During the off-season, when all of us should be building a base in preparation for the arrival of next year’s races, I wasn’t feeling right. I was tired, unmotivated, and no amount of rest, diet, or diversion seemed to be moving me in the right direction. After a few weeks of denial, I sought out my doctor who, after some blood tests, referred me to a specialist. The verdict: Low testosterone, and the “cure” was to start on a regimen of Androgel. After a few weeks, I felt better, much better. I felt like I wanted to compete again. My dilemma was obvious. This reduced hormone level is not uncommon nor is the application of the gel, especially for someone my age, 65. Any blood test administered now would show that my hormone levels were well within the “normal” range. Still, I didn’t feel right taking the line at a race. Therefore, I have decided not to compete again. I’ve survived motorcycle falls at over 100 mph while racing, open heart surgery to replace valves damaged by a massive bacteria infection, bad knees, and countless other obstacles that have presented themselves at irregular intervals, but this one is different. It’s been a blast, these last few years, but I’m hanging up my gear and golfing my way into the future. I’ll still lurk in the background on this site for a while I suppose until that becomes a barrier to moving on. I’ve met some great folks along the way and helped a few get started in the sport, a remnant from my coaching days. Maybe I’ll find some other way to stay in the community, but for now I’m done. As a fellow competitor, I say good-bye.
You need more gel : )
Really if you took it got to feeling better then quit taking the gel, you would lose the benifit very soon. Go on and race
First, kudos to you for putting a face on the kind of person who is affected by this scenario.
Why drop out of competition? The mere fact that you are taking testosterone is not cheating anyone of anything. If you are concerned about robbing someone of a prize or something, inform the race director when you register for the race that you’d like to have your results removed from awards consideration since you are on medication that is considered a performance enhancer. Race away.
I respect you very much for your decision but I truly hope you can get over the ‘guilt’ and continue racing. You are taking a substance that is deemed appropriate by your doctor so, IMO, you should not feel guilty about racing.
I made a few corrections for you:
First, kudos to you for putting a face on the kind of person who is affected by this scenario.
Why drop out of participation? The mere fact that you are taking testosterone is not cheating anyone of anything. If you are concerned about robbing someone of a prize or something, inform the race director when you register for the race that you’d like to have your results removed from awards consideration since you are on medication that is considered a performance enhancer. Participate away.
Is it doping if it puts you in the “Normal Range” and is Dr prescribed to make you feel normal?
I would call it doping if you sought out the med on your own and got your levels above where they should be in order to perform at a higher level than normal.
Is it doping if it puts you in the “Normal Range” and is Dr prescribed to make you feel normal?
I would call it doping if you sought out the med on your own and got your levels above where they should be in order to perform at a higher level than normal.
Interesting… I think if a test was done it would show up, as the test for testesterone doesn’t measure the testesterone level per se, but instead the ratio between testesterone and some other hormone… One of Landis’s defences is that his testesterone level wasn’t actually raised, but instead it was the other hormone that was depressed.
Props again for a brave post.
Personally I don’t think the situation is as clear as some of the other replies have suggested - I have no medical background and am not commenting on your particular situation but cases very close to yours could throw up unanswerable hypotheticals that some of the other responses don’t deal with - for example is your level low for a 65 year old man or low for an average man (you mention your condition is not uncommon)? If the latter what is the correct course if one doctor tells you it’s part of getting older and one advocates the use of testosterone as a way to delay the natural process of aging? Or Dan’s favourite of whether to boost levels to the low end, middle or top of whichever “normal” range you have decide it’s fair to shoot for.
For myself I hope that in the next 35 years the medical and sporting communities come up with good answers to these questions that allow people to compete with a clean conscience without risking their health. Failing that I’d be tempted to keep competing and if it really bothered me step out of the finishing chute each time - wouldn’t that work?
So, what was your test when the doc said low? After, what was your level? All of us older folks may have to deal with this.
So, as has been asked, is this doping or not? Would one need a TUE for this? I assume you have some thoughts on this
since you said you are going to hang it up? Not sure why you would based on a medical need.
Dave
If your condition is medically indicated, you can get a TUE / Therapeutic Use Exemption. You should not feel any guilt in my view, just go to the races. Who cares about winning the AG 30 / 40 / 65 in some triathlon anyway?
I’m in the same situation - my level was low and I had other symptoms (<175 with normal range of 300 - 1100) so dr suggested the supplement. My level is now in the normal range.
I am also in the year long + process of recovery from a very nasty encounter with a truck (pedestrian vs truck - I lost and almost lost my leg) so I’m not competing for a while.
When I do return to competition, unless I have some miraculous change I will still be finishing in the 60 to 70th percentile, so a long way of winning anything or even getting to top 10%. Would anyone suggest that I do not compete?
The supplementation is not even an issue for me- what I am doing is really no different than any other medication or even my physical therapy - it’s a medical treatment designed to remedy a specific problem and is not giving me an unfair or indeed any measurable advantage over other athletes.
