July 10, 2024 In late February, at the 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships in Atlanta, I was present as a competitor. After my cool down jog, I returned to the Masters Tent, bumped into a competitor I knew who said, "I am just getting done now. It's extraordinary; they must have drug tested 10-11 of us! "That was a surprise because at previous championships USADA United States Anti-Doping Agency had, typically, just tested 2, or at most 4 athletes. I thought nothing of it afterwards, though, because there had been no positive tests among Masters LDR athletes since 2019.
In mid-May, this same competitor asked a member of the Masters LDR Executive Committee when she would be receiving her prize money from the 5 Km event. That inquiry was forwarded to me. When I inquired of the Atlanta Track Club, I eventually learned they had been informed of a positive test from USADA and were under orders not to distribute any prize money and not to communicate the reason to any of the participants. It was another month before the following note was posted on the USADA sanctions list at https://www.usada.org/news/sanctions/
"Qualls, Robert Track and Field Amphetamines, Nandrolone, Testosterone".
A USADA news story noted that he had tested positive for "multiple prohibited substances."
A story broke almost immediately in a Canadian Running magazine which was rapidly circulated among Masters LDR athletes
Qualls, in the 70-74 age division, accepted a three-year suspension; he did not contest the USADA finding that he had used multiple banned substances including amphetamines and steroids. Since he turned 70 in the summer of 2022, he had dominated the 70-74 division, winning almost every national competition he entered. He also won the world 70-74 title in Cross Country at the 2023 WMA Championships in Tampere, Finland. In his 60's, Qualls had been a very solid athlete, but not one who was a regular on the national Masters LDR podiums.
It was a shock--why would someone decide to take on the health risk of those kinds of substances for the transitory glow of basking in the limelight? And why would you think it would be okay to deny others of that glow by cheating???
The focus of this article is to shine a spotlight on the competitors who ran their hearts out and were robbed of their moment in the spotlight by a cheater. Unless Qualls announces when he started using prohibited substances we cannot know. But most reasonable people will suppose that the doping began in 2021 or early 2022. Qualls entered the 70-74 age division in May of 2022. The doping likely continued until he was caught in February 2024. The rest of this article is written under the unestablished, but entirely plausible, presumption that Qualls began using his prohibited substances before moving into the 70-74 age division.
The 22 athletes who were pushed down or off the podium during this 2-year span of illicit running, included (in alphabetical order):
Doug Bell Alston Brown Douglas Chesnut Thomas Cushman Gene Dykes Jim Foster Paul Funch Bruce Kirschner Ted Larison Richard Larsen Kirk Larson Jerry Learned James Linn Perry Linn Carl Mohr Fernando Moura Don Morrison Eugene Myers Jerry Orange Rick Pfeiffer Tomas Rodriguez Greg Wilson
Note: Those in blue were cheated out of Gold medals.
Taking the relevant Masters LDR Championships one by one:
May 21, 2022 USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships Rochester NY
Only the presence of one of the most decorated middle distance runners in the country prevented Qualls from 'winning' that race. He reportedly finished 2nd in 5:39, one second behind the legendary Nolan Shaheed. But, under the timing presumption above, the M70-74 podium should have been reported as:
Nolan Shaheed Pasadena CA 72 5:39 Alston Brown Mt Vernon NY 73 6:01 Jerry Learned Gainesville GA 73 6:06
Hat's off to Alston Brown for his excellent race, cheated out of the silver medal, and to Jerry Learned, cheated out of a podium finish!
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| Jerry Learned finishing off his M75 Silver Medal run at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships in Boca Raton, FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
September 15, 2022 USATF Masters 12 Km Championships Highlands NJ
This was the first in a long string of 'wins' for Qualls. But we know, now, that the honor should have gone to Gene Dykes! The official results should have shown:
Gene Dykes Bala Cynwyd PA 74 50:58 Fernando Moura Douglassville PA 71 52:08 Eugene Myers Columbia MD 70 55:22
This was one of Dykes's last races in the 70-74 division. That he lost to a 'young whippersnapper' was bad enough but to lose due to cheating was even worse.
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| Gene Dykes finishing off what should have been an M70 win in his last 12 Km National Championship as a 70-74 Year Old Photo Credit: Jason Timochko |
Moura ran a fine race and should have been honored as the Silver Medalist. Myers is always battling for the podium. It appeared he just missed this time! That was wrong; Myers earned the Bronze Medal. Cheers for Dykes, Moura and Myers!
