Former Boston Marathon winner accuses Valencia champion of doping

Advances in shoe technology, training methods and nutrition have helped push women’s marathon times 10 to 15 minutes faster than they were four decades ago. But former world-record holder and two-time Boston Marathon champion Ingrid Kristiansen of Norway believes some of today’s fastest performances come with an asterisk.

Kristiansen’s Nordic marathon record of 2:21:06, set at the 1985 London Marathon, stood for nearly 40 years before it was broken last weekend at the 2025 Valencia Marathon. Finnish runner Alisa Vainio clocked 2:20:48 to finish fourth and set the new Nordic mark.

Kristiansen was asked by Finnish national broadcaster YLE for her reaction. She said she was pleased to see the record finally fall and congratulated Vainio on her performance. But the 69-year-old also voiced her skepticism about the fastest times in the women’s field.

“When we see results of 2:13 or 2:14, I am always very convinced that they involve blood doping,” Kristiansen told YLE.

Her comments appeared to be directed at Kenyan distance runner Joyciline Jepkosgei, who won the Valencia Marathon in a world-leading 2:14:00.

“If you can get rid of blood doping, she [Vainio] can take gold,” Kristiansen said.

Kristiansen was one of the most dominant female distance runners of her era, holding world records in the 5,000m, 10,000m and marathon, simultaneously. Her marathon world record lasted 13 years before being lowered by 19 seconds by Kenya’s Tegla Loroupe at the 1998 Rotterdam Marathon.

Jepkosgei and her team have not responded to Kristiansen’s accusations. However, Jepkosgei’s progression in the marathon has been very gradual. She made her marathon debut in 2019 at the New York City Marathon, finishing in 2:22:38 (a time slower than Kristiansen’s best from 1985), and has since reached the podium at the TCS London Marathon four times in the past five years.

Kristiansen’s comments come amid a debate on the effectiveness of the Athletics Integrity Unit’s (AIU) anti-doping enforcement. Last week at the World Conference on Doping in Sport in Busan, South Korea, AIU chair David Howman said he believes the organization is still “not effective enough” at catching drug cheats.

In 2024, the AIU issued suspensions to 305 athletes, an increase of more than 50 per cent from the 185 cases recorded the previous year. Howman believes intentional dopers at the highest level often have sophisticated support teams designed to help them evade detection. Before becoming chair of the AIU, Howman spent 13 years as the director general of the World Anti-Doping Agency.