Oh the irony! S Flanagan: “ "My career would look enormously different if the playing field was level."

Whatever...

It’s sad to loo at it as you posted - but it is true - it’s amazing Nike athletes are cabalbe if calling others cheaters - knowing they had a significant advantage with shoes - it’s sad for the sport but as a fan it’s just pathetic to watch the athletes who used shoes with advantage complain about cheating

Equality is a big concept and she is focused on one aspect. But what about growing up white, blond, in America with food on the table and clean water? I think if it really was an “equal playing field” she would not have achieved what she did.

This.

Plus, wasn't she on thyroid meds in the late '00s at least?

dangstraight wrote:

Equality is a big concept and she is focused on one aspect. But what about growing up white, blond, in America with food on the table and clean water? I think if it really was an “equal playing field” she would not have achieved what she did.

Don’t ever discount this

Mechanical doping! And is she willing to call out fellow US Nike athletes who clearly were part of a doping program?? I bet she and Shannon Rowbury go to hot yoga together!!

Level playing field? Compared to what?

Let's give names and dates, no?

She is right.

Given this is LRC there will be endless posts degrading her as she is a woman.

Just do it.

ThickThighs wrote:

Level playing field? Compared to what?

level playing field like if she grew up in a developing country

It’s never going be an “even” playing field. She had all the Nike advantages (I.e. physio, massage, state of the art weight room, nutrition, dr. Brown, top coaches, altitude training funding, altitude houses, supplements, footwear, etc.). Not just doping can make the playing field not level.

1. Kara Goucher used thyroid meds and introduced Salazar to Dr. Brown. Then complained about the shoes at the 2012 Trials.

2. Des Linden also on thyroid meds also complained about the shoes in 2016. She was outspoken about the shoe wars but wore Brooks version for her only win of her career at Boston and has wore them in every race since.

3. Now Shalane who has been on thyroid meds her entire career back to the Cook days and wore cheaterflys before any of us were aware they were a thing is crying about an even playing field.

American women are very tough to cheer for.

I never thought that I’d be glad to hear the terms “cheaterfly” and “mechanical doping”. Thank goodness, this place is going back to somewhat (ab)normal with a different perseveration/infatuation other than Covid 19.

That’s your opinion, and opinions are moot. The shoes are not cheating and don’t violate any rules. Doping violates rules. /END

The East African myth was just epo wrote:

She is right.

Given this is LRC there will be endless posts degrading her as she is a woman.

Given this is LRC there will be endless posts claiming she is racist, that East Africans don't cheat but if they do, they are just 'leveling the playing field' themselves, accusations that any poster who criticizes rampant doping in East Africa is 'obsessed' (while 'they' themselves appear to be online 24/7 waiting to pounce on any accusation of East African doping), there will be crude or obscene insults and even threats, including threats to the Brojos to contact advertisers and report the site for 'racism', and then the mods will randomly delete some posts (but leave the threats and obscene comments up).

Oh, and then some American posters will claim it all proves the Brits are all dirty, before Rekrunner and Casual Observer start a 15 page discussion on whether or not EPO works.

She's extremely lucky to have made a very good living from the sport when thousands of others who were faster were never paid a dime. It would have been very different if the sport made every competitor compete on a level playing field and removed protected sub categories.

"If the playing field WERE level."

Why is the subjunctive so difficult to grasp?

There's no such thing as a level playing field anyways. Everyone has certain advantages and disadvantages, so I don't get what point she's trying to make.

Pretty useless comment imo…..