Kara Goucher’s smiling face has graced the cover of Runner’s World, Skechers ads, and countless other running products, but earlier this month she let fly with a saltier side.
Goucher had just missed out on making the women’s Olympic Marathon team, finishing fourth. She graciously praised the trio that beat her, then was asked about how her life has been since she leveled doping accusations against her former team, the Nike Oregon Project, and the coach, 1982 Boston Marathon champion Alberto Salazar.
"People ask, 'How did you come back?' Letting go of that shit is how I came back," Goucher told letsrun.com. "I lost 200 pounds of fucking baggage I've been carrying around. They can't touch me anymore.”
A ProPublica/BBC Documentary in 2015 detailed Salazar leading doping efforts, with the BBC often citing Goucher as a source. She acknowledges that it would be natural if people also suspected her of
"Do you think everything I know came out in the BBC documentary? There will be a day," she told LetsRun.com.
We'll cut Goucher some slack for dropping the F-bomb because, hey, if you’ve ever run 26.2 miles, in any circumstance, you’re right on the edge of speaking in tongues. Compound that with the disappointment of just missing going to the Olympics, after dedicating four years to this one day, Feb. 16, in Los Angeles, and yes, I’d allow you a blurt, no problem. She raced in two hours, 30 minutes and 34 seconds, missing the crucial third spot by one minute, five seconds.
“It was the first time they had entered my mind all day. I gave honest answers and I’ve taken a lot of heat for that, but it is a part of my story – as flawed as it might be,” she blogged on February 22.
Goucher’s sponsors, which include Skechers, Oiselle women’s athletic wear, and
Later, she told ESPN.com and others: "What I'm proudest of is the last year, speaking out against what I saw in the sport. Not backing down, and coming back against all odds."
Goucher had meniscus surgery in 2015 after making the 2012 Olympic team.
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She also told letsrun.com she supported Travis Tygart, head of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, who was instrumental in bringing down Lance Armstrong.
"I've done all I can do at this point. I believe in Travis. I don't wish them ill will. The first time I went to USADA I said, 'All I want them to do is stop doing what they're doing.'"
A Salazar-coached athlete who was the focus of the ProPublica/BBC probe, 2012 Olympic 10,000-meter silver medalist Galen Rupp, won the men's Olympics trials in his marathon debut.
Goucher, 37, is appearing tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Runner’s Depot, 2233 S. University Drive, Davie, on behalf of Zensah, the compression-sleeve company. Admission is free, but RSVP to renee@runnersdepot.com or via their Facebook page.
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