Stay ConnectedThe Clean Sport Collective is a community of powerful voices comprised of athletes, brands, events, clubs, fans and the public to support the pursuit of clean sport and athletics through the absence of performance enhancing drugs.
With this podcast, we will celebrate clean athletes, educate you on issues in the world of clean sport, and bring hope that we can all believe in the power of fair play across all sports.
Copyright: © Clean Sport Collective 2019
Track and field is full of thousands of athletes who train hard, seeking glory without a sponsor and unsure of where they might earn their next check to cover rent and food. Mikel Thomas is one of those athletes, and in spite of all of his challenges, he's grinded to 3 Olympic Games and podium finishes at the Pan Am Games and NACAC Championships (for North America, Central America, and the Caribbean).
Plus, he is now an advocate on topics that include athletes' rights and clean sport, even while he is attempting to make a 4th Olympic team, because he wants to leave the sport a better place for those who will come after him. He also wants to make his mother proud.
In this episode with Chris and Kara, Mikel shares his story from being born in Trinidad and Tobago to moving to Brooklyn at a young age to the turning-point moment when a school administrator chose not to punish him but instead to give him an opportunity in sport that would change his life forever. He talks about making the most of that opportunity by teaching himself how to run in the high hurdles by watching YouTube videos even as coaches told him he couldn't do it.
He's proved them and others wrong time and time again, not only learning and excelling at the high hurdles but also overcoming countless figurative hurdles from lack of sponsorship to eviction and injury to being forced to speak out against an embezzlement scandal within his own federation.
Regarding clean sport, Mikel discusses seeing organized doping within the sprints as an athlete, and he details his experience seeing it from the top while working as an intern at the International Testing Agency (which is affiliated with WADA).
Mikel says that his story shows that he is either relentless or stubborn. We think it's both... in a good way. Join us in standing with Mikel to support him in his journey to Tokyo and in his fight to empower and educate athletes for clean sport worldwide.
We are excited to kick off the podcast in 2021 with one of the greatest American distance runners of all time - Shalane Flanagan. From the roads to the track to the grass and mud of a cross-country course, her resumé of accomplishments pretty much has it all: 3-time NCAA champion, 4-time Olympian, Olympic silver medalist, 18-time US champion, World XC bronze, NYC Marathon champion, and former American record holder for all distances from 3K, 5K, 10K and 15K.
Even with this amazing list of accolades, we may never know Shalane's true accomplishments because many of her major races were affected in some way by drug cheats.
In this episode, Kara and Chris ask Shalane about it all. We discuss her childhood growing up as the daughter of two elite distance runners, living in Colorado and then Massachusetts, where her parents emphasized surrounding yourself with the right people.
She shares when her Olympic aspirations began and the gory details of getting food poisoning in China before bouncing back to earn Olympic bronze (which was later upgraded to silver). She talks about that medal upgrade and the impact of drug cheats on many of her major races including the Boston Marathon in 2014. Finally, she tells us about the true meaning behind the "f-yeah" moment at the finish line of her NYC Marathon victory and then how she now approaches clean sport as a coach with her athletes at the Bowerman Track Club.
Shalane is an amazing ambassador for #cleansport, and we can't think of a better way to kick off our podcasts as we head into this Olympic year!
What is it like growing up as the daughter of one of the greatest distance runners of all-time? Surprisingly normal actually.
In this episode, Eilish McColgan, the daughter of episode 60 guest Liz McColgan, joins Chris and Kara to talk about her own running journey from childhood club star to 2-time Olympian. Not pressured into it by her distance-running parents, she fell in love with the sport all on her own, making her journey uniquely beautiful.
Eilish details her up and down journey where she endured a performance plateau in high school before breakout performances in her early 20s led to a 2012 Olympic berth in the steeplechase and eventually to the 2016 Olympics in the 5K. It wasn't easy, however, as multiple injuries and surgeries almost derailed each of those opportunities on the world stage.
Eilish shares so much wisdom in this episode including navigating her changing body as a teenager, learning how to individualize her training for optimal results, and maintaining her passion and commitment to the sport through major injury. Of course, she also provides her perspective on what should be done to level the playing field and ensure all countries uphold similar standards for clean sport.
Throughout the conversation, Eilish's love for running shines brightly through, and we can't wait to root for her in Tokyo next year!
A quick programming note: we will be on hiatus for the month of December to enjoy time with our families for the holidays and will be back to you with new episodes in January.
Leo Manzano's story should be a simple picture of everything that is beautiful about track and field. Mexican-born, he moved to small-town Texas at a young age and had to negotiate with his father to join the middle school cross country team by agreeing to work over the summer to help his family pay the bills.
