Shelby Houlihan: Overcoming The Adversity Of An Unjust Doping Violation And Reflections On Elite Track&Field Racing

Primal Endurance Podcast

I’m pleased to welcome to the show Shelby Houlian—one of the greatest female distance runners in the world.

She is an American record holder at 5000 meters, an 11 time US national champion, and an extraordinary competitor, so it’s going to be great to hear about her dedication, focus, and how she builds muscle mass. You will also hear about a highly-publicized and extremely dramatic setback she endured when she was hit with a doping violation—an ordeal that she has been forced to reckon with, and one that has made her grow tremendously as a person since this injustice has been heaped on her by the anti-doping authorities in global sports.

While we do acknowledge that we have had a massive problem in modern sports with doping and cheating, you will find out in this episode exactly why Shelby is such a unique case, and why she was someone who was a victim of a system, but not a cheater.

TIMESTAMPS:

Shelby Houlihan is a great athlete who, unfortunately, experienced a major setback in her career when accused of doping. [00:01]

By understanding Shelby’s ordeal, we hope to shed a light on the flaws in the system of the anti-doping establishment. [02:19]

Unfortunately, she bought a burrito. [07:02]

The public hates cheaters and Shelby has had to deal with the distrust in herself and others. [20:17]

She had little recourse in fighting to decrease her four-year ban. [29:10]

Is it possible that some of the members of the anti-doping establishment are in it for the wrong reasons? [40:48]

Having to put her dreams aside, how is Shelby processing this setback? [43:24]

She felt empowered when she was able to say “They can’t take my love of running away from me.” [51:52]

Running by herself has been most difficult. [55:06]

She cannot officially train with other runners as part of her suspension. [01:01:13]

How clean is the world of sport these days? [01:05:12]

As an athlete ages, does the odometer theory come into play? [01:14:51]

How is Shelby supporting herself after spending money on attorneys and losing her sponsors. [01:20:00]

LINKS:

• Brad Kearns.com
• Brad’s Shopping page
• Shelby Houlihan on YouTube
• Shelby Houlihan talking about her case
• PrimalEndrance.fit
• Shelby on Instagram

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