Olympic champs get water bottles after races, but masters can’t?
This really chaps my hide. Watching today’s NBC replay of IAAF Diamond League meet in Brussels, I saw chilled water bottles being handed world-class athletes after their runs. Among them was Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the female Usain Bolt. But according to USADA and the ever-vigilant officials at Olathe masters nationals, athletes in races under 5K have to fetch their own water. Why? Because they might be handed spiked containers, of course. Before being made aware of the rule, I made a stink at Olathe — calling for a table to be set up near the finish line with meet volunteers handing out cups of water. National masters chairman Gary Snyder even assented at first, saying meet organizers had promised such a service. But other officials vetoed the water-cup handouts, and the table was removed after a half-hour.
Shelly-Ann is handed water after winning 100 at Brussels IAAF meet Friday.
So now we’re seeing the collateral damage of putting masters track under USADA policies intended for elites: insane rules meant to protect Olympians from testing positive by sabotage.
I’d love to see a masters exception to the USADA rule. Who in their right mind thinks a Kansas volunteer (or me) handing a cup of water to a thirsty finisher at nationals will put them at risk of a positive drug test?
On a different positive note, how about Bernard Lagat running the 5K in a season best 12:58.99? Or fellow 37-year-old Kim Collins clocking 10.07 at Brussels (after running the 100 in M35 record-tying 9.97 earlier this season)?
I’d offer them both a drink of water, but that would be wrong.
9 Responses
Nicely stated, Ken. As you indicate here (and stated elsewhere), an athlete who has just finished the 5000 run in a masters meet can be given a nice cold bottle of water, but an athlete who just completed a 1500 or the 2000/3000 steeplechase can not be given the water. All in the name of drug testing, preventing sabotage, etc.
I believe our meets continue to be for men and women aged 30-100 or above. We need rules that are appropriate for this population, which will not necessarily be the rules in force for high school, college, and open athletes. Bad rules should be either modified or thrown out altogether.
For masters championships, it might be nice to have an official water supplier for the event. In return for recognition the supplier could give us 1200 bottles for distribution at the finish line. Keep them sealed and on ice; what’s not to like?
Ditto..You tell em’ Pete…Sometimes I think a little common sense should prevail!
When I competed at the Nationals Throws meet in Lisle and there was free flowing water from 5 gallon coolers. No one with the USADA rule book was there. Illegal yes, but cool, refreshing, and greatly appreciated.
Thank you, Jim (no. 2). And after reading Ken’s story and reading your post I couldn’t help recalling a meet in which you participated: Charlotte nationals in 2006. Stacey Price (remember that name?) got the gold, but you “represented.”
Anyway, on day 1 the 12th-place finisher in the M40 5000 finished on courage alone, as he did not seem to know who or where he was. As you recall so well, it was hot and humid in Charlotte that day. No one went to him, and certainly I saw no one even give him water (albeit it was probably legal at that time to do so after a 5000).
The point is that he was in desperate need of help. I understand that he ultimately survived after going through a very rough period. Regardless, he was a 40+ athlete in danger of sudden death, and we have to plan for such situations and keep our priorities in order. Survival has to come first.
I notice the bottle in the picture above is sealed. No doubt the manufacturer of the water is a paid sponsor of the meet and/or IAAF and the meet is obliged to make some show of the product when the athletes are on camera after the race, and so they have it in hand when being interviewed. I bet the field event areas have ice coolers filled with the bottled water in question for the jumpers and throwers, too.
I doubt they would be handing athletes drinks in an open beverage cups after a track race. Not so much fear of actual sabotage, as avoiding a potential excuse if said athlete tests positive for PEDs.
All that said and done there should be a heat and humidity level that obliges meet directors to provide water during middle and long distance races. And shade for the jumpers, throwers, and muli-eventers too, who can be outside for hours in a day.
Good points, James. Maybe a workaround for masters nationals is finding a water sponsor, and we could hand out sealed bottles as well.
If a masters competitor is selected for testing, he/she should be immediately identified after the race. Everyone else should be free to drink water, beer, or whatever they want. The ones selected can be given water bottles by the testing rep who should be monitoring the participant until the test is administered. There shouldn’t be any period for anyone else that restricts the intake after a race.
Stupid rules for masters and must be something pretty new. However in Finland at the indoor meet in 2012, water was hard to find, drinking fountains – I found one the last day of the meet, and they sold tiny bottles of water for a high price. After I was selected for drug testing and asked for something to drink – they offered to let me buy a cup of beer! It too some time for them to round up several bottles of water when I refused the bottles of soft drinks. I cannot not drink carbonated beverages which was all they had on hand. I will not bore you with how long it took for me to “deliver” a sufficient sample – but will say – making sure the athlete to be tested is well dehydrated is NOT a good way to start off trying to get a sample. (after the 3k race btw – not after a short race – in a very hot and dry building).
I hope that if they hand me a bottle of water at the finish line of any race – someone will take off the cap for me – or give me a wrench so I can pry it off. Water should be freely available for athletes in track/field meets so that there are not serious health issue raised by dehydrated competitors.
Can anyone point to a rule about handing water to athletes finishing a race at any age level?
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