British and Welsh marathon runner Josh Griffiths has received a three-month suspension after testing positive for a banned substance following the Belfast City Marathon on 3 May. The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) issued the penalty after detecting Benzoylecgonine, a metabolite produced when the body processes cocaine, in his urine sample.
Out-of-Competition Ingestion Accepted
The 33-year-old athlete from Carmarthenshire strongly denied using cocaine or any other recreational drug. Although he was unable to explain how the substance entered his system, the AIU concluded that any consumption occurred out of competition and was “unrelated to sport.”
As reported by BBC Sport, the AIU disclosed that Griffiths expressed complete disbelief when first informed of the adverse finding, stating that it was “absolutely impossible” and that “there must have been a mistake.” Traces of the metabolite were confirmed in both urine samples provided after the Belfast event.
To support his defence, Griffiths submitted a detailed log of his activities and movements prior to the race, including his stay at the official race hotel. He noted that he had avoided social gatherings, consumed no alcohol, and interacted almost exclusively with fellow athletes and event staff. He also presented scientific data to indicate that the ingestion took place outside of competition, a position the AIU ultimately endorsed.
Sanction and Career Achievements
The three-month suspension began retroactively from his hearing date on 19 June 2026. In addition to the ban, all race results achieved by Griffiths between the Belfast Marathon on 3 May and the conclusion of his suspension have been erased. Griffiths accepted the anti-doping rule violation and the imposed sanction.
Griffiths built a prominent running career after surprising the elite field at the 2017 London Marathon, where he finished as the fastest British runner while still a club athlete. That performance earned him selection for Great Britain at the 2017 World Championships, after which he turned professional. He went on to represent Great Britain again at the 2022 World Championships, ran for Wales at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and secured an eighth-place finish at the 2021 London Marathon.
