An Instagram exchange regarding illegal substances turns into a full-blown running controversy. Jon & Miranda unpack the Cameron Hanes vs Sage Canaday doping debacle, including the exact exchange that set off the “runternet” and why the reaction raises interesting conversations about running culture, fairness, and rules.

We walk through who Hanes is as a bow hunter turned endurance influencer, how his “keep hammering” brand fits into ultrarunning, and why Sage Canaday’s clean-sport stance makes him quick to ask the uncomfortable question: would this performance pass a WADA/USADA test? From there, we dig into BPC-157, the peptide at the center of the argument. What is it claimed to do for injury recovery and healing? Why is it banned? And why do anti-doping rules treat recovery as a form of performance enhancement in endurance sports?

Then we zoom out to the real heart of it: competitive integrity. Does fairness only matter for the top three, or does it matter for every age group award and every person? We talk WADA vs USADA, inconsistent testing, the growing pressure to enforce rules as trail running gets bigger, and the strange role of whistleblowers in a sport that still wants to see itself as gritty and “above” bureaucracy. If you’ve ever wondered where supplements end and PEDs begin, or what “clean running” even means anymore, this conversation will challenge you.

If this hot take lands with you, share it with a running friend, subscribe, and leave a review. Where do you draw the line between health choices, banned substances, and fair competition?

References: 

1. https://marathonhandbook.com/sage-canaday-reports-cam-hanes-to-usada-after-58-year-olds-239-eugene-marathon/
2. https://www.opss.org/article/bpc-157-prohibited-peptide-and-unapproved-drug-found-health-and-wellness-products
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34324435/
4. https://www.usada.org/athlete-advisory/key-changes-2022-prohibited-list/
5. https://naturadermatology.com/is-bpc-157-legal/
6. https://www.wada-ama.org/en/news/wadas-2022-prohibited-list-now-force
7. https://brobible.com/sports/article/cameron-hanes-addresses-sage-canaday-cancel-him-peptides-after-cocodona-250-running/
8. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12446177/
9. https://cameronhanes.com/pages/sponsors
10. https://run.outsideonline.com/nutrition-and-health/general-health/cam-hanes-bcp-157-and-the-gray-zone-of-banned-substances-in-recreational-running/
    
    
    

Thanks for listening to Running With Problems. Follow us on Instagram @runningwithproblems. DM us there with questions in text or audio messages! Or email us at [email protected].

Hosted by Jon Eisen (@mildly_athletic) and Miranda Williamson (@peaksandjustice). Edited by Jon Eisen. Theme music by Matt Beer.