Honolulu Marathon scandal

[Miulang]

Well, looks like the Honolulu Marathon's reputation has been tainted. The women's winner, Lyubov Denisova, tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. Her excuse? She ordered a dietary supplement via the internet which turned out to be on the list of banned drugs. Duh. So she's banned from ever competing in the Honolulu Marathon again and the elite runners in the Marathon will now have to be tested for drugs.

Her manager, Andrey Baranov, says Denisova cleared half a dozen drug tests in 2006 and that she only started taking this new drug at the beginning of the year. He says she made a mistake by ordering a supplement over the Internet.

"She was 100 percent sure it was legal and it never even occurred to her mind she was using this," said Baranov. "She found out this only after she tested positive."

"The best they can say is they are stupid," Barahal responded. "I mean, I don't what I am putting in my body? What kind of world class athlete in any sport just puts stuff in their body?"

Miulang

[Surfingfarmboy]

Re: Honolulu Marathon scandal

Well, looks like the Honolulu Marathon's reputation has been tainted.

I don't think the Honolulu Marathon's reputation has been tainted...just Denisova's. It's still tied for first as my favorite marathon to run; no cheater is going to change my mind about my love for it.

Other big-time marathons have been testing elite runners for perfomance-enhancing drugs for years. In fact, any runner (not just elite runners) at the Boston Marathon can be checked for dope after the race; this fact is noted on the registration and rules for the event. I'm surprised the Honolulu Marathon, which is one of the world's largest marathons, quit testing athletes for dope seven years ago. I always figured that a marathon of the magnitude of which the Honolulu Marathon is (usually fifth largest in the world) would automatically have dope testing instituted for the athletes finishing in the money.

[LikaNui]

Re: Honolulu Marathon scandal

Well, looks like the Honolulu Marathon's reputation has been tainted.

Could you please explain how a single individual's cheating could possibly taint the entire HM reputation? I don't understand that thinking at all.
Frankly, I think testing *improves* the HM reputation.

So she's banned from ever competing in the Honolulu Marathon again and the elite runners in the Marathon will now have to be tested for drugs.

She also gets to keep the prize money and the trophy and the victory, since the test was so long after the fact.
But why did you add the to your quote above? Why shouldn't the "elite" runners be tested? They do it in most other sports, and deservedly so.

[Miulang]

Re: Honolulu Marathon scandal

It's really sad that any sport would have to regulate its participants in this way, though, or that anyone would think that the only way to win is to cheat (or try to find ways to cheat). Kinda takes away the pure intent of sports, which is to challenge your body to be the best that it can be, without the use of drugs.

The scandal is that because of the way the sports world is today (no sport seems to be immune from doping), that the Honolulu Marathon dropped testing for awhile because it was "too expensive" and now find that someone has actually gotten away with $67,000.

Miulang

[LikaNui]

Re: Honolulu Marathon scandal

It's really sad that any sport would have to regulate its participants in this way, though, or that anyone would think that the only way to win is to cheat (or try to find ways to cheat). Kinda takes away the pure intent of sports, which is to challenge your body to be the best that it can be, without the use of drugs.

You're right... in a perfect world.
But this is clearly not a perfect world, and the prospect of big money (or even just big prestige) in any and every aspect of life (not just sports) means that cheating and deviousness are realities and that steps have to be taken to attempt to prevent them.