Is anyone thinking what I am thinking? Eat a burrito, dope....if I get caught I can blame it on the burrito. A pre-planned alibi would not surprise me, people who dope are diabolical.

---

______________________________________________

I *heart* weak, dumb ass people...

the WADA technical doc was updated 2 years ago. Clarification purposes only.

https://www.wada-ama.org/sites/default/files/td2019na_final_eng_clean.pdf


the footer on page 1 lumps consuming offal of non-castrated pigs in the "endogenous" path for assessing the results, which would elevate the limit of the 19-NA metabolite to 15 mg/ml - no AAF.....and no ban.


seems like the GC/C/IRMS test has shown the source was exogenous (if it was 5ng/ml)....so the BTC defense has already been tested and come up short.

Cabeza (Tacos de Cabeza).

There are a bunch of different Mexican dishes that use a bunch of different pork products.

These dishes are available every where there are Mexicans.
And there are definitely Mexicans in Oregon!

American super-markets that cater to Mexican customers will have access to pork products of Mexican origin.

In short- Shelby's explannation is plausible.

That is probably why she chose it.

One element that I find somewhat implausible is the reference to uncastrated boar meat as having especially high levels of steroids.

Well, yes!!!
That's why that meet smells horrid, and is rarely used.

But it would not surprise me if this meat found it's way into some spicy Mexican dishes.

An athlete that has been testes how many times falls for the old tainted burrito trick? And then after getting caught googles "the tainted burrito" and assumes that THAT must be the culprit and has never heard of Nandrolone?

Sure........

It always has to be the far fetched reason because the common sense version just can't ever be the real reason. "Hey Lance care to comment".....................never mind.

Thanks

No doubt I learned of that one from Anthony Bourdain [the Tijuana episode, most likely]

---

"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

The case against Houlihan:
1) She is one of the best athletes in a sport where athletes regularly get caught doping, and where doping helps.
2) She tested positive for a banned substance.
3) She looks like she has been taking steroids (more so than her competitor's).
4) Unusual performance jumps.


There are perfectly legitimate reasons why each of these pieces of evidence is not conclusive in and of itself.
(Including the tainted pork argument).

But taken together, the probability of Houlihans innocence seems very low.

Let's say it's all a very unlikely coincidence-
that Shelby is actually innocent.

It is true- unlikely coincidences do happen!!!
Sometimes!

But a perfect testing system and appeals process doesn't exist.

There will always be a small number of incorrect rulings.

At some level this is not different from any other career ending accident?
Maybe Shelby is 99% responsible.
Maybe only 5% (for eating questionable meat).

I guess it's all fair in love and war.

so it seems like you have a 2ng, 10ng, 15ng, threshold depending on what thing you did (take a birth control pill; eat a wild boar). the only thing that i find hard to swallow is the notion that neither she nor the coach had ever heard of nandrolone, since so many T&F athletes got popped for it. surely the coach heard of it. that said, i always thought that this was the stupidest bust, which makes me think in a lot of cases it was inadvertent. street tacos i doubt. but i also doubt she was dumb enough to take nandrolone. i suspect there might be a 3rd explanation. this is why, if i'm a pro, i just don't take supplements, that is, i don't put scoops of white powder in my smoothies.

---

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

This is probably good advice for everyone not just pro-athletes.

A Typo for the Ages

---

"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Yes, but it would still be coming from castrated pigs. Nandralone is found in non-castrated pigs. The amount of non-castrated pigs just like non-castrated cows that enter the general food supply is minimal.


Ok, three is a red herring. This is mostly based on people perceiving Shelby as less attractive. Not sure what your or everyone elses deal is, but this is uncalled for. But hey I'm sure I'll see plenty more like it. She looks as lean as the rest of her teammates.

---

Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

Also non-castrated pork smells and tastes bad.

That said, I would guess that the right combination of spices could cover that up.

The Mexican supermarkets where I live definitely carry many products that are from outside "the general food supply."

Here is what my comment would be:
It is quite amazing that you guys came upon a plausible (albeit unlikely) explanation so quickly.
And to think you didn't even know what nandralone was!!

The burrito power-up on Zwift has suddenly taken on a whole new meaning.

According to the latest Let's Run piece she didn't even eat Pork. She actually ate Carne Asada. I tend to believe based on my limited knowledge of the situation that some supplement she was using was tainted and she didn't know. Again, with my limited knowledge of doping and what others have written, my question would be why would she use the item in question and for what benefit given her sport. Seems there would be better things to be taking. If she is a systematic doper, microdosing on a whole bunch of things carefully (explaining large jumps in performance), it is likely that she was simply popped by something she wasn't managing, ie some tainted supplement and in that case it was just bad karma for her.

