Anti-doping in long-distance running, for the 21st century and beyond

Anti-doping has progressed significantly in the past 25 years but has also been beset by controversies and scandals. This thesis consists of three studies which provide a critical analysis of the current anti-doping system through the lens of three key stakeholder groups in athletics: clean athletes, athletes who have used controlled substances, and administrators with commercial interests (i.e., agents, race directors, and sponsors). The first study showed that clean elite distance runners suffer severe consequences from the doping of their rivals and have little faith in the effectiveness of anti-doping and little agency to drive meaningful reform. The results further indicate that the current system treats all athletes as potential cheats, resulting in a disconnect between the organisations responsible for anti-doping and the athletes they are entrusted to protect. The second study revealed the stark differences in the decision-making processes between athletes who have doped and athletes who have engaged in ‘grey area’ practices (e.g., asthma inhaler usage). For some athletes, the medical recommendation to use an asthma inhaler presents an internal conflict with their identity as a clean athlete, while for others, the struggle to balance elite-level training and goals with other life commitments leads to doping. The personal and social costs of that decision are high. In the final study, the commercial stakeholders provide a unique insight into the challenge of creating a sporting culture that dis-incentivises doping. The results present the concrete steps being taken by some members of this group to work towards a fairer sport, through their recruitment strategies, working practices, and reactions to doping within their ranks. However, the results also reveal the existence of a subset of commercial stakeholders, who focus on maximising performance and earnings without considering the wider implications of that approach. Overall, the data from this thesis depicts an anti-doping system which keeps the sport at arm’s length and enforces rigid rules in an uneven way, and a sport where most athletes and stakeholders are knowledgeable and passionate about clean sport but find themselves without a seat at the decision-making table.