Alert: I'm a potential doper

Triathlon Forum
1

All the talk of dope & Millar, Jones, Bonds, Lancey-pants, etc. brings up an interesting moral question: At what price does cheating become attractive?

Some have a very low threshold. We know these as the chronic drafters we see at every triathlon, selling their honor on the cheap, anything to make their tattered little egos feel better. I’m not talking about these damaged individuals right now.

I’m thinking more along the lines of, “Would you dope to move from 2nd to 1st in Hawaii?” That’s a $70k immediate jump in income, not to mention all the additional sponsorship income, speaking engagements/clinics, etc., plus fact that you would be THE IRONMAN.

Not for me. There are easier and more honorable ways to make $70k.

How about if it meant a jump from the minor leagues to the Bigs? Making the NFL vs. playing a year in the Arena League and then back to Home Depot?

I gotta tell you, IMHO doping for less than $1m is silly. Once that threshold is breached, count me in. To sign a $10m/3 year contract, I’d dope my ass off.

If you see me in the NFL, you’ll know.

-bobo

2

In the words of the immortal Ted DiBiase ‘the million dollar man’ every man has got a price…I think we just found bobo’s…come to think of it I think you found mine too…all would be dopers…say ‘I’
.

3

Nothing, and I repeat, NOTHING, could get me to dope. If I could win KONA, I wouldn’t dope. Think about it…for then rest of your life (shortened most likely) you’ll always know, you’ll always be paranoid that someone would find out.

If the drugs didn’t kill you, the guilt and stress would certainly help you on your way.

Nope. Not worth it.

4

Great post, Bobo.

When your choice is between sweeping the shit out of stalls in a Belgian farm, or dope and make a comfortable+++ living, doping wins - for MOST people.

I think most people would dope, given the proper circumstances, but that it is easy to sit back and deny it, from a position of relative privilege.

This doesn’t make doping morally correct, but perhaps understandable.

5

What is so special about $1M? I guess everyone loves round numbers; why not some offbeat number like the cost of an aircraft carrier.

Bobo raised an interesting question, that combined with the high cost of IMNA events leads to another question. How many AG participants in Kona got there because they used a banned substance? Think about it; it already costs a lot of money to just get to the qualifying event. Why stop there? Spend a few extra bucks on the right combination of drugs, and with hard work you will probably be guaranteed a Kona slot.

As far as I know, USAT doesn’t do any drug testing on AG athletes, and I don’t think the WTC does any random testing Kona qualifiers.

7

needle???:S I thought we were talking about POT…we were supposed to pass the bong…no one said anything about needles…I hate needles.

When asked the snowboarder who got busted at the Olympics why it will never be a summer event…his reply…'cause you can’t compete on grass man

8

Bobo,

Excellent point.

I think that there is something in human nature that forces some/many of us to push the envelope. This seems to be particularly true with top level athletes. At the risk of painting with a broad brush, you and I have all seen the ones that push it right to the line with everything. If the draft zone is 5 metres. They are sitting there at 5 metres + 1cm for mile after mile. If 4 cups of coffee put you over the line, then they are having 3 1/2 cups of coffee . . and so on. You know the types, but perhaps that is why they are so good.

9

I am with you on that one.

11

Tiphoonpaul, I do believe that there have been some random drug tests in the past of Kona age groupers. As fact, Lee Dipietro used some herbal nutritional supplement at some time which had an ingedient on some list of banned substances and tested positive for it. It was not big deal, but the point is that there are some tests done. On a different level, in the early 90’s Karen Smyers at a bagel with poppy seeds and tested positive for the same chemical found in opium !

Regardless, the lack of positive tests in triathlon indicates one or all of the following:

  1. inadequate testing

  2. not enough money in tri for someone to want to dope

  3. poor testing

Personally, I’ve misses qualifying for Kona by 8 seconds at Wildflower 1996. Would I dope for that additional 8 seconds. No way. Not even for a win in Hawaii. Its not that important to me. I likely make more in the semiconductor industry than most pros. Of course, they have a much more interesting lifestyle. This is what I told a pro friend of mine trying to make her second olympic team, “I’d rather spend 8 years of my life racing around the world, riding a bike, running trails, and swimming in oceans for my office. You have to be genetically gifted to do that. Pretty well anyone with some degree of intelligence and work ethic (most people) can work in a cube !”

12

Agreed.
As an aside, have you also noticed that the personal lives of these uber-achievers are more often than not screwed up like a sprayed roach?
Being relatively normal (psychologically) usually won’t get you too far in endurance sports.

Just look at me. Har-har.
-bobo

13

Nothing, and I repeat, NOTHING, could get me to dope. If I could win KONA, I wouldn’t dope. Think about it…for then rest of your life (shortened most likely) you’ll always know, you’ll always be paranoid that someone would find out.

If the drugs didn’t kill you, the guilt and stress would certainly help you on your way.

Nope. Not worth it.

