This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
Anti-Doping Education
Keep it Clean
AN ANTI-DOPING UPDATE FOR AGE-GROUPERS
By Rich Norman


Items on the banned list are there because WADA has determined that they meet at least two of the following three criteria:


■ Potential to enhance sport performance


■ Represents a health risk to the athletes


■ Violates the spirit of sport


 


Kristi Anderson admitted that she had “never heard of” the process needed to apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE). As the saying goes — ignorance is no excuse.


Anderson found that out the hard way last year when the 51-year-old mom was handed a one-year suspension by the U.S. Anti-Doping Association after testing positive for dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) at the 2014 Pikes Peak Marathon.


While Anderson accepted the ban, she claimed in several interviews after her penalty was handed down that she was surprised by the ruling because she was “not an elite runner” and the dosage of DHEA she took to address what she said was adrenal fatigue and menopausal symptoms gave her “no competitive advantage.”


In Anderson’s opinion, she had a valid reason for using DHEA. The ban — along with the embarrassment that followed — could have been avoided if she had filed for a TUE, a process that most professional triathletes are familiar with. However, most age-group athletes might be less familiar with how it all works.


Anderson is not alone. Atlanta triathlete Kevin Moats received a one-year ban in 2012 for using testosterone without a medical exemption, and Texas cyclist and triathlete Sloan Teeple was handed an 18-month ban in 2013 after he tested positive for synthetic testosterone. Neither athlete had a TUE for the substance.


Regardless of whether an athlete or the athlete’s doctor feels that the use of DHEA, testosterone or any other drug on the banned substance list, provides a competitive advantage, the use of the drug without a TUE is a violation of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency policy.


“Athlete responsibility is the cornerstone of any anti-doping program,’’ said Ben Nichols, World Anti-Doping Agency spokesman. “Athletes are personally responsible for what they ingest, and therefore what may or may not be revealed through urine or blood analysis. This is the case whether the athlete intended to use a prohibited substance or method or not; in other words, the buck stops with the athlete.’’


To avoid this happening to you, it is imperative that you familiarize yourself with the list of banned substances and the TUE process.


42 USA TRIATHLON SPRING 2015

Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120