Clean Sport Collective

In this episode Kara Goucher and Chris McClung interview Adam Goucher. Adam (aka Mr. Kara Goucher) is a 4-time NCAA champion in cross country and track and field plus an Olympian in the 5K, and he has the highest US male finish in the World Cross Country Championships (6th) since 1986. Adam brings a unique and crystal-clear perspective on clean sport as an athlete that competed in the time period before a drug test for EPO was introduced. Adam tells a story about kicking a suspected dirty athlete off the track at the University of Colorado and talks about his role in supporting Kara in her move to leave Nike. It is particularly powerful to hear Adam and Kara interact during this interview as they reflect on difficult times shared together in the sport. Adam also recently told the story of the heartbreaking treatment of Kara by Nike during her pregnancy and after the birth of their son Colt. Though this blog came out after the interview with Adam was recorded, it shows further perspective on Adam's role in supporting Kara as well as trying to fight for what is right for all athletes and especially female athletes in sport. Here is a link to the blog: https://retreat.karagoucher.com/its-time-for-me-to-use-my-voice/ Adam now runs the business Run the Edge with his friend Tim Catalano. Learn more about Run the Edge and the Run the Year challenge at www.runtheedge.com. In addition, here is the link to the ProPublica story on doping allegations at the Nike Oregon Project: https://www.propublica.org/article/former-team-members-accuse-coach-alberto-salazar-of-breaking-drug-rules

In this episode, we interview Annie Thorisdottir of Iceland (@anniethorisdottir) about what drives her to be the best CrossFit athlete in the world. Annie has finished on the podium 5 times in the last decade at the CrossFit Games with 2 first-place, 2 second-place, and 1 third place finish.

This year she finished a disappointing 12th after a change in format to the Games. We talk to her about how she will bounce back from that, plus dig into her training regiment and her diet before discussing her perspective on drug testing and clean sport culture within CrossFit.

Annie has a strong perspective on doping in sport, asking the question: "How could you stand on a podium knowing that you cheated?" She also calls for additional drug testing in order to maintain the integrity of the sport she loves.

Annie's energy and passion is infectious, and if you weren't a fan of her before, then you will be now!

In this episode, Kara Goucher and Chris McClung interview Mirinda Carfrae (@mirindacarfrae) who is one of the best triathletes in the world. Mirinda (who goes by Rinny for short) has finished on the podium at the Ironman World Championships in Kona seven times with three victories, three second-place finishes, and one third-place finish. She also holds the run-course record in Kona with a time of 2 hours and 50 minutes for the marathon to cap off the 140.6 mile race.

With Rinny, we talk about her beginnings in sport as a basketball player, her transition to triathlon, and how she became one of the best in the world at her craft. We also cover what her training looks like, how she is so good at running off the bike, what it has been like coming back to competing after having her first child, and of course, her perspective on clean sport in her sport.

Rinny's perspective on clean sport is clear and straight forward, and she would like to see even more rigor to fight doping in the sport of triathlon.

In this episode, we switch the discussion to a new sport and interview Jonathan Coyles, the VP of Drug, Health & Safety Programs at Major League Baseball (MLB).

In the early 2000s, the BALCO Scandal implicated a host of MLB athletes which led to a congressional investigation into performance-enhancing drug (PED) use in baseball by Senator George Mitchell.

Senator Mitchell's investigation produced a 409-page report informally known as the Mitchell Report. The Mitchell Report detailed illegal use of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs by players in Major League Baseball. It also put forward a list of recommendations regarding the handling of past drug use and future prevention practices.

From this report, MLB created Jonathan Coyles role, and he now oversees the league's PED prevention program in coordination with an outside party and the players union. In this interview, we talk about the actions MLB has taken to prevent PED use including its drug-testing and investigative practices and its support for the Partnership for Clean Competition (PCC).

You will be surprised and encouraged to hear about the actions Major League Baseball has taken to promote clean sport.

With episode #5 of the Clean Sport Collective podcast, Kara Goucher and Chris McClung interview ultra marathoner Ian Sharman (@sharmanian). Ian has won over 50 events including the Leadville 100-Miler 4 times. He's also finished top 10 at the Western States 100 nine times and owns the fastest time to ever complete the Grand Slam of Ultras, a series of 4, 100-milers in just 10 weeks. Ian is going for his tenth top 10 at Western States this weekend (starting June 29).

