Rob Murphy

Cheating makes me sad. I prefer to think of everyone as clean. There have been enough rumors about Salazar, though (and he's shown enough ego/cut-throatness) that it doesn't surprise me.

You can read my argumentative comments below the article.

It makes me angry as well. I've spent a lot of time trying to get the runners I coach to admire the achievements of Rupp and Farah. Now it looks like a joke.

Pretty depressing stuff. Might be naive, but I do think talented, dedicated individuals can compete at the highest levels without all that garbage.

I really like Jeffrey Eggleston. He may not ever reach the tier of Rupp, Hall or Farah, but cheering for him makes me feel good.

Goucher is so courageous for doing this.

Good training week, btw.

I go back and forth on this issue because I think it's hard to drawn lines between "natural" running and "synthetic" running. At the same time though, there are rules in place that are supposed to be followed in good faith.

The significance of this article taught me something new on the topic. Doping isn't a problem just because of unfair advantage (which, fine, true); it's a problem because it endangers athletes' lives and health. It also breaks laws as the article points out. One wonders about the doctors on the Oregon Project payroll as well. Put another way, is the problem only with Salazar? Doubtful.

It's also terrible for the reasons you mention, Rob. You want your runners to be good runners but also good people and to model behavior on great runners who are also great people. Perhaps a teachable moment is all I would add, but admittedly that doesn't add much.