Host Brad Kearns talks to Andrew MacNaughton about some heavy issues, including the influence of doping in endurance sports and the moral dilemma it presents for athletes. Andrew talks about his own career, and discusses whether he would have made the choice to dope if he were a young pro in an era where doping was necessary to be competitive. The two also discuss how, oddly enough, taking performance enhancing substances in elite sports might actually be more protective, than destructive, to long-term health by considering examples like NFL player taking weekly beatings, or endurance athletes inflicting massive oxidative damage to theirs bodies during routine daily training.
Andrew and Brad talk about how old school values like intuitive training decisions might be getting snuffed out by the obsession of technology, scientific systems, and Internet coaching today. Andrew was a close confidante to Canadian Simon Whitfield, who won the very first triathlon Olympic gold (Sydney 2000) and then a silver in Beijing in 2008. He talks about Simon’s incredible gold medal performance, the ups and downs he faced over the ensuing years, and the amazing ability to peak again eight years later. More thoughts are offered about the constant debate between volume versus intensity. You will be entertained and intrigued by the lively banter of these old friends who competed together on the pro circuit from ’86 to ‘93—enjoy the show!