Wilson Kipsang turned 31-years-old on Friday morning, just two days before he toes the line for the 2013 New York City Half Marathon. He spent over 15 of his last 48 hours in the air traveling from Kenya to the United States. This week, news surfaced that the IAAF has set up temporary blood testing facilities in Kenya. 17 biological passports are under investigation for doping in track and field. 

When asked about the doping situation in his home country, the Olympic marathon bronze medalist spoke out against cheating. Weldon Johnson of LetsRun.com was the first to ask the question with a follow up from Peter Gambaccini of Runner’s World. 

There’s been some news about drug testing in Kenya. A couple Kenyans have been caught with drugs. Has that affected you in any way or do you have any thoughts on that?

Kipsang: No. It doesn’t, because I think that the issue of maybe using the drugs is going on an individual basis. Because if one decides to use and is caught, he or she carries the cross. So I think for me I don’t speak for and I don’t generalize the athletes, because it is an individual affair. 

Have you ever suspected that there was much going on in the country as far as drug use is concerned?

I don’t think so, because there are so many guys who are really training hard. (Tough sentence to make out on the audio: Says something along the lines that you can see their hard training through their performances in races.) I think that the few that have been caught is mainly, some guys who try to treat the guys. That treat them (with) those drugs. Because with some guys, the agent (or) someone tries to tell them thats the medicine to use, so that you can become well (inaudible). That medicine has some substance which prohibited, so they find themselves in a problem without realizing it. They take advantage of some guys. It is not good. 

So it’s really the agents?
No.It’s not the agents.

Medical people?
Yeah. The medical people.