Sacramento Running News

Now that doping controls are a fact of life at the major, big money races, it looks like the new doping strategy is to run a lot of small money races where there are no controls.

ESPN’s Edurance Blog tackles this issue in a story built around Kenyan Jynocel Basweti’s recent sanctioning for doping.

Basweti was not a big name in marathoning, but ESPN reports that he has won 17 mid-market marathons in the US since 2006, with prize money of up to $10,000.

Sadly, as long as there’s even a little money on the table, cheaters will cheat. Hopefully, some lower-cost drug testing will come along soon so we can get back to not worrying about this.

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Because everyone still seems to be interested in barefoot running, I bring you another fine study that asks the interesting question of :

“Does the barefoot style reduce a runner’s risk of pain and injury (as enthusiasts believe)? Or does barefoot running simply contribute to the development of a different set of injuries in some runners?”

This study’s results indicate: probably.

Even with an extremely conservative build up of mileage in minimalist shoes (Vibram Five Fingers), most of the runners studied were showing signs of foot injury after a ten-week trial. (more…)