SKINS Investigative Report to be Released Tomorrow

As many of you are no doubt aware, this past summer Ross Tucker (@scienceofsport) and I were asked by SKINS, a sportswear company, to conduct an investigation into claims that Robert Young, an ultra-runner, had cheated in his attempt to break the cross-USA running record.

From the SKINS announcement of the investigation:

I am happy to announce the appointment of two independent experts to look at the issues that have arisen related to Rob Young’s attempt at the Trans-America run.

They are Professor Roger Pielke Jr of the University of Colorado at Boulder, USA, and Professor Ross Tucker at the University of the Free State, South Africa. You can find out more about each of them here or via their respective blogs or websites.

As I said in my previous blog post, I want to get to the bottom of this. I do not come into the investigation with any pre-determined outcomes.

If Rob Young did the wrong thing – by the running community, SKINS and, ultimately, himself – then there will be consequences. If there are lessons to be learned, SKINS will learn them. If the claims made against Rob are not accurate, then we will know this too.

It is integral to SKINS as a brand, and me as an individual, that we uphold and promote the true spirit of competition. I’ve written many times about how this is not just a tag line or marketing message. It is who we are. It shapes what we do.

The allegations raised against Rob Young are serious and, if proven, go against everything we stand for.

What happens next is in the hands of Professors Pielke and Tucker.

The report is coming out 9AM Sunday, Sydney time (a time selected because the SKINS CEO is unavailable before that due to travel).  You will be able to find the report at the SKINS Watercooler and also at Ross' blog.  I'll also post it here and will be happy to take comments, questions here or via Twitter.