Selfishness channels ambition, envy drives competition, pride aids the win. Does it take a bad person to be a good athlete?
Mark Cavendish of Britain winning the 172.5 km 8th stage of the Tour de France, 12 July 2008. Photo by Pascal Pavani/AFP/Getty
Mark Cavendish of Britain winning the 172.5 km 8th stage of the Tour de France, 12 July 2008. Photo by Pascal Pavani/AFP/Getty
is an assistant professor in the department of Leadership and American Studies at Christopher Newport University in Virginia, US. She also runs at an elite level and has been selected to represent the United States on five national teams. She is the author of The Examined Run (2024).
I cross the finish line of a race, exhausted and excited. Before having the opportunity to rest or to celebrate, I am escorted to a small room with folding chairs organised around the perimeter, for drug testing. I sit sandwiched between my assigned testing agent and my coach, opposite my competitors. My competitors and I make eye contact and exchange weary congratulations, as we await our turns for drug testing.
These tests will measure for the presence of performance-enhancing substances, such as anabolic agents, erythropoietin, beta-2 agonists, growth factors and stimulants, some of which, like caffeine, are permitted in competition in limited amounts. They will also test for masking agents – substances such as diuretics that, while not themselves performance-enhancing, can disguise the presence of substances that are. Additionally, these test results will serve as a data point to track deviations from previous and future test results, as part of our Athlete Biological Passports (ABP). An ABP is a longitudinal means of assessing whether an athlete has participated in elicit forms of performance enhancement, achieved by monitoring biological markers that shift in response to certain drugs long-term.
