Allie Ostrander addresses 4-month competition ban for positive test of prohibited substance

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Allie Ostrander, one of Alaska’s most successful running stars, was given a four-month sanction by the United States Anti-Doping Agency after testing positive for a banned substance.

The substance that Ostrander tested positive for was canrenone, which the agency said is a metabolite of spironolactone, and was discovered by officials in a urine sample from Ostrander after a March 30 test.

The agency said the violation was due to her use of an oral acne prescription medication that contained the drug.

The four-month ban announced by USADA on Friday began on April 28 and ended on Monday.

Ostrander became a household name by setting records in high school cross-country running and track and field for Kenai Central High School from 2011 to 2015, and made history in college as the first to win three national titles in the Division I women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase while at Boise State.

The 26-year-old pro runner, who currently resides in Seattle, defended herself in a YouTube video by stating that she would “never ever try to gain an unfair advantage” over competitors and that it’s been an “incredibly difficult process.”

“I believe so adamantly in clean sport and getting to your full potential by using hard work, dedication, great training, research, and not by taking some sort of substance to gain that extra edge,” she said.

Ostrander confirmed the USADA report in the video that the positive test result was due to an acne medication that she was prescribed by a dermatologist.

Ostrander said that officials with the agency arrived at her residence on March 28 as part of a random drug test. She said she has been drug-tested by competition officials 16 times over the last four years, so she did not harbor any concerns.

The agency said spironolactone is listed on the banned substances list due to its ability to mask other performance-enhancing substances, but the drug itself is not considered a PED.

“When I initially started taking this medication, I should have searched it on Global DRO (Drug Reference Online), and seen that it was banned, but I didn’t do that, and for that, I take full responsibility,” she said. “I should have searched it, and I know that now.”

Ostrander explained that she began taking spironolactone in October 2022 as she was recovering from an eating disorder, a personal ordeal that the pro runner has been very open about to the public on her social media accounts in the past couple of years.

As her hormones re-regulated during her recovery process, Ostrander said that she began experiencing breakouts on her skin that ultimately led her to find a dermatologist online who prescribed her the medicine.

Ostrander said a Google search led her to find that spironolactone does not enhance an athlete’s performance, so she believed she was in the clear.

“I didn’t find out until six months later that this substance is a masking agent and is actually banned,” she said.

“This entire process has been incredibly difficult, stressful, and anxiety-inducing, and I’m just so excited to put it behind me.”

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