Christian Hesch Gets Two-Year Doping Ban

The admitted drug cheat will only serve 18 months.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced today that serial road racer Christian Hesch has accepted a two-year suspension for doping, but will only serve 18 months because of a voluntary admission.

“Hesch’s two-year period of ineligibility began on September 26, 2012, the date he admitted his use of EPO to USADA,” the USADA said in a statement. “Under the Code Mr. Hesch was eligible for a six-month reduction of the period of ineligibility based on his voluntary admission to USADA regarding his doping activities. As a result, he will be required to serve the remaining 18-months of his sanction. Hesch has also been disqualified from all competitive results achieved on and subsequent to August 27, 2010, the date he admitted to first using EPO, including forfeiture of any medals, points, and prizes.”

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In October of this year, Hesch admitted to using erythropoietin (EPO), a performance-enhancing drug that boosts red-blood cell count and oxygen-carrying capacity. In a self-directed New York Times story, Hesch said he injected himself with the drug some 54 times from August 2010 through this past fall, and won nearly $40,000 in prize money during that period. Hesch’s version of events, which were further embellished in a public apology on this site, conflicted greatly, however, with the reporting of Runner’s World Newswire editor Scott Douglas, who revealed that Hesch’s former teammates at Nike Team Run LA submitted a letter to USADA on September 6th after Hesch failed to confirm with them that he had turned himself in to anti-doping officials.

Hesch, who continued racing after he had admitted to teammates in July that he had doped, won the Rock ‘n’ Roll Providence Half Marathon on August 19, two days after finishing fourth at the Inaugural GNC Live Well Liberty Mile in Pittsburgh, where he ran 4:00.1. According to Runner’s World, Hesch had texted teammates on August 28, that “went ahead and contacted usada to see what I can barter for a reduction…i’ll keep eric posted with any correspondence i get from them.”