Popping pill - TD related (or not)

[substandard]

In total dream world to assume everyone here (despite being a jolly nice subset of society) would prefer to finish it clean than finish it fast.

From my own experiences of other people during events and even world record attempts, if it seems unbelievable, more often than not it is.

My own rules for doing events and challenges (cleanly) are certainly not how everyone chooses to play ball.

[PaulB2]

What's acceptable varies quite a lot sport by sport as well. Thibault Pinot (french world tour cyclist) recently got into a bit of an argument online because he questioned that a professional footballer (I can't remember which one) was lauded for playing through pain by having 6 injections in his knee before a game which would be illegal under UCI rules. Not that pro cycling is perfect since there are still a suspiciously high number of asthmatics with the corresponding therapeutic exemptions for drugs that help with lung capacity.

[slarge]

I read this thread with interest as I've been used as an example within it.
I have to say I'm not sure I have a position on the use of pills to enhance performance. People who do that are only kidding themselves that they can mix it up with the others who don't. I openly admit to using coffee and ProPlus (caffeine tabs) to keep me awake during some of the difficult periods, but I think never more than 2 pills per day (and tended to be mid morning for some reason). I also took magnesium/calcium and something else tablets as I'd been advised that my muscles would forget to work without these supplements. I carried painkillers (aspirin and emergency codeine) but didn't use them. The codeine was left over from a broken leg 12 years ago and I think I'd only have taken if I did something big and needed to self evacuate.....- who knows - it may not even be effective any more.

As for other people taking stronger stuff, and this harks back to the HT550 incident in 2019 with Tramadol. If you need that in the wilderness you're off your head anyway. The biggest failing in that event was that the owner didn't own up. So they knew it was wrong.....
If you're going to take stuff then at least own up to it and don't hide/deny it. Integrity is what this whole sport is about.

I'd like to think that I have a very high integrity level. As such me threatening to steal Colins tent pegs on the final day so he had to ride through with Ana and me was intended to keep him riding rather than put him at a disadvantage. I think it worked......

The whole "cheating" thing is, for me, based on the view that we shouldn't do something that - if someone else did it, we could moan about it. I didn't see or hear of any of this behaviour. I only saw people having a good time, and helping each other out (with positivity rather than "help"). My respect is equal for those still riding (fantastic endurance, stamina, grit and determination) as for those at the front (no sleep, long days, but not for that many days).

Not sure what I added to this thread, but I raced for me, not for glory, and I think almost everyone was similar.

[lune ranger]

Good to hear that. Thanks Steve