This article below is in today's Duluth News Tribune Why the hell would someone even show up TO race if they knew there were drug tests they would fail?
Grandma’s winner disqualified
Kevin Pates Duluth News Tribune
Published Friday, December 15, 2006
Halina Karnatsevich of Belarus was officially disqualified as the women’s champion of the 2006 Grandma’s Marathon on Thursday. USA Track and Field confirmed that she tested positive for the prohibited substance Stanozolol, an anabolic steroid.
Karnatsevich, 37, who also won the 2005 Grandma’s Marathon title, has forfeited her $8,000 in prize money from the June 17 race. Runner-up Svetlana Nekhorosh, 32, of Ukraine has been named the winner.
It was the first positive test for Grandma’s Marathon, which has included drug testing four times in 30 years.
In accordance with International Association of Athletics Federation policy, the Belarus Athletic Federation has banned Karnatsevich from competition for two years, until July 21, 2008. She is Belarus’ top-ranked female marathoner.
Ten athletes from the 2006 Grandma’s Marathon, including the top three men and women, were tested in Duluth immediately after the race by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency of Colorado Springs, Colo. USA Track and Field randomly selects American road races to be drug tested annually. Grandma’s Marathon was last tested in 1994.
“I say, ‘Let’s catch the cheats.’ We want a clean sport. We want a level playing field for everyone,’’ Grandma’s Marathon executive director Scott Keenan said.
The outcome was announced by the Belarus Athletic Federation in October, when USA Track and Field reported a non-negative result in testing one of Karnatsevich’s two drug samples. Yet the official results, after tests from a second drug sample were completed, weren’t released until Thursday, nearly six months after the race.
“Our sport has cheating going on, but most races don’t have the resources to have their own drug testing,’’ said Katie Koski, 33, of Two Harbors, who has run Grandma’s Marathon eight times and was 19th in this year’s women’s race. “If you’re lucky and play your cards right, you can make a lot of money before you’re caught.
“I’m sure there are Americans who cheat, but I think it’s more likely to be Eastern European runners, who aren’t tested by their governing associations. They can come here and run in some smaller races and make a living.’’
The last 10 women’s winners at Grandma’s Marathon have come from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova or Kyrgyzstan.
Duluthian Jarrow Wahman, 45, who has raced for 30 years and run in 13 Grandma’s Marathons, said he isn’t surprised by the disqualification.
“If there’s money to be made, some runners will take the risk,’’ Wahman said. “To win $8,000 means so much more to someone from a country in Eastern Europe or Africa.’’
The lengthy testing process delayed payment to this year’s race prize-money winners and didn’t allow the Grandma’s Marathon race results booklet to have the official women’s winner listed.
“We’re interested in more dialogue to get increased testing in American road racing. We want to cooperate,’’ said Keenan, who has been with Grandma’s Marathon since its inception in 1977. “And when there is testing, we would like to get the results in a more timely manner.’’
Grandma’s Marathon asked to be tested this year, and Keenan said he already has put in a request with USA Track and Field for the testing in 2007.
Karnatsevich won the 2005 Grandma’s Marathon in2 hours, 28 minutes, 43 seconds, the second-fastest women’s time in race history, and won in June in 2:33:39, beating Nekhorosh by nearly four minutes.
Grandma’s Marathon officials have mailed Nekhorosh the additional $1,500 she earned by placing first. On Dec. 3, in the Macau International Marathon, Nekhorosh was third in 2:41:46.
Karnatsevich lives in Grodno, in northwest Belarus, and is married with a 5-year-old son. She has been running professionally for about 10 years and has a marathon best of 2:27:14.
“She is a treasure in Belarus. She is a star,’’ Grandma’s Marathon entrant Dzmitry Sivou of Belarus said of Karnatsevich in June.
I don't think she's a treasure anymore in her own country.....
In a game that they mostly dominate, CEC (Cloquet Esko Carlton) beat Duluth East 2-1 at the DECC. It's about time a team I WANTED to win, won AT the DECC. The UMD Men have been miserable there, and it was great as always, to beat East.
One thing I think all of us are trying to figure out, is, at the end of the game there was a large scrum in front of the Duluth East bench which drew some major penalties and a couple minor penalties for roughing, etc. Tyler Johnson was checked to the ice and 2 players held him to the ground and were cross checking him to the ground when the fight/scrum broke out and there were penalties all over the place. Somehow, Duluth East got a powerplay out of it, with 30 seconds left in the game. In the end, it didn't matter, but trying to figure out where the extra Cloquet penalty came from would probably take a magician.
Oh well :) CEC Wins 2-1 is all that really matters.
This last week and half or two has been really boring with not that much stuff to post about. The weather warmed up and now the snow is basically gone aside from the larger snow banks that were plowed up. Hopefully something interesting happens with the holiday coming, that I'll have more to randomly post about :)
Although I didn't take pictures of it... YUM.. roasted chicken breast with red skin potatoes for dinner.. mmmmmm
Took a bunch of potatoes and cut them in quarters (they weren't the little baby sized) and stirred them with a little olive oil and oregano then put 6 split chicken breasts (nice large size) on top around the pan and put Lowry's seasoned salt (Lowry's what else is there really) on top of it all and some paprika.
Roasted with the lid ON at 425 for 40 minutes then for 15 minutes WITHOUT the lid on to crisp up the skin of the chicken breasts. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM and of course we eat it with some canned corn also (Green Giant Niblets..)
damn that was good! ;)
In a story published in the Duluth News Tribune, Kevin Garnett mentioned he wants Allen Iverson in Minnesota. Iverson wants out of Philadelphia so this would be perfect for him. Garnett needs someone who can score to help him.
Obviously this would be great! The article from the paper follows, and I make no claim to it myself of course:
By Jerry Zgoda and Kent YoungbloodMcClatchy Newspapers, Duluth News Tribune
Published Sunday, December 10, 2006
MINNEAPOLIS — The notion of a trade for Philadelphia guard Allen Iverson played well in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ locker room before and after their NBA game Friday night against Utah.
Wolves forward Kevin Garnett was sitting next to his locker after the game when he was told of the latest Iverson developments.
“Where’s Kevin at?” he said, feigning a sudden move out of his chair to search for Timberwolves vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale.
His actions, suggesting he was ready to make a deal, were in jest. His words were not.
“Shoot, bring it on,” he said about the possibility of Iverson playing for the Timberwolves. “I love ‘The Answer.’ Come on, boy. There’s not anybody in here who would not want to play with him.”
Earlier in the day, Garnett said, “He’s not only a personal friend, but he’s a warrior and a soldier that I’ve always looked up to since he came into the league.”
Garnett entered the NBA in 1995 directly out of high school. Iverson arrived the next season after two years at Georgetown.
“I’ve been in the league longer than him, but we’re like brothers,” Garnett said. “He’s like my big brother.”
Veteran guard Mike James, who has been traded twice and signed and waived almost too many times to count, welcomed the possibility as well, even though he knows he, along with rookie Randy Foye, likely could be part of any deal the Wolves might strike.
“What he’s capable of doing with the basketball in his hands, man,” James said. “If he comes, I don’t know who Philly is going to get, but Philly’s going to get a lot. If I’m playing in Philadelphia, well, business is never personal.”
The Wolves haven't had someone like Iverson at point guard since Stephon Marbury went away.
