Big Sur Half Marathon Drug testing

"Big Sur Half Marathon" on Monterey Bay. Just worth pointing out that this race is not in Big Sur. But yeah, good initiative.

I wish races would just nix their appearance fees and lower price money. Lets say no more than $500 and all the drugged up Kenyans stay home. Make it old school again.

I heard that too. Don't know if it is true, but seems like a good idea. It sucks that every year another cheater is found out, but too late for honest winners to benefit.

DruggedKenyans wrote:

I wish races would just nix their appearance fees and lower price money. Lets say no more than $500 and all the drugged up Kenyans stay home. Make it old school again.

Big Sur Half doesn't do appearance fees or pay for travel beforehand (although sometimes after if you placed well). And as far as lowering prize money, it really sucks that so many Cali. races (and races across the country) have lowered or cut out their prize money. Doesn't exactly help ALL elites. But I agree- probably is largely due to the caravans of Africans and Eastern Europeans driving/flying in for the prize money- taking it all and giving nothing back to the race/sport.

Sisay is an epopian you jerk...not a kenyan

It's probably going to be a small elite field this year then. Haha.

It will be telling to see who stays away.

Now everyone knows to lay off the epo for a couple if days before the race.

There is more than $20,000 of prize money, but I think you are right that there are no appearance or travel funds. So it's great that they are testing if that keeps the cheaters away, or if they hold back the money until the tests are back. Better to invest some money in testing than give it out to cheats. Kudos to the BSIM organization.

Once the prize money is paid out, I doubt it ever gets recovered after a positive test. Makes you wonder how an honest road racer can even cover their costs, let alone make a living.

I ran there last year as an elite. I know their pissed at drug cheats. They were talking about implementing drug testing for sure.

Fastrunner Steve wrote:

I ran there last year as an elite. I know their pissed at drug cheats. They were talking about implementing drug testing for sure.

He won this 1/2 marathon 2 weeks after 2011 NYC marathon. Has Ezykas Sisay paid back the $10,000 in prize money as ordered by USADA.

What about the LaJolla 1/2 marathon in January 2012?????

You know what's even cooler? that they won't catch anyone now, thanks to you! way to go larry, thanks for helping! why don't you publicize every other race now that is/was planning on "quietly" testing their events, that way nobody ever gets caught, b/c they now know to lay off the sauce in time. dumb@$$!

Longhorn Larry wrote:

Heard from a pretty reliable source that the Big Sur Half Marathon this year (November 18th) is going to drug test.......Also heard if the elites ask about it before hand the coordinator and staff is going to deny it. Also very cool.

Anonymouse Cowherd wrote:

You know what's even cooler? that they won't catch anyone now, thanks to you! way to go larry, thanks for helping! why don't you publicize every other race now that is/was planning on "quietly" testing their events, that way nobody ever gets caught, b/c they now know to lay off the sauce in time. dumb@$$!

Longhorn Larry wrote:

Heard from a pretty reliable source that the Big Sur Half Marathon this year (November 18th) is going to drug test.......Also heard if the elites ask about it before hand the coordinator and staff is going to deny it. Also very cool.

Whoa there. I think Larry was actually just hoping the cheaters would just stay away.

which just means they won't get caught. that's the whole point, is to catch them. if you just "scare" them away, to races with no testing, then you'll never catch them. Hesch never got caught, maybe a race like this would have surprised him and busted him sooner. I can think of 2 or 3 other guys in this country alone that this would be good for. like i said, thanks for nothing larry, next time keep quiet so that someone can actually get busted.

I can verify they are going to do drug testing this year. Heard it from someone at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey who is involved in the finish line monitoring of top ten men and women and top ten women and men masters.

Wow another 1/2 marathon promoting the drugs! They must be really good for us then, yes? I wonder where I can get them and use them all the time?

Sorry Cowherd. I think you're right. I shouldn't have mentioned anything about this. But hopefully none of the elites will read this thread and the Half Marathon will be able to catch some people.

VCP111 wrote:

Sisay is an epopian you jerk...not a kenyan

If he's EPOpian he will fail the PED test.

Anonymouse Cowherd wrote:

which just means they won't get caught. that's the whole point, is to catch them. if you just "scare" them away, to races with no testing, then you'll never catch them. Hesch never got caught, maybe a race like this would have surprised him and busted him sooner. I can think of 2 or 3 other guys in this country alone that this would be good for. like i said, thanks for nothing larry, next time keep quiet so that someone can actually get busted.

The race's responsibility is to ensure a clean playing field. If all races that offer significant prize money ensured drug testing, they are more likely to keep the cheaters at bay. That's a good thing for all of the elite athletes that are racing clean and show up to Big Sur.

The race's responsibility is NOT to go on a crusade to catch cheats, by luring them in to a race with the goal of snaring them long after the finish. How hard is it to understand that by having the top finishers revealed as drug cheats months after the race, Big Sur takes a nasty hit in their reputation? Better to be confident that the racers in your field are clean when they toe the line, and leave "catching" cheats to the agencies that are responsible for out of competition testing throughout the year to do their job.

I never believed the drugs worked but now with the big sur 1/2 marathon's crusade, I am firmly convinced that they do!

I'm looking forward to loading up on drugs and running the big sur 1/2 marathon!