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CheatingNovember is drafting month in American amateur triathlon. With Ironman Florida, Clearwater 70.3 Champs and Ironman Arizona on the calendar for successive weekends, the online world is alight with drafting discussions. I thought that I'd share some thoughts on drafting, cheating and drug use this week. Over the last 20 years, I have worked, traveled and lived around the world. Along the way, I have seen a wide range of cultures, ethics and approaches to business, sports and academics. The first thing that I'd caution against is putting too much energy into seeking to solve the "problems" of others. Not everyone sees a problem and, more importantly, not everyone wants to hear an outsider's idea of a solution. I rarely have a friend thank me for pointing out their lapses. Much more common is people thanking me for sticking to my own standards. Part of the reason that I rarely write about cheating is that I prefer to stay on message with a positive outlook. We'll see how this goes... if you like to draft and use drugs then you might not want to keep reading... Cheating I'm laughing now thinking about it but it is a similar pattern. Explode, rant, settle down, expel the person from my life. I'm wondering if there might be a better way. This article is an attempt for me to share my ideas and figure out the way forward. While our individual ethical codes vary (considerably) around the world, we share a similar irrationality when we encounter individuals inside our circle that break the rules. The closer that circle gets to us, the more irrational our responses can be. Divorce is often "ugly" because it can be a very public, and very close, breakdown of values. Ever notice that "foreigners" do most of the cheating? Even the foreigners blame the foreigners! The Americans blame the French, who blame the Spanish, who blame the Chinese, who blame the Indians, who blame the Pakistanis, who blame the Americans... Nobody blames their own circle, and it is rare indeed to find a person that says, "hey I started it, I did it, I'm telling others to do it and I'm going to keep on doing it". We blame everything other than our own core values. I used to think that cheating had little impact on my life. Denial is an effective coping strategy! There is a long term benefit to giving everyone the benefit of the doubt. It's an easier way to live - constantly focusing on all the little flaws around us does not make us fun to be around. As well, I have plenty of flaws myself so getting into a battle over who is the most screwed up isn't a very effective strategy for relationship management.
There is a neat quote that I came across many years ago: when someone deceives you, ask yourself what you wanted from them When I discovered the latest round of "cheating" in my life - I went through the usual irrational phase then I settled down (took about a week). Once settled, I asked myself what I wanted from the person in question as well as the larger question of what I want from athletics. I haven't figured out what I want/need from the person but I have a good idea about what I want from athletics over the next twenty years. It may sound weird but I see sport as an opportunity to prepare to die with class. If you live, and compete, long enough then eventually (unless you redefine your game) you will start to lose. When we lose, we often feel pain. The more we truly give to the effort of winning, the greater the pain that we will feel. So a big part of cheating in sport is about coping with pain (physical pain with NFL lineman looking to keep their bodies intact; or mental pain with aging athletes boosting hormone levels to avoid the pain of natural aging). It takes a lot of self-confidence to give everything to the game, play clean and accept the outcome. The outcome of our lives is decided (you don't get out alive) but the way we play the game is up to each of us. How do you play the game? There is a cultural component in how games are played around the world, or even within the same peer group.
In business, a contract can be interpreted using any of the above and will vary based on: your location in the world; the counterparty; and the leverage of the contracting parties before, during and after negotiation. When you are playing any game (business, marriage, athletics) - it is a lot easier when you have partners that interpret the rules in a similar fashion to you. If we have shared values then it means that we interpret the rules in a similar fashion. It doesn't mean that we are "right" -- I constantly feel this strong desire to prove others wrong! My desire to "be right" is a warning sign that either I haven't truly figured out my position, or (more likely) I am still in the irrational response phase that happens when we encounter folks with different values. Do I need to avoid people that don't share a similar outlook? Drafting I like the example of drafting because it is a minor form of cheating. It is fascinating to see how heated we can get on such a minor item. If you think that it is a major item then I recommend you spend a weekend at your local VA hospital, rather than Panama City Beach. That should help you regain your perspective. Practically, what are our options when faced with drafting in a non-drafting race? Avoidance - don't enter the race. After I raced Ironman Australia in 2000, I decided that I would never race that course again. Actually, I went further and decided all Aussies were cheaters... ha ha ha... those damn foreigners again! Now I am being deliberately provocative here. I did an Olympic distance race in Hobart a few years later (8 laps with a big hill on each lap... all of a sudden the Aussies were back to being a law-abiding nation). So if a situation truly bothers us then we can remove ourselves from the situation. If you go the next step and seek to organize a boycott -- then all you are doing is seeking peer validation for your own decision. I'm not sure that our decision is any more, or less, correct by the number of people that back us up. If you have a value issue then best to be true to yourself and support the race directors that put on fair races! Test your commitment to fair racing by doing Silverman, St George, Auburn and/or small local events with hills! Then get fit enough to drop all the folks that want to sit on your wheel... Rule Modification - we should acknowledge that fast races are popular. Ironman Florida sells out instantly, perhaps because people want the absolute easiest way to gain the IM-cachet. The race isn't going anywhere -- it makes a lot of money for its owners and is extremely popular with the customers. Has USAT considered if American triathlon would benefit from more draft-legal racing? A lot of countries have been using the format successfully in their amateur ranks. We tend to dislike change and default to supporting the status quo, even if it isn't working. Change makes people uncomfortable. My personal position is that it is better the change the rules that aren't working -- rather than -- create situations where otherwise honest people are highly likely to break rules. Getting in the habit of breaking rules is a slippery slope because of the internal dialogue that it sets up.
This is a pattern that will not serve society over the long term. Keep the non-drafting format for courses that lend themselves to non-drafting racing. Hilly courses with a limited number of athletes. Don't fool yourself that staggered, or TT, starts will fix the problem. I can assure you that friends/teams/club/elites know how to game the system. By the way, at Ironman Oz in 2000, Norman held off a huge chase pack (that really was a pack) to win. It is unfair to paint anyone that wins on a flat course as a cheater. The strongest athlete can win but you have to be REALLY strong! The fact that honest people can win leads quite nicely into doping and drug use. Doping #1 - you don't have to use drugs to go fast; and #2 - your ultimate performance is dictated by the work that you do, not the corners that you cut. So let's apply some of those drafting points over to doping. Where are the dopers going to congregate? We will find them at the places / events that generate the most EXTERNAL validation - world champs; large prize money; large social prestige; winning over opponents the dopers admire; wide-spread media attention. We will also find them in cultures/groups/teams with different values - I think there's a NASCAR saying... you ain't trying if you ain't cheating. Something like that. I've certainly played cards with folks that take that view. So if doping bothers us then we might have to redefine the rules of our game -- one of the nice things about swimming is that it focuses on personal performance over time. I really like that. Swimmers, from a very early age, see the link between work and personal improvement. Throwing down a fast race; or kicking my butt at some event... is that real if you are are juiced? At one level it is real but... at a another level, the internal dialogue of self-rationalization starts. Do you know how much work I did... This goes well beyond the WADA List. In a few years, we will be able to dial up the physiology we want and lots of people are going to want the easy way. Ironman Florida is a metaphor for our society. If you and your team are taking, say, DHEA then why stop there? Once you've rationalized that away you'll be on to EPO, gene modification, biomechanical engineering and other methods to reduce the pain. Choose wisely,
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