Recently, the World Anti-Doping Agency released a report that revealed the misconduct of several major Russian athletes, coaches, doctors, and members of the Russian government.
The runners in question had a whole team behind them, it seems. Their team, however, wasn’t the kind of team you would expect world-class athletes to be standing alongside. This team was not supporting them in their exceptional running, or working to foster their talents. No, this was a different kind of team. The team behind these runners had a different game plan. A game plan that included allowing, even requiring, the athletes to dope, paying off-lab officials to keep evidence of the misconduct from appearing, and even enabling the athletes to take on fake identities in order to avoid drug testing during their training periods.
As a devoted runner and competitive athlete, this kind of team is surely not the kind of team I want to be a part of. I have spent more than eight years as a competitive runner, competing in both cross country and track at the high school and collegiate levels. My years as a runner have fostered in me an irrevocable love for the sport. This sport is important to me, the competition is important to me, and I can’t imagine a day when I will cease to love it. The Russian athletes who participated in doping seemingly lost the love for the sport and for fair competition. Their love for glory outweighed their love for the sport, and that is a huge disappointment.
Through cross country, I have developed a deep appreciation for my body and everything it can do for me; the way my muscles stretch and contract, my legs moving with my arms as I fight across the finish line of a tough race, carrying me long after I have hit my limit. Or the way my soles find a rhythm on the pavement as I swiftly and easily hit my stride, mind wandering, losing myself in the comfort of the familiar miles of an easy run.
The moment these athletes doped, they proved to themselves, and now, to the rest of the world, that they had lost respect for what their bodies can do. Their bodies were once masterpieces, now tainted by performance-enhancing drugs. They once had the opportunity to push themselves further than anyone had ever pushed before, but instead they tapped out and let the drugs to the pushing for them. They robbed themselves of an opportunity to discover just how great they could be.
Running has given me an unwavering respect for the hard work it has taken each and every athlete to get where they are today. When you work hard and train hard, you come to respect the commitment it takes to make improvements. When you would rather lean on performance enhancers, you lose respect for the merit of hard work in getting you to where you need to be. The Russian team seems to have lost respect for this work.
Steve Prefontaine once said, “To give anything less than your best is the sacrifice the gift.” This quote has long stood in the running community as one of the greatest — a reminder that this sport requires your all, your best, every step of the way. If it’s not your all, if it’s not your best, you are sacrificing the gift. Maria Savinova, Ekaterina Postogova, and your fellow doping-runners, you have sacrificed the gift, my friends. Next time, do it all by yourself. Next time, embrace the gift, instead of turning it in for a counterfeit.
