- On Sunday, Ridouane Harroufi, who served a doping ban from 2013 to ’15 after testing positive for EPO, won the USATF 15K National Championship, hosted by the Gate River Run in Jacksonville, Florida.
- In the race, Hansons-Brooks Distance Project runners Zach Panning and Ben Kendell finished fourth and sixth, respectively.
- In a tweet, the team stated they would not accept the result of the winner, and instead would pay their runners for a finish one place higher.
On Saturday, Ridouane Harroufi—who was suspended from 2013 through ’15 after testing positive for EPO—won the USATF 15K National Championship race, hosted by the Gate River Run in Jacksonville, Florida, with a time of 44:42. But due to his doping history, not everyone is thrilled with Harroufi’s finish.
Hansons-Brooks Distance Project runners Zach Panning finished fourth in 44:46 and Ben Kendell finished sixth in 45:02 officially. But according to a tweet from Kevin Hanson, the team will move the runners up a spot when considering payment for their finish in this race, as if Harroufi’s result didn’t count.
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That means Panning will get paid for a third-place finish ($3,000), and Kendell will get paid for a fifth-place finish ($1,000).
Harroufi’s win—and eligibility status—garnered plenty of other negative responses as well from runners, including Noah Droddy and Camille Herron. Hansons-Brooks Team Rejects Official 15K Results When Paying Out Their Runners recognized their runner Frank Lara, who came in second in 44:43, in a tweet: “he’s a National Champion in our minds as the winner Harroufi served a two-year ban for EPO while competing for Morocco in 2013.”
On the women’s side of the race, Bowerman Track Club’s Marielle Hall crossed the line first in 48:52, and BTC teammate Gwen Jorgensen finished fourth in 50:26.
