Episode 495: Performance Enhancing Drugs In Ultramarathon | Kilian Korth

Kilian Korth joined the show to have a discussion around ultrarunning’s growing professionalization without sophisticated regulated drug testing, the limits and trade-offs of WADA/USADA-style regimes, and why “doping” as a blanket term obscures intent and severity. We unpack gray areas such as THC thresholds, TUE complexity for common medications, transparency vs backlash, influencer incentives, and the future pressure regenerative medicine and technology (e.g., super shoes) may place on sport rules.

Kilian: IG: @runtoughmindset | Substack: https://substack.com/@runtoughmindset

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Episode Summary & Notes: Zach Bitter & Kilian Korth on PEDs, incentives, and doping in ultrarunning

Context & framing

Conversation is the third appearance by Kilian on Zach’s podcast; shifts from traditional training/racing episodes toward current events in running.

Sparked by recent doping-related controversies (Cam Hanes / Sage Canaday online conflict, Mike McKnight’s discussion of BPC-157 use on Hanes’ podcast).

Both emphasize moving beyond narrow focus on specific peptides/cases to broader structural issues.

Activism, incentives & tribalism

Skepticism of modern activism: good causes often get distorted by perverse incentives (attention, platform growth, organizational self-preservation/mission creep).

Online environments (especially short-form social media) reward polarization over curiosity or truth-seeking.

Parallel drawn to low-carb diet advocacy: movement shifted from exploration of pros/cons toward dietary supremacy and identity attachment.

Both hosts value changing one’s mind with new evidence and prefer evolving conversations over tribal “debates” aimed at winning.

Core problem in ultrarunning

Rapid professionalization and financial incentives exist, but sophisticated testing (especially out-of-competition) is essentially absent.

Honor-code system + high rewards creates conditions in which some athletes near the top are likely to use PEDs.

Contrast with Olympic sports (e.g., swimming) where positives occur even with lower financial stakes.

“Doping” is an unhelpful blanket term that equates intentional, high-impact cheating (e.g., EPO) with gray-area or accidental cases.

BPC-157 and gray areas

BPC-157 is an experimental peptide with very limited human data (one small study of 12 people among 36 total studies reviewed).

Anecdotally has been used for tendon/muscle healing; on the WADA banned list at all times (no TUE pathway currently).

Gray areas exist in WADA criteria themselves (performance enhancement potential, health risk, “spirit of the sport”).

THC example: banned in-competition with a relatively high threshold; removed alcohol from the list is an example of changes over time.

Distinction between letter of the rules vs. moral/cosmic fairness; between intentional advantage-seeking and medical/recovery use.

Testing realities & practical challenges

Full USADA/WADA-style regimes require whereabouts reporting, out-of-competition testing, and significant lifestyle constraints (conflicts with the free-spirited, remote nature of trail/ultrarunning).

Even gold-standard systems have loopholes (missed whereabouts, remote camps, short-acting substances timed around sleep windows).

Half-measures are expensive, burdensome, and unlikely to deter determined cheaters.

Middle-of-pack and age-group athletes face different calculus; many use legitimate medications (inhalers, etc.) that may or may not require TUEs depending on type and dose/threshold.

Possible paths forward discussed

Transparency and honesty should be encouraged rather than punished (both hosts respect that Hanes and McKnight disclosed BPC-157 use).

Practical ideas:

Optional “non-competitive / open” checkbox so athletes using regulated substances can still participate without affecting results/records.

Tested vs. non-tested divisions (bodybuilding-style model).

More education needed around legitimate medical use (TUEs, Global DRO checks).

Focus should prioritize the small professional/elite tier where financial and competitive incentives are highest over age-group minutiae.

Future regenerative medicine and longevity interventions will force further adaptation; sport has already accepted large performance gains from technology (super shoes) more readily than internal/medical ones.

Influencers & broader culture

Influencer economy adds complexity: financial incentives to promote products or share experimental practices; difference between sharing personal experience vs. recommending use.

Transparency with clear caveats is preferred; pure anecdote-driven advice remains problematic.

Societal issues (tribalism, algorithmic incentives, low scientific literacy) make clean solutions difficult inside a small niche like ultrarunning.

Closing notes

Both stress nuance over black-and-white absolutism

Conversation aims to push the sport toward honest discussion of incentive structures rather than endless case-by-case outrage.

Kilian’s Substack article (“The Run Tough Mindset”) and upcoming documentary Forged in Failure are referenced as related material.