October 22, 2022 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships Boulder CO
Qualls appeared to have another big win, but it was an illusion. The actual winner was the pride of Greeley CO, Doug Bell. Interestingly, the last time the two met at a Cross Country national championship in the Mountain West was in 2018 in Spokane. Bell came in almost a minute before Qualls did. Mohr had finished 5th in the 2021 USATF Masters 5 Km XC Championships in Boston. This was a nice step up, to Silver, not Bronze. Linn finished 4th M65 at the 2018 Half Marathon and at the 2018 5 Km Masters Championships. In 2019 he was 5th in the 15K Masters Championships in Tulsa. Linn was 4th M70 at the 2022 edition of the 5 Km XC at Boulder, 10th M70 at Club Cross, and 6th at the Road Mile Championships in 2023 in Indianapolis. With so many races where he did a great job for his finished just off the podium, it would have been sweet for him to climb onto the podium in Atlanta, and enjoy the cheers and congratulations of his peers.
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| Doug Bell headed for the win at the 2021 USATF Club Cross Country Championships Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
The podium for the 2022 championship in Boulder should have been listed as:
Doug Bell Greeley CO 71 23:08 Carl Mohr Broomfield CO 72 23:51 Perry Linn Broomfield CO 71 24:09
December 10, 2022 USATF Club Cross Country Championships Masters Men 60+ 8 Km San Francisco
It looked like another win for Qualls but looks can be deceiving. In fact, it should have been a 1-2 finish for the Jamul Toads, Greg Wilson and Rick Pfeiffer. The podium should have been listed as:
Greg Wilson Chula Vista CA 70 34:50 Rick Pfeiffer Carlsbad CA 71 35:18 Theodore Larison Preble NY 70 36:00
Of course, even with the individual win likely being stolen from Wilson, he and Pfeiffer were part of a big day for the Toads, They won the M70+ division going away.
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| Rick Pfeiffer left #1039 on His Way to the M70 Silver Medal at the 2021 USATF Club Cross Country Championships Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
And Ted Larison should have been on the podium that day; he earned the Bronze Medal with a great run!
January 21, 2023 USATF Cross Country Championships Masters Men 8 Km Richmond VA
Doug Bell and Gene Dykes got robbed again, and Douglas Chesnut was pushed off the podium. Bell should have enjoyed another win on the turf, first Boulder and then Richmond. This was the championship where I learned that Dykes had been struggling with a low white blood cell count. As a result, his 'off the charts' running of 2018-19 was still great, but now 'on the charts.' It is hard enough to deal with problems with your own systems without having to worry about other folks pumping up their systems! The recap would have been a little snazzier with the description of the classic battle between Bell who took it out hard and Dykes who just kept grinding. In the end, Bell outlasted Dykes by just three seconds...and it should have been for the win! Chesnut has enjoyed running with the Boulder Road Runners the last few years but told me that he especially enjoys running in the company of Bell. Occasionally Chesnut beats Bell but this was not one of those days. He was happy to provide support to the team effort.
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| Douglas Chesnut #602 enjoys a midrace lead over M70 Rivals, Kirk Larson Red Singlet back left #605, and Don Morrison Blue Singlet back right #600 at the 2023 USATF Cross Country Championships in Richmond VA Photo Credit: Michael Scott note: Bill Amor #544 was competing in a different age division. |
But, in fact, Chesnut should also have mounted the individual M70-74 podium on that cold January day in Richmond! The M70-74 podium should have been listed as:
Doug Bell Greeley CO 72 35:46 Gene Dykes Bala Cynwyd PA 74 35:49 Douglas Chesnut Louisville CO 70 36:08
February 25, 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships Atlanta GA
This championship had the same three victims, but in a different order. Doug Bell and Gene Dykes are accustomed to winning national championships; they have each won loads. But for most of us they are hard to come by and are to be enjoyed with celebration and accolades from friendly rivals and teammates at the race. This should have been Chesnut's first.
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| Bruce Kirschner left leading is Boulder Road Runners teammate, Douglas Chesnut midrace in the Men's 60+ Race at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
He was able to beat his running buddy, Bell by four seconds! And Gene Dykes and Kirk Larson battled for what seemed to be 4th and 5th but should have been for the final podium spot. Dykes prevailed by a single second! The podium should have read:
Douglas Chesnut Louisville CO 70 20:50 Doug Bell Greeley CO 72 20:54 Gene Dykes Bala Cynwyd PA 74 21:29
Not to worry too much about Chesnut, though, he got his first championship a bit over a month later in Sacramento CA when he claimed the M70-74 crown at the Masters Ten Mile Championship with a nifty 1:10:40! But it would have been great to celebrate a double!
