Alberto Salazar was a standout among US distance runners

Born in Cuba and raised in the US, Alberto Salazar became a running star at the University of Oregon. He made headlines in 1978 by pushing himself to a dangerous body temperature of 108 degrees in a race. In 1982, he won the Boston Marathon, a time when American runners led the distance running world.

Salazar set a record at the 1981 New York City Marathon with a time of 2:08:13. He was paid $250,000 by Nike, a massive amount back then. He also used DMSO, a horse anti-inflammatory, for his injuries.

Winning the New York City Marathon three times, Salazar later struggled with health issues and missed the 1984 Olympics. In an attempt to bounce back, he turned to Prozac, prednisone, and even testosterone, despite it being banned. In 1994, he conquered a 55-mile race in South Africa. He confessed to using testosterone from 1995 to 2006, showing the lengths he went to maintain his edge.

He mourned the decline of US runners on the world stage

In 2001, Salazar, a former marathoner, and a Nike executive watched the Boston Marathon from Nike's Oregon campus. They were disheartened to see runners from Korea, Ecuador, and Kenya dominate the top spots, a stark contrast to the 1970s when US runners like Bill Rodgers and Frank Shorter excelled. Since the 1980s, American success in distance running had dwindled.

Salazar believed he could coach American runners back to prominence. Tom Clarke, a Nike executive, supported the idea, leading to the creation of the Nike Oregon Project. This initiative aimed to infuse Nike's competitive spirit and funding into distance running under Salazar's guidance.

However, Salazar's coaching career had its controversies. He coached Mary Decker Slaney, who faced a two-year ban in 1996 due to elevated testosterone levels, which she attributed to birth control pills. Additionally, Nike athletes like sprinters Marion Jones, Justin Gatlin, and cyclist Lance Armstrong were embroiled in doping scandals, casting a shadow over the company's sports achievements.

Salazar's coaching pushed fairness limits with unconventional training methods

Athletes joined Salazar in Oregon for intense training, while others chose Boulder, Colorado, for its high-altitude benefits. Thin air at high altitudes boosts red blood cell production, a strategy also used by East African runners. Salazar invested $110,000 to mimic a high-altitude environment in an Oregon house, setting it to 12,000 feet above sea level for his Nike team.

However, the system accidentally reached 14,000 feet. During a training camp in Santa Fe, New Mexico, at 8,000 feet, Salazar used an altitude tent set at 14,000 feet for a top athlete. Despite some doubts about his methods, Salazar's authority remained unchallenged.

Salazar used creative methods to obtain prescription drugs for athletes

Coach Salazar encouraged athletes to seek unnecessary medication. For example, despite normal thyroid levels, runner Adam Goucher was prescribed thyroid medication by Dr. Jeffrey Brown, who believed athletes needed it. Arianna Lambie, another athlete, experienced side effects from similar medication and had to reduce her dosage. She eventually left the Nike Oregon Project.

Salazar also taught Lauren Fleshman how to fake asthma symptoms to get medication. He had her run in high pollen areas and then sprint to the doctor's office, ensuring she'd fail an asthma test. Despite the doctor's advice to use the medication only during pollen season, Salazar instructed her to use it year-round.

Salazar showed intense interest in coaching Galen Rupp from school.

Salazar, known for coaching older athletes, wanted to train young talents. In 2000, he met Galen Rupp, a 14-year-old soccer star and sprinter. Salazar took charge of Rupp's training, covering everything from workouts to diet. Under Salazar, Rupp broke records in the youth circuit but was on oral prednisone, a substance later banned.

Rupp attended the University of Oregon but trained separately under Salazar, even using a high-altitude sleep device and getting allergy shots despite no known allergies. He won national titles in his last college season.

Turning professional didn't change much; Salazar continued as Rupp's coach. Claiming Rupp had asthma, Salazar sought a medical exemption for prednisone use, which was denied. In a secretive move, Salazar had an assistant deliver Rupp's urine to the Mayo Clinic for testing and sent the same assistant to Germany with novel hiding pills, aiming to bypass doping tests.

The 2012 Olympics proved Salazar's excellence as a coach

At the London Olympics, athletes coached by Salazar, "Mo" Farah, and Rupp, clinched the top two spots in the 10,000 meters. Salazar called it the best moment of his life, and Nike showcased their victory on campus. However, his athletes often suffered from asthma and thyroid issues, needing medication. Critics called him "Albuterol Salazar" for his reliance on drugs. Salazar faced criticism for his harsh methods, with former coaches and athletes exposing his tactics.

Kara Goucher discovered Salazar's medical knowledge limits as a runner.

In 2005, coach Salazar treated Kara Goucher's calf injury with a mix of crushed aspirin and DMSO, wrapped in plastic. Despite her complaints of a burning sensation, he insisted she keep it on, leading to blistering and weeks of healing. He also disregarded her need for rest, pushing for surgery instead.

Salazar conducted experiments with AndroGel, topical testosterone, using his sons as subjects. He applied the gel to his son Alex's back and monitored the testosterone levels through urine tests. Despite concerns from Dr. Brown about potential harm to Alex's pregnant wife, Salazar increased the dosage. Brown eventually admitted to prescribing AndroGel to Salazar, knowing it would be used on others.

Salazar advised athletes to consume high doses of Vitamin D

Salazar believed taking a lot of Vitamin D could boost testosterone levels. Despite the risks, he had his athletes, including Farah, take much more than the safe amount. Salazar even had his kids take these high doses. One athlete felt sick after Salazar made them take L-carnitine, believed to help with endurance. Everyone knew not to argue with Salazar.

Before the 2014 London Marathon, Farah got an L-carnitine shot in a hotel. When questioned by the US Anti-Doping Agency, Farah first denied it, but then admitted to it after leaving and coming back to the interview.

USADA sanctioned Salazar in 2019 amid doping rumors and denials

In September 2019, after more than 14 years of investigation following a tip to the USADA hotline, coach Salazar was banned from sports for four years, along with Brown. World Athletics and the USADA informed Salazar's athletes that he could no longer coach them.

In 2020, the US Center for SafeSport examined Salazar for emotionally abusing his athletes. Mary Cain, recruited by Salazar in high school, reported that he arbitrarily set her weight limit at 114 pounds. If she exceeded this, he would ask her to take birth control pills or diuretics, even weighing her in front of teammates. After experiencing injuries, Cain became suicidal and started self-harming. Another runner, weighing 112 pounds, said Salazar mocked her for her weight after a poor race. Kara Goucher reported that while flying to meet with Salazar in South Korea, he got drunk and tried to kiss her. His athletes confirmed that Salazar emotionally abused them. His relentless drive to win led him to cross ethical boundaries.