Recently, several of the world’s fastest distance runners have been caught doping and subsequently suspended. Among them are Ethiopian marathon runner Ruti Aga and Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir, an Olympic and World Championships winner.
But doping isn’t reserved for those chasing world records, Olympic medals or six-figure appearance fees. Apparently, neither is the desire to gain an advantage.
Increasingly, cases involve recreational marathon runners, athletes taking more than three hours to complete the distance, and competitors well beyond the traditional age of peak performance.
The question is, where does doping end? Have we seen a 70-plus-year-old athlete? Discuss the subject here.
Consider Cam Hanes, the 58-year-old American bow hunter, podcaster and endurance runner. Hanes found himself at the centre of an online anti-doping controversy after elite mountain runner Sage Canaday filed a tip with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Hanes had won his age group at the Oregon USATF Marathon Championship, running 2:39.
There are others, including athletes over 60, who have found themselves on the wrong side of anti-doping regulations.
Brazilian marathon runner Lais Mascarenhas Gomes Araujo, for example, tested positive for drostanolone, an anabolic-androgenic steroid derived from dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Her marathon best is 3:06:21.
Nor are endurance athletes the only ones facing scrutiny. Para athletes have also been caught using prohibited performance-enhancing substances. One recent case involving American para track and field athlete Shea Foster illustrates just how complicated the anti-doping process can become.
CAS overturns initial decision in Shea Foster doping case
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has overturned an earlier decision that found Foster had not committed an anti-doping rule violation, imposing a four-year period of ineligibility for his positive test for Roxadustat (FG-4592), a blood-doping agent.
The original independent arbitrator had accepted Foster’s argument that the positive test resulted from residual traces of a substance he had used before becoming subject to the World Anti-Doping Code.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed that decision, seeking to overturn the finding. USADA had originally requested a four-year sanction and supported the same outcome during the appeal.
Following submissions from the parties, including new human excretion data concerning the prohibited substance, the CAS arbitrator ultimately ruled against Foster more than a year after the original hearing.
Foster, 29, tested positive following a sample collected at the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials on July 20, 2024. The initial hearing was expedited because the 2024 Paralympic Summer Games were approaching. Foster ultimately did not compete in Paris.
Roxadustat is classified as a non-Specified Substance in the category of Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances and Mimetics. It is prohibited at all times under the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Prohibited List.
The substance stimulates the body’s production of erythropoietin (EPO), increasing red blood cell production and, consequently, the potential to improve oxygen delivery. In endurance sport, that is an obvious concern.
Foster did not participate in the CAS appeal, despite having the opportunity to do so.
His four-year period of ineligibility took effect on October 8, 2026, the date the CAS decision was issued. He receives credit for a brief provisional suspension served between July 26 and August 3, 2024.
There is, however, an unusual wrinkle.
Foster notified USADA of his intention to retire on May 12, 2025. Consequently, his period of ineligibility will remain in effect indefinitely unless he returns from retirement, makes himself available for testing, and serves the remainder of his sanction.
All competitive results obtained on or after July 20, 2024, have also been disqualified, including the forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.
The case is a reminder that anti-doping enforcement extends well beyond the Olympic podium and the professional ranks. Whether an athlete is chasing a world record, an age-group title or simply a personal best, the rules still apply.
And apparently, the temptation to find a shortcut doesn’t retire at 50, 60 or beyond.
The CAS award and other arbitration decisions are available through USADA’s arbitration decisions archive.
Athletes and support personnel can report suspected doping through USADA’s Play Clean Tip Center.
