DOPING: Prolific Marathoner Mary Akor Gets 2-Year Doping Ban

Mary Akor, an American marathoner known for frequent racing, has failed a drug test and accepted a two-year ban from competition, retroactive to May 6, 2013, the United States Anti-Doping Agency announced today.

Akor tested positive for Clenbuterol, a bronchodilator and anabolic agent, at a Mexican marathon in December 2012. All of her competitive results between December 6, 2012 and November 5, 2013, when Akor accepted her sanction, have been disqualified, including prize money.

Akor, 37, ran her PR of 2:33:50 at the 2006 Twin Cities Marathon. She was a member of the U.S. marathon team at the 2005 and 2007 world championships. She is best known for frequently running national-class marathon performances; for example, she had 11 qualifying times for the 2008 Olympic Marathon Trials.

This year, she won the Woodlands Marathon, in Woodlands, Texas, on March 2, in 2:41:15, and the Pittsburgh Marathon, on May 5, in 2:37:15. Two weeks after winning Pittsburgh, she ran her fastest time of the year, 2:36:04, to place third at the Cleveland Marathon.

Originally from Nigeria, Akor became a U.S. citizen in 2004. Athletes in many sports have failed tests for Clenbuterol. For runners, among its theoretical benefits are increased aerobic capacity, central nervous system stimulation, and increased fat metabolization.

Although today's announcement says that Akor must forfeit her prize money, races often don't pursue getting money back from banned runners because of the cost and logistics involved.

On Thursday, The Woodlands Marathon announced that it had removed Akor from this year's results, and declared Jenna Boren the winner. Boren and the other top finishers will receive additional prize money appropriate to their new placings; for example, Boren will receive an additional $1,750 so that her total winnings from the race equal the advertised first-place prize of $3,000.

A Woodlands Marathon spokesman told Runner's World Newswire the race has been in touch with Akor and her agent requesting the return of prize money and the cost of hotel accommodations the race provided. As of this writing, the race hasn't received a response.

SOURCE: runnersworld.com