I encourage you to check out the shitstorm that PTN’s post from early 2024 caused. They listed numerous athletes that hadn’t been listed on the Registered Testing Pool, because nobody listed them (neither IM nor WTCS nor PTO). An athlete cannot simply opt-in. Those athletes hadn’t been required to update their whereabouts. I’m not saying anyone particular on the list was doping, but there were notable names on the list, incl. T100 champs.
Also, different substance, but the 2024 IM Texas winner wasn’t on the RTP list either.
There’s always rumors about pro cycling teams doing camps in Lanzarote or some island and having an team rep sit at the airport and watch for WADA to arrive. No idea if it’s actually true, but instructive on how biologic passport is game-able.
Lanzarote and all other Canary Islands would be difficult - these’re quite populous, with enough local medical team at hand to contract themselves with testing agencies. In the end it’s not a WADA employee taking a sample. Hawaii would be already a better destination.
Lol, this narrative is straight out of the Lance-era playbook. I don’t doubt that for some percentage of athletes there’s some games being played here, but surely you need to update your assumptions on how its being done.
(the correct answer, unless you’re an athlete doing so or a WADA rep trying to catch them, is “I don’t know - we’ll find out in a decade”)
Very true, and ultimatly the direction I’m heading. I’m trying to add to the established research of psychological reasons by adding my sociological background and applying a cultural approach. But yes, it will come down to defining doping as knowingly using PEDs for their performance-enhancing capabilities, either in only using the drugs for this specific reason or for both medical reasons and enhanced performance simultaneously.
As some mentioned, it is probably a phenomenon that is different between sports and age groups. For example, there may be some groups and subcultures where competing at a higher level and showing greater performance may yield higher social standings than competing in a clean and fair manner.
[#offtopic]
Could you rephrase that? Would any of these fit? I don’t agree that pro (tri)athletes cheat in general. What does ‘in general’ mean? I believe some pro (tri)athletes cheat. Do you? I guess we’ve had Chartier and the Mexican recently and Starky caught out by TUE admin. And some SC Russians. I don’t believe all pro (tri)athletes cheat. @Slowman’s article from 2006 paints the story then (warning: in detail!).
sorry this diverges from the OP thread…I think in general is precise enough though. “I don’t think that pro athletes in general cheat”. some small fraction maybe. the article dateline is 2006. I hope things are changing.
Back to the original question:
again I think what is asked is if non elite athletes cheat via PEDs/Doping… why??? That is a whole different discussion. It may even fall to the study of philosophy/ behavioural psychology… does the probability of being detected change the behaviour? what is the incentive for a person to cheat? etc. is it simple risk reward behaviour?
To the study @CalvinZajac what is the hypothesis being explored?
there may be some groups and subc where competing at a higher level and showing greater performance may yield higher social standings than competing in a clean and fair manner
dare say that being asked to join in the dope group or expressing interest to join the dope group would access a higher social standing in some of those groups and subcultures, which occurs before any performance improvements.
im waiting for someone to give me the tap on the shoulder, sonny you show some promise, come join the dark side. the only tap on the shoulder i get is for a coffee run at work to have a bit of chat between colleagues
I am a half decent Triathlete, a few IM top 10’s in my AG, one podium, and 5th in Roth. At IM Hamburg in 2019 I met a Ukrainian athlete who I vaguely know who offered to supply me with PEDs. I politely declined, however, it shows that they are on offer to AG triathletes.
In my view, another issue is TRT - I believe that around 5% of males in the US over 18 are currently on TRT, age 40-60 I have read that it could be as high as 20%. You don’t need to search hard to find psuedo scientific papers suggesting that 50% of over 40’s have low T. It’s becoming a lifestyle drug. Now it is possible to compete while taking TRT with a TUE, however, the requirements to be approved is very strict - far higher than the barrier to get a medical prescription. I think that a significant number of AG men racing in Triathlons are on TRT - I am sure that they can rationalise it by saying that if they are tested the can apply for a TUE. Going back to the OP’s question, the motivation here is that it has been normalised, everyone else is taking it, and it’s not really breaking the rules. Personally I feel that anyone taking TRT for anything other than really serious medical reasons is a total idiot - but that’s just my opinion.
Just for clarification I am not taking TRT or any PEDs
I started a couple of months ago. It’s made a noticeable difference. Instead of killing myself and making pretty slow gains in strength, now I’m killing myself and seeing the weights go up almost workout to workout. Who knows how long that will last. Probably recovering better too, don’t feel like I need a recovery day as often.
I wouldn’t say it’s made me feel like teenager again, but it’s probably made me feel like a 35 year old rather than a 55 year old.
To clarify. I’ve been lifting weights pretty consistently for a few years now, lots of work arounds of various injuries but hitting the gym most days of the week. Two months ago started the Enclomiphene. Seems to have made a noticeable difference in strength gains.
Only endurance training I do is 30 minutes a day spinning on the trainer for health, was mountain biking 1 or 2 days a week for an hour or two, but stopped that with the winter weather about a month ago.
FWIW, free testosterone levels went from just about the bottom 10% of the normal distribution to top 10% of the distribution after about a month and half of taking the drug.
We’ve had threads on here about what are the best blood pressure meds to use…that in itself would seem to imply that there are lots of folks even on this forum breaking the anti-doping rules. I doubt a single one of them has a TUE for it.
Not that I blame them. If someone asked me if they should quit the sport because they need a blood pressure med, I would say ‘no’. But thats just me…