---

---

Save: $50 on Speed Hound Recovery Boots | $20 on Air Relax| $100 on Normatec| 15% on Most Absorbable Magnesium

Blogs: Best CHEAP Zwift / Bike Trainer Desk | Theragun G3 vs $140 Bivi Percussive Massager | Normatec Pulse 2.0 vs Normatec Pulse | Speed Hound vs Normatec | Air Relax vs Normatec | Q1 2018 Blood Test Results | | Why HED JET+ Is The BEST value wheelset

Who orders "an extremely dry" carne asada burrito from an "Authentic Mexican Food Truck"?

---

Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

Who gets a receipt from a food truck? Almost makes it less credible....

I eat real mexican food everyday (in san diego, hole in wall places). Why am I not running sub 15min 5k? :)

But you do get the runs.

And to let all you Witchunters know, her coach is sure she is innocent. He pointed to when she refused to wear carbon-plated spikes, even though they legal, in a race in 2019 to prove how good she could be on her on two legs. She came in 4th.

Isnt Nandralone the same drug top sprinters were caught , Ben Johnson?

FloTrack youtube has interviews from Houlihan, Flanagan, and Schumacher. All seem very believable, but I find extremely hard to believe they never heard of Nandralone?


Ben Johnson was caught with Stanozolol in his system after an In Competition Test after the 100m Final at the 1988 Olympic Games.

Ben later admitted to be part of an elaborate Steroid Program, under his Coach Charlie Francis, but that he had no idea how the Stanozolol got in him (that's not what he had been using Ben has long claimed)

As for the Houlihan situation - it's very confusing, but following the typical pattern that these situations take on. Athlete denies everything. Comes up with a Story - that often ranges from plausible to hair-brained! We have heard them all! The tainted meat story is starting to get old. However, there are a VERY small number of false positive tests that do happen. But this particular situation has already gone to appeal (while completely under wraps and in secret), and she lost! We know none of the details of this. Cyclist Phil Gaimon*, speculated in a Twitter thread that, often there are tell-tale signs and trends in the ongoing testing that an athlete like this gets - she probably is subject to very regular Out of Competition testing and In Competition testing.

* https://twitter.com/.../1404844866266230784


Looks like the whole of her Peer Group of athletes has come to her defense - making the situation even more confusing.

Not sure what to make of it all.

Also with Phil Gaimon's post, he points out the differences between when an elite/pro runner tests positive and a pro cyclist - at this same level. There does seem to be a difference in public reaction. I sense that a great number of people in the running community are still living in denial that doping is going on in high performance middle and long distance running! (Ditto in triathlon!)

---

---

Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

The truck itself may have the receipt, not her. Not defending this defense at all, just pointing out what I think they are referring to.

---

Too old to go pro but doing it anyway
http://instagram.com/tgarvey4

According to the latest Let's Run piece she didn't even eat Pork. She actually ate Carne Asada. I tend to believe based on my limited knowledge of the situation that some supplement she was using was tainted and she didn't know. Again, with my limited knowledge of doping and what others have written, my question would be why would she use the item in question and for what benefit given her sport. Seems there would be better things to be taking. If she is a systematic doper, microdosing on a whole bunch of things carefully (explaining large jumps in performance), it is likely that she was simply popped by something she wasn't managing, ie some tainted supplement and in that case it was just bad karma for her.


FWIW - the IOC in cooperation with WADA and a large group of leading & top Sports Scientists and Researchers, publishes every 2 years or so this massive guide on what athletes who are competing at the highest level in sports need to know about, what they are eating and drinking, supplement usage etc . . If you are competing at this level, it's must read stuff. I've skimmed through it a couple of times and it essentially concludes that there are VERY few OTC supplements, that can really help performance. But we know many high-performance athletes pop these like candy. They do run a moderately high risk of pricking up a positive test, because it's a completely un regulated business, and there is a lot of cross contamination. Final conclusion - you don't really need to be taking any supplements if you are eating a well rounded diet.

There are some things that are still legal that might work, but you really should be taking these under the supervision and guidance of a medical doctor

---

---

Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

She's looking less credible. The court of arbitration for sports "...unanimously determined that Shelby Houlihan had failed, on the balance of probability, to establish the source of the prohibited substance."

Link to official media statement from CAS: https://www.tas-cas.org/...dia_Release_7977.pdf

I have a lot of respect for a professional track & field athlete who is so completely clueless to the world around them that they claim to have 'never heard of nandrolone'. It's like Einstein getting lost in thought on his way home from the post office. Kind of a cute story, but probably not true.

---

***

as i wrote above, it's proximity. when the athlete is a friend or close colleague - assuming you have a good opinion of the athlete's ethics - you don't believe the athlete dopes, cuts courses, whatever. when you don't know the athlete, then you're much more likely to assume the athlete did *it*. it's certainly that way in tri and running.

---

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Never heard of nandrolone? GTFO 😂😂

---

What's your CdA?