I will promise not to double my dose before my next race and not to accept a Kona spot if I win one…
The question to me is “should someone with a chronic medical condition treat that condition and compete”? OR should everyone stop taking their medication so that we can have an allegedly fair playing field?
I do understand that there are many ways and a lot of opinions on what constitutes “low testosterone that indicates supplementation”. I also think that anyone winning in the professional ranks should be looked at differently than a back of pack age grouper.
what is this the holier-than-thou elitist reversal???
So you’re doing nothing wrong, getting treated for a medical DISadvantage, and feel that you can’t honestly compete? To each his peach but this isn’t like Tiger Woods quitting now. No fan-fare, no honorable discharge, just a general wtf. In fact, I think this is ridiculous and you should get your booty in the saddle and race! there’s always time for golf.
get a damn tue if it makes you feel better and enjoy this sport. Look, at 65 you’re not going to the damn olympics so just ENJOY.
race…
I can’t really understand the decision to take testo instead of adjusting your performance goals according to advancing age. I don’t see anything wrong with just continuing to swim, ride, run at a lower intensity, frequency or excertion level.
Energy levels declining with advancing age and loss of performance is biologically normal and not a disorder or disease.
And trying to hold back the unavoidable doesn’t strike me as… I’d say: Wise.
And your medical doctor might not know this:
Especially with advanced age, “natural” Testo supplementation can very well give you problems in the near future. I have personally seen aged cells go cancerous when exposed to hormone jolts. And an aggressive cancer can do you in within a couple of years.
And to the posters who see nothing wrong with racing AG’s 40+ on hormone levels only found in the 20-25 AG:
Not being able to accept that you are getting older can very well be considered as a disorder that is treatable by an appropriate professional.
Well here we go. This is why I am totally against drug testing age groupers. Yesterday we had a 200 answer past how we should test and hang all those cheaters, now we say, ok your testostrone levels are low so it is acceptable to use testostrone patches. It is on “the list” How about me? I have only a 41 Hct can I use EPO and get mine up to the “normal” limit of 49.9? My Dr. who lives in Spain says he can get me some medications or even save some of my own blood to give back to me because I am at a disadvantage with my crappy Hct. I don’t want to cheat just compete with those guys who have a 49.9 Hct.
Drug testing and regulating is such a slippery slope, cheaters will cheat and most likely get away with it. I have been watching the druggers since Isometrics came out and all the weightlifters were getting some great gains using the “static tension” method. Oh and also steriods came available at that time too.
Then we noticed the East German Grils were swimming like boys and talked like them too. This crap has been going on forever and will continue. Life ain’t fair. Countries cheat, Teams cheat, People cheat some will get caught others will not. You will never know if any race was ever clean, so why try.
My 2 cents…
Only you know your real motivations. If it is to juice up so that you can kick people’s butts, then screw you. But that’s not you. To avoid any appearance of that you’d prefer to just not race.
If, on the other hand, you have a medical condition that you are taking prescription meds for - just to get back to “normal”, then I see no problem in racing. And if you worry about the appearance, then don’t take a prize if you race to the podium.
Take it to an extreme - you lose a LOT of blood in an accident, and at the hospital they give you a transfusion. Can you race next week? Sure. You’re not a blood doper, you’re using medicine to stay healthy.
Race on.
So, what is your level now? Does one take stuff to be at 300, or 700 or 1100? Does it make a difference?
Dave
Yep, the question I have. Once a doc tells you a level is “low”, then what? If you take anything, what is “normal”?
49.9? 1100? Once you start, when would you stop.
Tough questions, but I still want to try and compete against “natural” folks. Meaning, I can live with others having
better parents, luck, train harder, etc. But, to get a docs help to be “normal”, what does this mean?
Dave
“You will never know if any race was ever clean, so why try.”
For all the same stupid reasons that we keep trying to live together as a civilized society?
you are precisely the person for whom i’m publishing this series. those in your position number, in triathlon, in the many hundreds or low thousands. add in masters swimming, cycling and running and you’re in the tens of thousands.
the only difference between all of them, and you, is that you’ve got antennae that have picked up a message to dim for others to hear: that your sense of honor has collided with your conscientious desire to protect and husband the only body you have. most of those in your situation, yet who continue to race, do not have ill-pointing moral compasses. rather, they just wouldn’t even think that there is an ethical issue here.
it is my intent to keep my foot heavy on the gas pedal, until USADA and USAT each come up with a clear and unequivocal direction for those in your shoes. personally, my guess is that you qualify for a TUE, and i see no reason why you shouldn’t request one, since others starting on the left and right of you will have TUEs as well. those TUEs will tell you precisely what it is you can do and still be able to race with the knowledge that you’re smack in the center of what’s ethical and allowable.
i hope to see you at whatever starting line it is you’d like to toe. if the golf course is your preference, so be it, but if it’s not i hope you’ll not let this issue stand in your way. by the end of the year i would hope that those who’ve taken on the responsibility of setting the rules will clearly state what they are for somebody like you.