On Memorial Day weekend, Megan Romano will swim in her first race since retiring from the sport a decade ago. At 35, she is eight years older than the average woman in the most recent Olympic 50-meter freestyle final. Her fingertips and toes will grip the edge of the starting block, she will launch herself into the pool, and then she will propel herself with a relentless, efficient churn of her shoulders, back, legs, and core muscles. But unlike in previous races, Romano will rely on more than her body: On Sunday, a personalized slate of performance-enhancing drugs will course through her blood, and she will wear a swimsuit so drag-resistant that traditional competitions have banned it.
Romano won’t be swimming in a sanctioned competition. Instead, she is racing in the very first Enhanced Games, created to reveal what more than 40 world-class athletes in swimming, track, and weightlifting can achieve if they are encouraged to use drugs that would otherwise destroy their reputations and end their careers.