Once on that team, he fell in love with the sport, and then with his raw talent combined with grit, determination, perseverance, and lots of hard work, he went on to earn 9 state titles, 5 NCAA championships, 10-straight podium finishes at USAs, 2 Olympic teams, and one history-making silver medal at the London Olympics. Though small in stature at five and a half feet tall, Leo was a giant on the track known for his devastating finishing kick that carried him onto that podium in London and to the front of countless races.
Unfortunately, Leo's story cannot be told without discussing some of the sport's darkest shadows. In his first Olympics in Beijing, the gold and silver medalists were later busted for EPO use. In London in 2012, he was beaten by Taoufik Makhloufi who was the subject of great suspicion at the time and is now under investigation by French doping authorities after allegedly being caught with syringes and performance-enhancing substances. Gold medal and national anthem moment stolen.
Even after winning his silver medal, the first Olympic medal by an American in 44 years in the 1500m, Leo's contract was reduced by Nike because he was deemed "too old" at the age of 27. As a result, Leo let his Nike contract expire but couldn't find another deal for 18 months as he struggled to find another company that appreciated the value in his story. Meanwhile, he silenced the skeptics in 2014 and won his 2nd national title wearing a singlet with no logos.
Leo ultimately signed with Hoka and is supported by them to this day, even beyond retirement, but we can't help but wonder why one of America's greatest milers wasn't more appreciated in his prime.
In this episode, Leo joins Chris and Shanna to talk about both sides of his incredibly inspiring story. This one is a must-listen as Leo humbly reflects on what led him to become one the most decorated milers in US history while also shining new light on the dark sides of the sport with unique perspective and potential solutions. It's an honor for us to share Leo's story.
For Frank Lara, there is so much bittersweet about winning his first national title. He earned his first podium in a US road championship less than a year after turning pro. He was ecstatic with his second-place finish on the day only to find out that he was beaten by a drug cheat with a prior suspension for using EPO.
Still, he celebrated while the world was outraged for him, and he waited patiently for the much needed 2nd place prize money to supplement his part-time paycheck. The prize money never came. He forgot about it and moved on to prepare for other races with the Olympics on his mind. Meanwhile behind the scenes, the process was working for him.
The runner who crossed the line first that day tested positive for anabolic agents on race day and later in an out-of-competition test. The US Anti-Doping Agency was hard at work to confirm the adverse results and deliver a new 8-year sanction to the athlete in question.
Then more than 6 months after race day on the day before his birthday, Frank found out via a text from a friend that he was the deserving champion of the US 15K championship on that day in March. He didn't know how to feel with his top-of-the-podium moment already stolen. He did the only thing he could control and hammered a training run the next day on the famous Magnolia Road, earning a fastest-known-time (FKT), before celebrating quietly with friends.
Frank joins Chris and Kara in this episode to talk about the up and down emotions of it all. Plus, he shares his full story from being born in Mexico City to moving to Houston at the age of 5 to his "slow" starting in running before attending Furman University and ultimately joining the Roots Running Project in Boulder. Now, Frank Lara is officially a national champion with that first-place prize money in hand and all eyes on Tokyo 2021.
While it's tragic that Frank lost his winning moment in March, we can celebrate and find hope in the fact that the process worked, and clean sport prevailed in this story. It's so important that we keep fighting for young athletes just like Frank. Thanks to him for so graciously sharing his story.
Olympian in the 1500m in 2004. Podium finisher at the Ironman distance in 2016. Canadian record holder in the marathon in 2020. Malindi has 16 years of competing at a high-level as a pro, and she isn't finished yet with a potential spot at Tokyo 2021 pending selection by Athletics Canada.
Malindi's longevity and range in endurance sports is beyond impressive, but perhaps more impressive and inspiring, is the mindset that helped her achieve these results. Malindi joins Chris and Kara in this episode to talk about it all from growing up playing soccer in British Columbia (BC) to competing at Stanford with Sara Hall and Lauren Fleshman and on to the twists and turns of her amazing pro career.
In spite of her success, Malindi's career's was significantly affected by doping in a way that we haven't discussed yet. Listen in to learn about that and hear about how it cost her a 2nd Olympic berth in 2008 and stole her joy in the sport, driving her retirement from the track in 2012. Letting go of that heartbreak, she later discovered a 2nd phase of her career in long-course triathlon and ultimately the marathon.
Now a mom of two and living a full life in BC, Malindi focuses on her love of the journey, and it has her again poised to make that 2nd Olympic team more than 16 years after her first. We hope she makes it, but either way, she's an inspiring example for clean athletes everywhere.
