Running News Daily

Runner with former doping ban wins Detroit Free Press Marathon under a new name

After much uncertainty in the lead-up to the race due to ArriveCan guidelines, the Detroit Free Press Marathon welcomed back thousands of runners on Sunday morning. Mary Beasley of Gardena, Calif., won the race in 2:42:25, seven years after she served a two-year doping ban under her previous name, Mary Akor.

For her efforts, Beasley took home a prize of USD $6,000, which also included a bonus for her winning the masters division.

Beasley, born in Nigeria, won the Vancouver Marathon in 2004, 2008 and 2009 and finished second in 2012. In 2013 she tested positive for clenbuterol, a bronchodilator used to open the airway for easier breathing and increase fat burn, at the Gobernador Marathon in Mexico and accepted a two-year ban from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Former notable athletes 2010 Tour de France winner Alberto Contador and world middleweight champion boxer Canelo Alvarez both received bans for using clenbuterol. 

She gained U.S. citizenship in 2004 and represented the United States at the world championships in the marathon in 2005 and 2007. In 2019, at the Austin Marathon, she was also disqualified, under the name Akor, after trying to prevent a runner from passing her.

After winning the 45th annual Free Press Marathon, she said it was a special victory, and it made her feel right at home. Despite winning this marathon in 2008, Beasley did not recall previously visiting the city or winning the marathon.

“I’m very competitive,” she told reporters. “I’ve won a lot of marathons, but this is a major one I’ve won this year.”

Since serving her ban in 2015, Beasley, 45, avoids the major marathons to run smaller races that hand out prize money and do not drug-test the top finishers. Before changing her name earlier this year, she collected prize money at both the Orange County Half-Marathon and the Mexicali Half-Marathon, finishing second in both races.

Many major marathons like TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon prevent runners with a past doping ban from entering the elite field. But there is no rule stating they can’t enter the race in the open field, meaning they would have to start behind the elites, and whether they are eligible for prize money can depend on the race.