April 30, 2023 USATF Masters 10 Km Championships Dedham MA
Qualls took advantage of a new set of athletes at Dedham: Kirk Larson, Paul Funch, and Jim Foster. Larson, a longtime runner and Captain for the Atlanta Track Club, has often told me that Dedham is his favorite championship on the Masters circuit. He was primed for a good race. Larson had a satisfying battle with Funch, of the New England 65 + Road Runners, besting him by 19 seconds.
Kirk Larson finishing off what should have been his Gold Medal effort at the 2023 USATF Masters 10 Km Championships at Dedham MA Photo Credit: Pam Fales
Larson was awarded the Silver
medal; it should have been Gold!
Kirk Larson Atlanta GA 71
44:07 Paul Funch Groton MA 72
44:26 James Foster Chittenango NY 71
44:58
June 24. 2023 USATF Masters 1 Mile
Championships Indianapolis, IN
James Linn was running with authority last year and ran a fast mile in Indianapolis, clocking a nifty 5:52! He was told he finished 2nd to a record-breaking performance. We know now that was an illusion. Linn should have been listed first in the results!
James Linn closing out his winning M70 performance at the 2023 USATF Masters 12 Km Championships at Highlands NJ Photo Credit: Jason Timochko
Doug Bell and Douglas Chesnut were also shunted down or off the
podium. They should have been awarded Silver and Bronze!
James Linn Harleysville, PA 70 5:52 Doug Bell Greeley CO 72 6:08 Douglas Chesnut Keller TX 70 6:13
October 7, 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km XC Championships Boca Raton FL
Bruce Kirschner was active in his late 60's providing service to his Boulder Road Runners and in getting USATF Masters LDR communications better organized. He was not actively competing in national championships. He had a few favorite races he liked to compete in, but not on the Masters national circuit. That changed, as it often does for Masters athletes, as he approached his new age division. His training had been going well; he was ready to roll. At Boca, he had a good day, finishing 3 seconds ahead of his teammate, Douglas Chesnut, taking 2nd to Chesnut's third. Or so he thought. Actually, it is highly probable that no clean M70-74 athlete finished ahead of him at the Masters 5 Km Championships. The recap should have highlighted his duel with his teammate, Chesnut, for the win. I suspect it would have been his first national championship. This was the third time Chesnut was pushed down the podium by drug cheating. For Orange it was the first time but this would have been his first time on an M70 national podium in recent years. Orange was one of my teammates, running #2 of 5 scoring athletes that year, for the Indiana Athletic Annex team in 2014 when we won the M60+ Masters 5 Km Cross Country Team Championship. Orange has competed sparingly on the National circuit, taking Silver in M60 at the 2013 Masters 15K Championships in Tulsa at 1:00:48, and Bronze M60 at the 2014 Masters Half Marathon Championships in 1:27:20. The following year, Orange relocated from Floyds Knob, IN to Florida. Just off the podium, 4th M65 at the 2021 Cross Nationals Championship in Tallahassee, it looked like history had repeated itself as Orange was listed again for 4th at Boca.
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| Jerry Orange finishing off what should have been a podium run at the 2023 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships at Boca Raton Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
But not so! Orange should have been mounting the podium, the proud owner of a Bronze Medal in his 70th year. The Official Results should have been:
Bruce Kirschner Louisville CO 70 22:48 Douglas Chesnut Keller TX 72 22:51 Jerry Orange Fort Myers FL 70 23:35
December 9, 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships Masters Men 60+ 8 Km Tallahassee, FL
The Club Cross Country Championships typically draw a deeper field than most other championships and draws the pure Cross Country team runners and others from the middle distances in Track and field who use the events to toughen themselves for their track races. Not surprisingly then, it was a different set of three runners who were shoved down by the drug cheater. Ironically, Qualls was initially, and mistakenly, disqualified for suspicions from his splits, based on a mix up of bib numbers, that he had cut the course. Had he been drug tested, the DQ would have stuck. But he was not, and he was restored to the top of the podium. In fact, Thomas Cushman should have been listed for the Gold, Rick Pfeiffer for Silver and Tomas Rodriguez for Bronze. Cushman's HOKA Aggies did not have a 70+ team entered so Cushman was in it for the individual competition. Rodriguez led for the first 2 kilometers of the 8 kilometer race. But once Cushman passed him, there were no athletes ahead who were not on steroids, amphetamines, and other banned substances!