Paula Aranda is the Chair of the Board for USA Weightlifting. As a 31-year-old woman of color, her background is unfortunately all too rare within sports governance. Perhaps equally rare is her clear and unequivocal stance on clean sport.
USA Weightlifting is currently locked in an international battle for the integrity of its sport as the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) tries to protect a culture of secrecy, bribery, and cheating. With Paula at the helm, USA Weightlifting recently took a stand via public statement to admonish the actions of the international governing body. This statement had us giving a virtual stand ovation as it was perhaps the clearest statement for clean sport that we've ever seen a federation make.
Paula joins Chris and Kara for this episode to talk about the reasons for that statement and why she and her board are fighting so hard for clean athletes. We start by getting background on Paula herself and then discuss her origins in weightlifting as a competitor and eventually board member. She discusses her indoctrination into a culture of clean sport within USA Weightlifting that started the first time she walked into a gym.
She shares more about the differences in the culture in the USA versus internationally and how politics and corruption are protecting a culture of doping outside the US. To conclude, she gives details on the athlete-first approach to governance her board is taking in order to protect the integrity of results here in the US.
To quote the USA Weightlifting statement, "we are not done fighting for our sport or clean athletes worldwide." We are right there with you, Paula. Thank you for the example you are setting for federations worldwide.
We are excited to welcome Ross Tucker back to the show! He joined us in a special episode in January to discuss the great shoe debate, and this time we learn more about his background growing up in South Africa before turning to discuss all of the major issues of today.
Chris and Adam lead this discussion as Ross talks about growing up in a small, industrial town in South Africa. He describes how checking out the only book on running in his local library would change the course of his life and career. That book - Lore of Running by Dr. Tim Noakes - would lead him to study under Dr. Noakes at the University of Capetown before embarking on a career in sports science himself.
Now, Ross is a science and research consultant for World Rugby, where he advises on issues of player safety and policy. He's also co-host of the Science of Sport Podcast where he and co-host Mike Finch regularly bring data and evidence to discuss a host of issues across sports.
In this episode, we dig into a handful of those issues including the shift of the great shoe debate from the roads to the track, the Caster Semenya case, new rules from World Rugby governing the participation of transgender athletes, and of course, the latest in the world of clean sport.
Ross Tucker has an amazing ability to make complex issues very simple and easy to understand. He's also adept at arguing both sides of each issue, which often brings unique perspective to any discussion. We learn something new every time we listen to Ross speak, and this was no exception.
Lee Troop grew up in Geelong, Australia and started running as an elementary school kid with his dad. His journey from that kid to become a 3-time Olympian and then ultimately to become coach of Olympic marathon team member Jacob Riley is equal parts fascinating and inspiring.
The journey has been far from easy, however, and Chris and Shanna chat with Lee about it all. He shares the story of the personal transformation of his father that would lead them to start running together. He discusses when he knew running could be career for him in spite of not having formal coaching until he was 18 years old. He talks about his hero Australian marathoner Robert de Castella who inspired him to move up to the marathon and to always compete clean.
Lee is very open and forthright about his challenges in life including under-performing his own expectations in all three of his Olympics in 2000, 2004, and 2008 and overcoming periods of time as an athlete and coach when he lost joy in the sport.
Through difficult times, Lee began working with Jacob Riley which led to a measure of redemption for both of them when Jacob placed 2nd at the Olympic Marathon Trials to earn his trip to the Tokyo Olympics. Lee recounts his emotions embracing Jacob at the finish line in Atlanta, while also being open about "selling his soul" by supporting Jacob's decision to wear the Nike Alphafly in that race.
We ask Lee about that decision and get his perspective on how technology, corruption in sports governance, and doping are affecting the simple beauty of our sport. In spite of all of it, Lee still believes in the power of running to change lives. He is still coaching hard, advocating for clean sport, and giving back to the next generation of athletes. Thank you Lee for staying the course with grit and integrity. You are an inspiration.
This week, we take a break from interviews for a Clean Sport Collective host roundtable to discuss current events in the world of clean sport. Chris moderates while Shanna, Kara, and Adam weigh in with their perspectives. Topics include recent doping sanctions in the pro and amateur ranks, the use of CBD, bribery charges for the former President of World Athletics, the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary on Lance Armstrong, and of course, how the great shoe debate is now moving from the roads to the track.
On the positive side, we finish by discussing inspiring moments with recent guests, celebrating Alysia Montaño on the cover of Runner's World, and reflecting on what creative race production during the pandemic might mean for the future of the sport. The excitement we've seen from fans engaging in the sport during this crazy time brings us great hope. Together, as a collective, we can change the culture and make a difference for the next generation of athletes to face a more level playing field. Join us.
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