Cam Hanes Doping Controversy, Enhanced Games & Cape Town Marathon 2026 | The Running Story

Running's most controversial week of 2026: Thomas Watson and Jessy Carveth break down five stories that took over the running internet, including the biggest doping beef in the sport right now, a chaotic night in Las Vegas, and a heartwarming finish line moment involving the Marathon GOAT.

This week on The Running Story from Marathon Handbook:

⚡ Cape Town Marathon makes its World Marathon Majors case — Eliud Kipchoge races in Africa for the first time, a course record falls by nearly 3.5 minutes, and Kipchoge's wife runs her first marathon in a genuinely wholesome finish line moment.

🔥 Cam Hanes vs. Sage Canaday — Elite mountain and ultra runner Sage Canaday has filed a tip with USADA against 58-year-old bow hunter and social media figure Cam Hanes, after Haynes ran a 2:39 at the Oregon USATF Marathon Championship and has publicly acknowledged using BPC-157, a peptide banned under the WADA code. We dig into the nuance: rules vs. enforcement, influencer culture, and what a 2:39 at 58 really means.

🧪 The Enhanced Games — Held in Las Vegas, the so-called "Doping Olympics" promised broken world records and athletic chaos. We break down what actually happened (spoiler: clean athletes won most events, only one world record fell), and ask where this goes from here.

🖐️ A raised hand costs a state title — A Charlotte high school sprinter was disqualified from the anchor leg of a 4x400 relay at the North Carolina State Track & Field Championships for raising his hand — a call that wiped out 10 points and cost his team the overall title. The video has been viewed nearly 8 million times on X.

💊 Emma Bates signs with Never Second — Months after a very public falling out with her previous nutrition sponsor (who she said dropped her for being pregnant), Bates has a new home. We look at what this means for her, for Never Second, and for the brand's road running ambitions.
Thomas is filling in for the usual host Michael Doyle, who was off racing the Cabot Trail.

Chapters:
0:00 – Intro & Jessy's Impromptu 10K (Third Place in Belgium!)
3:36 – Story 1: Cape Town Marathon – Kipchoge, Course Records & World Marathon Majors
9:02 – Story 2: Cam Hanes vs. Sage Canaday – Running's Biggest Doping Controversy
18:06 – Story 3: Enhanced Games Las Vegas – Did the "Doping Olympics" Deliver?
23:56 – Story 4: High School Sprinter Disqualified for Raising Hand at NC State Championships
29:18 – Story 5: Emma Bates Signs with Never Second After Sponsor Controversy
32:29 – Wrap-Up