Cameron Hanes, a renowned bowhunter and ultramarathon runner, found himself at the center of a controversy following his impressive performance at the Eugene Marathon, where he won his age category with a time of 2:39:11.
The accusation? That he had used BPC-157, a peptide banned for Olympic-level athletes, and gained an unfair advantage over other competitors.
During a recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience, Hanes addressed the criticism and explained exactly why he used the peptide.
According to Hanes, the treatment stemmed from a serious foot injury he suffered in June 2024. Rather than undergo multiple surgeries, he looked into alternative recovery methods.
Rogan summarized his view, saying, “You [Hanes] went to Ways2Well, they treated your foot with stem cells and they injected BPC57 into your foot to help help your foot heal.”
The treatment took place in November 2024, nearly two years before the marathon that sparked the controversy.
Hanes explained that the criticism came from an elite vegan runner who had previously targeted his son, Truett Hanes, over what the runner viewed as an unrealistic attempt to qualify for the Olympic Marathon Trials. While Hanes did not identify the individual by name, he suggested the dispute was driven more by disagreements over hunting and diet than by concerns about fair competition.
Rogan was quick to dismiss the idea that the peptide provided any meaningful performance advantage years later.
“There’s no way that helped you win a marathon two years later,” Rogan said. “It does not help other than the fact that it helped heal your broken foot. That’s not performance-enhancing.”
Rogan also noted that BPC-157 is prohibited only for athletes competing under Olympic-level anti-d*ping regulations, not for the vast majority of participants in local marathons and age-group competitions.
Hanes then turned his attention to the rules governing the race itself. He admitted that he was unfamiliar with USADA and USATF d**g-testing regulations when he signed up for the Eugene Marathon. After reviewing the race waiver, he discovered that it did not contain any language regarding PED testing.
“Their own rules say it must be included,” Hanes said, referring to USATF guidelines that require race waivers to contain specific information about drug-testing policies.
The conversation eventually expanded beyond his individual case and toward the question of how elite-level anti-d*ping rules apply to recreational athletes. Hanes argued that many runners use peptides and other treatments simply to recover from injuries and continue participating in the sports they enjoy.
“Most of your field aren’t elites and aren’t Olympians,” Hanes said. “They’re regular people who are just trying to do what they enjoy.”
Rogan also pointed to Hanes’ long history of extraordinary athletic achievements as evidence that his marathon performance was hardly out of character.
Hanes spent decades running marathons while working ten-hour shifts, and his son Truett went on to break the world pull-up record, making it difficult to frame his success as the result of a single recovery treatment.
For his part, Hanes said he has no issue with PED testing and has been completely transparent about what he used and why.
“I follow rules that apply to me,” Hanes said. “If the rule is to be tested, I’m down.”
