Shades of Gray

In reflecting over the past couple months a topic has come up a time or two. The average person I talk to wants my perspective on if my sport is clean, and by this they mean doping. Lance Armstrong has been making major headlines all summer and this is often the only connection these people have to cycling or sport. As far as Lance is concerned, others will have to decide his guilt or innocence, but it did bring up the topic of cheating in sport. Most athletes I know all are vehemently opposed to doping, but what about other forms of cheating. We all say that we want a clean sport and to participate on a level playing field. What about the gray areas? Where do we draw the line? Does deliberate acts like drafting count? or how about prescribed medicines that can potentially increase performance?

During the last couple Ironman races I've participated in there has been rampant drafting. In Kona this year I was passed by a peloton of at least 30+ riders. I watched a woman draft off a man as they passed me. She continued to draft as they pulled away from me. When the referee flashed a red card for drafting she proceeded to argue with the referee. I passed her as she was serving her penalty in the "sin bin", but was later passed back as she drafted off yet another guy. Talking with people after the race I learned that this is indeed a race strategy some use. They figured that the 4 minute penalty they receive is well worth the time advantage of drafting. It's basic risk versus benefit. They hope to not get caught, but if they do they still gained time and saved their legs. As frustrating as it is to get passed by these people I know that my time is the result of my effort. I don't know if there is an easy way to solve this problem at Ironman. It did seem like there was a good amount of referees, but what do you do with a pack of 30? With 1800+ athletes on the road it is crowded, and those that choose to draft can. Only their choice of doing what is right will keep them out of the draft zone.

Another gray area is the use of inhalers by athletes. If an athlete has asthma then go ahead and use your inhaler because you need it. What I think is interesting is that a much larger percentage of elite athletes have asthma when compared to the general population. Why is this? There has been much debate whether use of inhalers in people without asthma does or does not improve performance. Do these give an actual boost or just a mental one? I guess my issue with the use of inhalers by athletes NOT having asthma is the intent to cheat. Whether or not they get a boost, their reason for taking the medicine is to improve performance. They can "legally" do this by applying with USADA for a therapeutic use exemption along with a doctors diagnosis and script. Is this the "gateway drug" to trying other performance boosters? Where do they draw their line or do they?

At the end of the day we all have to look ourselves in the mirror and face what we are. I never have understood cheating on any level and don't have any idea how someone can accept an award (or take it away from someone else) knowing deep down that they didn't come by it fairly. It makes you a morally/ethically bankrupt person to cheat at whatever level. What I would like most of my non athlete friends to know is that most athletes are clean and fight fare. It's a shame that the few among us that cheat are the ones that are remembered by the masses.