Anti-Doping Solutions for Ultrarunning with Corrine Malcolm #222
Episode overview:
Corrine Malcolm is a coach, podcaster, on-air personality, and the head of the Pro Trail Runners Association anti-doping working group.
Episode highlights:
(14:34) Anti-doping goals in ultra-trail: an internationally recognized governing body, WADA compliance, moving past guerilla education, clarity and common rules
(39:50) Managing cost: a federation, race organization, or other relevant entity could serve as a signatory, a less official system could also partner with USADA, being part of WADA is more convenient, the PTRA cannot be a signatory, finding this entity is a challenge
(1:01:09) Next steps: inventing the “UTI”, what happens after an entity like this exists, establishing a global testing pool, distance-agnostic testing
Our conversation:
(0:00) Introduction: Corrine’s many roles in commentating, podcasting, and working with anti-doping through the Pro Trail Runners Association, catalyzing anti-doping efforts in ultra trail
(2:29) Corrine’s background: a commentator and speaker, athlete, coach, writer, working with the Pro Trail Runners Association (PTRA) to establish anti-doping guidelines
(4:27) Anti-doping pre-PTRA: USADA (US Anti-Doping Agency) and WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) examples, differences between countries and races, the unique Quartz system
(6:45) Introducing Quartz to ultra-trail: a badge of honor, misgivings, formation of the PTRA
(8:57) Quartz and the PTRA: medical discrimination and TUEs (Therapeutic Use Exemptions), making change while the sport is small and change is possible, leaning into established systems like Ironman-UTMB
(13:01) Ambiguity in anti-doping: you don’t know what you don’t know, relying on experience from other sports, adopting of testing by Western States and UTMB, AFLD (French Anti-Doping Agency) involvement
(14:34) Anti-doping goals in ultra-trail: an internationally recognized governing body, WADA compliance, moving past guerilla education, clarity and common rules
(17:53) Using WADA: reasons for using WADA instead of creating a community-specific code, accidents and burden of proof, using a universal system to remove burden from athletes and race directors
(21:20) The Anti-Doping Administration and Management System (ADAMS): there is currently no distinction between ultra-trail and races over 3000 meters, we need to become a player in that system, working with WADA makes compliance easier, multi-sport considerations
(22:57) Creating a consistent ruleset: the athletes just want to know the rules, a universal program is easier to follow, example of changing WADA codes and tramadol
(24:51) Alternatives to WADA: community-created guidelines run the risk of lacking experts, go to WADA because they have professional teams for this, you don’t want to take it upon yourself and screw it up, perceived biases
(28:02) Examples in sport: in-competition testing via USADA at Mammoth Trail Fest, education pre-race, testing at UTMB, education, and accidents
(29:50) OOC (out of competition) testing: the end goal is to include random OOC testing, recent challenges and accidents associated with even IC (in competition) testing
(31:52) Rule changes examples: theoretical example of poles at Western States, confusion over what is permissible, applying this confusion to anti-doping consequences, introducing anti-doping measures is extremely disruptive
(34:01) The roadmap to WADA compliance: meetings with relevant organizations, outside interest, working with a national agency like USADA
(36:33) Cost of anti-doping: about $500,000/year for testing <40 athletes, complications, testing and legal funds, scaling, Hoka is a billion dollar company, cost is not easy but it’s not prohibitive
(39:50) Managing cost: a federation, race organization, or other relevant entity could serve as a signatory, a less official system could also partner with USADA, being part of WADA is more convenient, the PTRA cannot be a signatory, finding this entity is a challenge
(43:58) The missing entity: avoiding bias, the roles of this entity, why can or can’t it be an existing organization
(46:00) UTMB as a signatory: UTMB doesn’t get more control in the sport from being a signatory, but from a culture perspective it should be independent, same for the PTRA, ITRA (International Trail Running Association), a new branch of an existing entity could be created
(48:18) The interest conflict: whoever becomes this fund-managing entity needs to be both a stakeholder and independent, example, scrutiny and perception of conflict of interest
(49:41) Predicting the entity as a stumbling block: USADA’s previous COO John Frothingham identifying the undesirable job of creating this controversial entity as the main stumbling block, revisiting the conflict of interest problem
(53:00) Cycling example: the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) as WADA representative and race organizer, analogy of UTMB becoming WADA representatives makes them more than a race organization, nobody knows where they want ultra-trail to be
(55:12) Co-opting ultra-trail: the potential for ultra-trail to be adopted as an Olympic sport and World Athletics, in theory we could wait for this to happen, mixed messaging from World Athletics, problems with waiting it out
(58:50) The future of anti-doping in ultra-trail: we want to be the ones to determine our own fate, taking action
(1:01:09) Next steps: inventing the “UTI”, what happens after an entity like this exists, establishing a global testing pool, distance-agnostic testing
(1:04:34) Determining the testing pool: complications and controversy, Ultrarunner of the Year analogy
(1:06:26) Volunteering for the pool: bias of resources, results management, Olympic Trials example, eligible athletes need to be on a list so they can be tested for a year prior to Worlds
(1:09:45) Solving the puzzle: anti-doping in ultra-trail is fractured and complicated, examples from history, stakeholders, leading to a more cohesive system
(1:11:33) What can you do: be ready, enthusiastic consent, education, agreeing to WADA compliance, make education mandatory to your athletes, make sure events are educated
(1:13:30) Anti-doping education: easier than it seems, it is the role of coaches to facilitate this, banter
(1:17:08) Takeaways: someone needs to create this entity to remove the stumbling block in anti-doping, a tough job but it needs to be done, take the education aspect of anti-doping to heart
(1:19:17) Wrap-up: giving thanks, commending Corrine for taking action to advance anti-doping in ultra-trail
(1:20:57) Outro: PTRA’s mission is no easy feat, links in the show notes, share the KoopCast, next week’s episode on bringing anti-doping to a novel audience with Gabe Baida
Additional resources:
PTRA-https://trailrunners.run/
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