Okay, but seeing as how you are on a triathlete site, I’m assuming you have had at least a middle class upbringing and lifestyle (may be a big assumption). Now suppose you are an innercity star HS football player. One parent, younger siblings, some friends who have been killed. Little chance outside of sports for higher education. You go to a top college where you’re expected to star. You do well, but after junior year the talk is that you haven’t really developed liked was hoped and you are unlikely to be drafted. All the guys you used to be faster and stronger than are now killing you. Have a heart to heart with the weight coach and he clues you in - Hey, I can knock 3 tenths off your 40 and add 100lbs to your bench, probably move you into the first round after your senior year. Which also pays for a new house for your mom and school for the siblings, maybe even takes care of a younger cousin or two. Any difference in your answer?

14

Good post. If someone told me today I could be making 7-8 figures if I started taking a PED, It would be almost impossible to resist.

Unless it involved needles. I hate needles. I won’t even get a post-race IV when I truly need one.

15

Bobo,

I know you are NOT a doper. Why? Because the last time I saw legs like that, they were holding up an Ostrich!! : )

Seriously, you make some good points. In triathlon, in particular, I think it would be ridiculous to dope a) not only because it’s stupid to begin with, but b) if you were in it solely to win and make more money - change careers. Triathlon is not a sport to become rich. Even winning IM Hawaii is a paltry $100k and maybe a few appearance fee’s. No one, outside of WTC, is becoming a millionaire racing IM’s.

On the professional side of Baseball, Football, T&F, etc there is soooo much more to be had. Not only do you have a more lucrative contract, but there could be signing bonuses, performance incentives (most home runs, most yards, fastest times, etc) tied into the contracts. On top of that, in the big ball sports, these athletes are surrounded by so many different coaches, agents, reps, their posse, etc that there is a tremendous amount of “expectation” placed upon a young up and coming basketball, football, track and field star. It’s tremendous pressure from all fronts to be faster, stronger, etc.

I think many of these athletes essentially lose who they are and what their identities are. They become a pawn to the financial gains of a lot of the people around them (remember, all those agents, reps, coaches … they aren’t doing it all for love).

Not saying it’s right if they do it, but there is also a ton of pressure from outside influences to “do it” if they aren’t already leaning that way. Ultimately, I hear rumors all the time about a lot of different people. And ultimately, that’s all they are to me - rumors - until proven otherwise.

-Dennis

16

“Once that threshold is breached, count me in”

what bobo is not telling you is there are all KINDS of things he’d do as long as the money’s right. it would be wrong to consider bobo a doper, and i’ll challenge any man who says he is. bobo is not a doper. he’s a whore. and don’t you forget it.

17

As the prophet Joe Bob Briggs once said:

“I won’t do anything that would violate my code of personal ethics, but I will do anything for money”

-bobo
.

18

Triathlon is not a sport to become rich.

Do you mean to tell me I’ve been wasting my time training all these years? And here I thought I’d retire from the Marines at 38, spend a couple of years training, and hit the Masters circuit, and make some pretty damn good coin. Great. Thanks. Thanks for blowing my dream. Damn you!

:wink:

19

surprise!

that cup of coffee you brewed for yourself before the 5am workout? doping.

that powerbar / coffee you might’ve grabbed before your MCAT or entrance or final exam? doping.

don’t eat the quarter-pounder w/ cheese all week long, opting for organic foods high in carbs? doping.

plonk $1.5K for a set of 404s to gain the extra minute and a half over the poor sap riding his old man’s Nishiki? doping.

spent $50 in a good hair salon before your job interview, or keep drinking coffee to not fall asleep in board meeting? doping.

it’s all unfair advantage over the folks that either don’t have good access to the stuff, have allergies, or whatnot. and there’s no stigma, 'cos it’s all widely accepted. EPO is not that much harder to get than a really good roast, and a doctor that’ll hook you up with it is probably far easier to find than a really good hair stylist. what’s the big deal?..

not saying that to dope in sport is okay - but i think we should stop treating it as something special. these athletes do within their professions the same things we do in ours and our daily lives - seek a competetive advantage over the others. it should hardly surprise anyone, because most of us have been conditioned to try and push ourselves farther each time, to “succeed” in life.

20

I’m thinking more along the lines of, “Would you dope to move from 2nd to 1st in Hawaii?” That’s a $70k immediate jump in income

I wonder if money is the motivating factor at that level. I don’t know, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of doping isn’t motivated by simple competitiveness run amok.

I wouldn’t dope for any amount of money.

I did know a SF type once who made a reasonable argument in favor of someone like him using performance enhancing drugs- not for personal gain, but to increase his ability to carry out his missions successfully, save the lives of his comrades, etc. I don’t know that I agree with that or not, but it was an interesting take on the issue.

21

Well, yes and no.
In the limited world of sports, there are legal advantages and other advantages deemed illegal.

Some things like ephedra are illegal, yet won’t make you go faster (it’s primarily on the banned list because it breaks down into the same/similar metabolites as amphetamines, it keeps people from claiming “I was just taking Sudafed” when they’re busted for being Amped stoopid)…
Yet other things make you go faster but are perfectly legal (aeroJunk, good nutrition, drafting for 14 seconds, etc.)

Fair advantage: Good
Unfair advantage: Bad
-bobo

22

Ethics, morals, values, priorities, it’s all personal I suppose. I’d like to think my standards are higher than to cheat…but it wouldn’t enhance much anyhow for this 43 year old MOPer.

Interesting point by Smtyrrell99 above.

Would you push drugs for money too?