As a runner, I understand the dedication needed to stay in shape. I realize the hard work it takes to train for a 5K or to go jogging after staying up until 2 a.m. the night before.
I can only imagine what it would be like to train for a marathon or the Olympics. The level of dedication and physical and mental strength required is absolutely unbelievable.
I am inspired when I read about people who run marathons well into their 60s. I admire Olympic runners who compete and win multiple events. All of these people have the willpower and physical strength that pushes even beginner runners to run that extra half-mile.
That said, I was shocked to hear that one of the most amazing runners of our time, Marion Jones, admitted to using steroids to prepare for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Although she has been accused of using steroids before, she has always vehemently denied it, even going so far as to deny the accusation in her own book, "Life in the Fast Lane," released in 2004.
Jones won five medals in the 2000 Olympics and was the first woman ever to win five medals at one Olympics. A 2001 article in "Runner's World Magazine" described Jones as "the fastest woman on earth and arguably the best female athlete in the world."
At my high school, there was a poster of Marion Jones hanging in the girls' locker room, with the words "Run for your dreams" emblazoned on it. My friends and I used to make fun of the poster because it was cheesy and her outfit was "soooo hideous!" But none of us doubted she was an amazing athlete. None of us could deny that we wished we were her.
Jones never had it easy. She was banned from track for four years in high school after missing a drug test, broke her foot twice (sidelining her from National Trials) and has been married to a slew of steroid users. Still, in 2000, she came out on top. It's the quintessential athlete-hero story. And it has all come crashing down.
This story sounds disappointingly familiar. Just recently, bicyclist Floyd Landis was stripped of his Tour de France title after failing a urine test. Baseball player Barry Bonds is also being accused of steroid use. It seems like steroids have become a permanent fixture in sports.
People have said that steroids are needed so all-star athletes can survive the intense training needed to perform at the top levels. But not everyone uses steroids. Unfortunately, it's the ones that do that shape our views of athletes, sports and our definition of health.
Athletes who use steroids are cheating. There are great athletes, but when someone gets busted for using steroids, suddenly we all wonder, "What about him? Is he using them? What about her?" The integrity of the sport is compromised, and we focus less on the athletics and more on the controversy behind the sport.
I no longer see Marion Jones as an inspiration. She may have worked hard to get where she is - I don't deny that she is still an unbelievable athlete - but steroids have painted her in a different light. She won't be Marion Jones, the track star, but Marion Jones, the has-been steroid user.
We cannot believe there is a simple, easy way to a healthy life. It's hard to get in shape, and it's hard to stay in shape. But that's why when we've worked hard, it is suddenly worth it. We can't let athletes compromise our views of health and our bodies because they want to use steroids.
Whatever happens to Marion Jones, whether she goes to jail or gets her medals taken away, I hope she recognizes not just what she has lost by taking steroids, but what she could have gained without them.
