Why Boston Marathon Champ and Nike 'Head Coach' Alberto Salazar Uses Lasers, Not Drugs, For Runners

Published by Portland Business Journal on May 19, 2014

As awareness has grown of prescription painkiller abuse across the U.S., so has interest in alternatives.

The sports world is no exception. A prime example can be found in Oregon. Alberto Salazar, head coach of the Nike Oregon Project and a former world-class long distance runner, is all about drug-free pain relief for the athletes he coaches. Salazar uses FDA-approved Multi Radiance Medical lasers to help runners prepare to run and recover from lower-extremity injuries that are slow to heal.

Salazar set the World Record for the New York City Marathon in 1981 and currently coaches the Nike Project, which provides training to develop premier long-distance runners. Salazar’s goal was to use Nike technology and resources to improve the biomechanics and abilities of American athletes. His protégé Galen Rupp won a silver at the 2012 London Olympics in the 10K.

I put a few questions to Salazar via email about his use of the laser technology.

Portland Business Journal: Why do you use the Multi Radiance lasers?

Alberto Salazar: To manage acute and chronic pain and reduce inflammation. When an athlete runs that one extra 400-meter interval that they shouldn’t have, the resulting injury can mean several more weeks of downtime. The sooner we can interrupt the injury process and start therapy, the faster the recovery.

PBJ: How concerned are you about the use of prescription painkillers and the potential for abuse in professional sports?

Salazar: We believe in cutting edge, non-invasive technology like Multi Radiance lasers and look forward to the day when such innovations will be widely accepted by the sports medicine community. If this type of technology had been available when I was still competing, I could have continued to train through injuries with considerably less damage.