little molecules called free radicals."

So if Gene skipped 40 years of hard training, his body has less damage from oxidative stress.