Shelby Houlihan, once one of the biggest names in American middle-distance running, is gearing up to return to competition after serving a four-year doping ban. As of Jan. 13, 2025, Houlihan has been eligible to race again, and she’s already talking about chasing records. Here’s a breakdown of who she is, what happened, and what’s next for the controversial athlete.
Who Is Shelby Houlihan?
Before everything went sideways, Houlihan was a star.
A 12-time U.S. national champion, Houlihan dominated domestic competitions, often winning with her signature finishing kick. She competed for Team USA at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where she made it to the finals of the 5,000 meters and placed 11th overall—an impressive debut on the Olympic stage for a first-timer. At the time, she was widely regarded as a key medal contender for future Olympics and World Championships.
She’s also the current American record holder in the 1,500m (3:54.99) and as a member of the rarely contested 4×1,500m relay (16:27.02), set in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Her capability on the track and big 1,500m performances cemented her status as one of the fastest middle-distance runners in U.S. history.
Houlihan was also a member of the Bowerman Track Club, a Nike-funded outfit based in Oregon, and one of the most elite training groups in the world. BTC is known for producing numerous national champions and international medalists, including Grant Fisher (who left the group in 2024) and Moh Ahmed. Before her doping band, Houlihan was among the brightest stars on its roster. Her career was on an upward trajectory, and many saw her as a potential Olympic medalist heading into the 2021 Tokyo Games.
However, her career came to a halt when she received a four-year doping suspension in 2021, derailing what would have been the peak years of her athletic performance.
The Doping Ban
In December 2020, Houlihan tested positive for nandrolone, a banned anabolic steroid. She claimed it was from a contaminated pork burrito she ate from a food truck, explaining that certain types of pork can naturally contain trace amounts of the substance. The story quickly went viral—not just because of the bizarre defense but also because nandrolone violations are quite rare in women’s sports.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) didn’t buy it. In June 2021, the court upheld the four-year ban, stating that while her explanation was “possible,” there wasn’t enough evidence to support it. The decision sidelined Houlihan through what would have been the prime years of her career, keeping her out of the Tokyo and Paris Olympics and any other major competitions, including the 2022 World Athletics Championships, which were held in Bowerman’s backyard at Hayward Field in Portland, Ore.
What’ Has’s She Been Up To During Her Doping Ban?
While Houlihan has been banned from sanctioned competition, she hasn’t disappeared entirely. In 2023, she made headlines for winning an event at the Beer Mile World Classic, where runners chug a beer every lap of a 400m track. She became the first woman to break six minutes in the event, clocking 5:43.81. It’s a far cry from professional racing, but it still managed to ruffle feathers and spark controversy.
Event organizers, considering input from other competitors, did not allow Houlihan to compete in the official women’s championship race due to her doping suspension. Instead, she raced in a separate “Legends & Elites” division. Critics, including some athletes, argued that her presence in any capacity undermined the event’s integrity. Elizabeth Laseter, the winner of the official women’s race, voiced concerns about the message sent by allowing a banned athlete to compete, even in an unsanctioned event.
The Beer Mile controversy reignited broader discussions about the participation of banned athletes in unsanctioned competitions, highlighting the blurred lines between accountability and rehabilitation in sports.
Beyond the Beer Mile, Houlihan has been training behind the scenes, although details about her workouts remain sparse. She’s recently signed with athletics power agent Paul Doyle, who is helping her prepare for a comeback. That includes finding a new training group (she’s reportedly no longer with Bowerman) and potentially securing sponsorships—a tricky task given the cloud of her doping ban.
Can She Come Back?
Houlihan says she’s aiming for big things, but the competition will be fierce. Her first event in more than four years will be Feb. 1 at the Razorback Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., where she will race the 3,000m.
She then plans on racing Grand Blue Mile at the Drake Relays on April 22. She told siouxlandproud.com (Houlihan is from Sioux City, Iowa) that she aims to qualify for a national team. The World Athletics Championships take place in Tokyo later this year.
“I want to go after as many records as I can. That’s the thought I have in my head. I don’t care if it’s like the 800, the marathon, road, indoor, outdoor, like off distance. I want to just see what I’m capable of and try to see what I can do,” she said on the Running Effect podcast.
The sport has changed a lot in the last four years. Faith Kipyegon of Kenya, for example, broke world records in the 1,500m and 5,000m in 2023, and a wave of new talent has emerged in both U.S. and international middle-distance running.
In the U.S., runners like Elise Cranny, Josette Andrews, and Sinclaire Johnson have stepped up and begun to dominate the domestic scene. On the global stage, the bar has only been raised higher. Even for someone with Houlihan’s talent, jumping back into the mix after such a long layoff won’t be easy.
Shelby Houlihan’s return will be one of the most polarizing moments in American track and field. While her supporters see her as a potential comeback story, others question the fairness of her reinstatement after a doping ban, as it’s unclear what long-term benefit performance enhancing drugs give an athlete.
Whether she can regain her place among the world’s elite remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: all eyes will be on her when the starting gun goes off in Arkansas.
