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Elite Athletics Thread

8 lurkers | 167 watchers
SPR
SPR
Oct 2022
2:50pm, 10 Oct 2022
38,486 posts
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SPR
Maybe but "perfect sense" makes it sound like there aren't any cons. The rich person isn't even getting the 'real' glory an elite athlete could get for risking their health.
larkim
larkim
Oct 2022
2:57pm, 10 Oct 2022
19,236 posts
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larkim
Yep, you're right. But there are plenty of anecdotal stories of amateurs doping for no discernible reason and being cavalier with their health status. For every rich dude who does dope in that scenario I'm sure there are 1000+ others who don't, but I can see how the lure of being able to "buy" relative "success" is there for amateurs who probably don't understand the relative health risks (as much) and who are in the habit of buying "what they want".
SPR
SPR
Oct 2022
2:59pm, 10 Oct 2022
38,487 posts
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SPR
...and to me that's the reason doping should always be banned. It shouldn't be mandatory to risk your health for sport*

*The debate around Nadal 'doping' to play with some cyclists discussing that it would unacceptable in cycling was interesting and I'm on the side of the cyclists.
larkim
larkim
Oct 2022
3:07pm, 10 Oct 2022
19,237 posts
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larkim
The issue though is that it is wrong to say that use of all PEDs are harmful so it's not quite as simple as saying that the reason to avoid it is to avoid health issues.

I absolutely agree that the pursuit of sporting success to the extent that long term injury issues are created should be avoided, and differnet sports have different tolerances on that sort of thing; as you say, cycling (at least at face value) is trying to to demonstrate zero tolerance, whereas tennis is pretty brazen about the fact that players are pain relieved / cortisol supported to get through tough patches on their bodies. Players in many sports used to be (and some still are) pretty open about getting cortisol injections to take away a muscular inflamation or similar (presumably TUE based), whereas if a pro cyclists said they were doing that there'd be uproar.
fuzzyduck79
fuzzyduck79
Oct 2022
3:14pm, 10 Oct 2022
1,362 posts
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fuzzyduck79
There's always a reason behind the doper doing it, even if the reasons can sometimes be less obvious. What you mean by "no discernible reason" is you don't identify with their reason.

Status plays a huge role, at pro and amateur level. People who derive unhealthy amounts of self esteem from social media would generally be more susceptible to cheating in my view.

Even just a sub elite level runner with a large instagram following, needing to chase the buzz of the attention that comes with being the best in a competitive club/area, I'd have a degree of doubt over that sort of person - where are they drawing their line?
larkim
larkim
Oct 2022
3:23pm, 10 Oct 2022
19,238 posts
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larkim
Yes, good spot. There is always a reason. It's like the e-bikers that clock strava segments or GPS-dopers who manipulate their GPS traces to earn KOM / CRs on strava etc. Or indeed runners who get on a bus at the Kielder marathon bbc.co.uk or jump the barrier in London etchttps://www.theguardian.com/global/2018/oct/28/meet-the-marathon-cheats

People like to win at all levels; there've been parkrun course cutters and cheats. Albeit that that is unlikely to harm your health!
fuzzyduck79
fuzzyduck79
Oct 2022
3:34pm, 10 Oct 2022
1,363 posts
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fuzzyduck79
Someone once got thrown out of a club I was at because they cut the course at an ultra (the club got a letter asking them to hand their medal back!)

They were a ballpark 50-55 min 10k runner, and the only way I could see they had been led astray was the attention they were getting on FB for posting successively more improbable race times (once they suddenly dropped down to about 42 min 10k, there was no GPS showing them doing that run but it was several laps of a big park...I didn't even look at any of this till I heard they'd been chucked out)
jda
jda
Oct 2022
4:47pm, 10 Oct 2022
13,549 posts
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jda
I reckon a lot of the age group types will have “health reasons” *for* doping. “Being my best self” etc…we aren’t talking bodybuilding doses, just a bit of a boost…
jda
jda
Oct 2022
4:50pm, 10 Oct 2022
13,550 posts
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jda
IIRC one of the marathon fatalities in recent years had dosed themselves up on painkillers. I’m sure there are a lot more who didn’t die…
larkim
larkim
Oct 2022
4:56pm, 10 Oct 2022
19,244 posts
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larkim
Yes, that's true. There'll be plenty of people starting races with painkillers that would otherwise require a TUE to be issued in advance (even if "plenty" still only means less than 0.5% of participants).

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