With Ian, we talk about his background, how he got into trail ultras, tips for those who might be considering going long (including Kara), and of course, his perspective on clean sport in the ultra world. Our discussion includes his thoughts on how to build a culture of clean sport as well as what he thinks about marijuana as a performance enhancer. Ian's perspective on this topic is refreshingly black and white.

In this 4th episode of the Clean Sport Collective podcast, we interview Jenny Simpson (@trackjenny) to get her perspective on anti-doping efforts in sport. Jenny is one of the greatest US 1-mile and 1500m runners of all time. She owns 3 World Championship medals (1 gold and 2 silvers) and an Olympic medal (bronze in 2016). She's also a 3-time NCAA champion, 11-time US champion, and 3-time Olympian.

In this interview, we learn more about Jenny's background in sport and how she became one of the best in the world in her event. We get insight on what it's like to line up against suspicious athletes as well as what it's like to be randomly drug tested, including how things went in a surprise test on the morning of our interview.

Jenny is an athlete that we can all believe in, and we think you will enjoy this discussion with her.

With episode #3, Chris McClung and Shanna Burnette interview one of the founding members and current board members of the Clean Sport Collective - Kevin Rutherford, CEO of Nuun Hydration.

We start with a background on Kevin and how he came to be CEO of Nuun after stints at Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day, Kashi, MillerCoors, and S.C. Johnson. Then, we cover his progress as CEO in 6 years with Nuun including their corporate commitment to selling clean/natural products as well as promoting clean sport. Kevin talks about his role in the foundation of the Clean Sport Collective, the importance of the brand pledge, and how corporate sponsors can play a more active role in the fight for clean sport.

Kevin also challenges other brands/sponsors to take the clean sport pledge at cleansport.org.

In episode #2 of the Clean Sport Collective podcast, we introduce you to the 3 co-hosts of the show, Kara Goucher, Shanna Burnette, and Chris McClung, and give you more background on the Clean Sport Collective. We talk about the reasons and objectives behind the organization and then discuss insights into Kara and Shanna's experience at the recent Partnership for Clean Competition (PCC) conference in London.

About the co-hosts:

- Kara Goucher is an elite-level US distance runner who has competed in the Olympics for the US at the 10,000 meter and marathon distances. She owns a silver medal from the World Championships in the 10,000 meters and has finished 3rd place at both the NYC and Boston Marathons. You can read more about her experiences with doping in sport here.

- Shanna Burnette is Kara's agent and a leader in PR and marketing for brands in the running industry.She is the co-founder of ModCraft, a marketing agency she started with her husband in 2013. Shanna is the original founder of the Clean Sport Collective.

- Chris McClung is a co-owner of Rogue Running, a running coaching business based in Austin, TX. He is also host of the Running Rogue podcast which educates runners on coaching topics and aspires to build fans of the sport. Chris is a huge fan of all sports and is passionate about raising awareness on the topic of clean sport.

We are excited to introduce the Clean Sport Collective podcast with this first episode. The Clean Sport Collective is a community of powerful voices comprised of athletes, brands, events, clubs, fans and the public to support the pursuit of clean sport and athletics.

With this podcast, we will celebrate clean athletes, educate you on issues in the world of clean sport, and bring hope that we can all believe in the power of fair play across all sports.

For our first episode, we interview Travis Tygart, the CEO of the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). USADA is the national anti-doping organization (NADO) in the United States for Olympic and Paralympic sport. The organization is charged with managing the anti-doping program, including in-competition and out-of competition testing, results management processes, drug reference resources, and athlete education for all United States Olympic Committee (USOC) recognized sport national governing bodies, their athletes, and events.

We talk about the current state of US anti-doping efforts in this conversation with Travis.

About the co-hosts:

- Kara Goucher is an elite-level US distance runner who has competed in the Olympics for the US at the 10,000 meter and marathon distances. She owns a silver medal from the World Championships in the 10,000 meters and has finished 3rd place at both the NYC and Boston Marathons. You can read more about her experiences with doping in sport here.

- Shanna Burnette is Kara's agent and a leader in PR and marketing for brands in the running industry. She is the co-founder of ModCraft, a marketing agency she started with her husband in 2013. Shanna is the original founder of the Clean Sport Collective.

- Chris McClung is a co-owner of Rogue Running, a running coaching business based in Austin, TX. He is also host of the Running Rogue podcast which educates runners on coaching topics and aspires to build fans of the sport. Chris is a huge fan of all sports and is passionate about raising awareness on the topic of clean sport.