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| Thomas Cushman's M70 Gold Medal Effort at the 2023 USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee FL Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Pfeiffer battled past Rodriguez to claim the silver. But Rodriguez held tough. He should have been the last athlete on the podium, a half minute ahead of Jim Foster. Even without the 2nd place he had earned, Pfeiffer was able to lead his Jamul Toads 70+ team to 2nd place in the team standings. Rodriguez led the Cal Coast Track Club's 70+ team to a 4th place finish. Neither team race would have changed had the DQ held. The Official Results should have been:
Thomas Cushman Chico CA 70 35:02 Rick Pfeiffer Carlsbad CA 72 35:58 Tomas Rodriguez Laguna Beach CA 70 36:36
January 20, 2024 USATF Cross Country Championships 8 Km Richmond VA
James Linn and Eugene Myers got robbed again and Don Morrison had his rightful 2nd place turned into a third place. As noted earlier, Linn has been running better this year. He had a great race, right from the gun. After the first kilometer, Linn had 12 seconds on Morrison. He built on that lead every kilometer after that, winning in the end by almost two minutes. It is a shame that the results showed him in 2nd place; apart from a drug abuser no one finished ahead of him in M70-74. Morrison created a 5 second gap on Myers in the first kilometer. That gap yo-yoed during the first 5 kilometers of the race. The gap was up to 12 seconds at the end of two kilometers. Myers cut it back to 5 seconds by the end of the third kilometer;
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| Don Morrison's M70 Silver Medal Effort at the 2024 USATF Cross Country Championships in Richmond VA Photo Credit: Michael Scott |
Morrison built his lead up to 7 seconds at 4K and kept the gap there through 5 K. Morrison was always able to respond to any surge that Myers threw at him. Finally, Morrison pulled away steadily after 5 Km. In the end Morrison had 2nd (not 3rd) with a cushion of 18 seconds. The Official podium should have been:
James Linn Harleysville PA 71 34:48 Don Morrison West Brandywine PA 73 36:33 Eugene Myers Columbia MD 71 36:51
February 24, 2024 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships Atlanta, GA
This is the championship where the run of doping victories stopped! In previous years, there were sometimes only two athletes of each gender who were tested. In this championship the number to be tested was tripled, at least...and one of those tested was Qualls. As a result, it will be his last championship race for three years. On site, James Linn and Doug Bell thought they had 2nd and 4th. Richard Larsen, who won the Masters 5 Km Championships on the old course in Atlanta in 2022, looked like he just had the Bronze medal.
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| Richard Larsen claiming the M70 Gold Medal at the 2022 USATF Masters 5 Km Championships in Atlanta GA Photo courtesy of the Atlanta Track Club |
Bell, pushed down four times previously, was pushed off the podium this time. But not so. Once the corrected results are posted, they will show Linn with a fine win, cracking the 20-minute barrier, Larsen a good half minute back in 2nd and Bell, 3rd another 47 seconds later.
James Linn Harleysville PA 71 19:43 Richard Larsen Shelburne MA 72 20:19 Doug Bell Greeley CO 73 21:06
It is nice to have the truth out, to be recognized for the fine racing you did, even after the fact. But there was a real loss. The excitement and pleasure of mounting the podium to the applause and cheers of your peers was denied to several athletes. To be recognized for Bronze when you actually earned the Silver medal; to have raced to a National Championship only to have a drug cheater steal your moments of glory--what a catastrophe? What a shame. The drug cheater's act is contemptible.
CONCLUSION
The Masters LDR Committee is pursuing the question of expunging the record and other accomplishments that were wrongly attributed to Qualls. There may be time limitations to how far back you can go before the failed drug test. But the Committee will go back as far as they are allowed to. This article focuses just on National Championships on the roads and turf. Championships were wrongly 'won' on the track as well. And Qualls competed at WMA on the track, roads and turf, 'winning' at least one World Championship in a Cross Country event.
In the meantime, whenever you run into one of these athletes at a Championship, give them an extra slap on the shoulder and congratulate them on the achievement that was diminished by a drug cheat.
