Re: t-and-f: Dragila's Records
What a legacy. Thanks for posting, Roger. I still have her picture up in my home office from that racy track calendar way back when. Hopefully she isn't done yet. It has been depressing watching her (or not) so far this year. bob - Original Message - From: Roger Ruth [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: t-and-f@lists.uoregon.edu Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2007 3:59 PM Subject: t-and-f: Dragila's Records With Yelena Isinbayeva facing Jenn Stuczynski as the new U.S. record holder for the first time at Rome's Golden Gala tomorrow night, it might be timely to look back at the record contributions of Jenn's national record predecessor, Stacy Dragila. I'm not sure I have all of Stacy's records (records to date, that is--I haven't given up on her adding others in the future), but perhaps someone can fill in blanks and correct errors. I'm especially uncertain as to whether USATF accepted as national records marks at Modesto on 21 May 2000 and at Phoenix on 26 May 2000. The Modesto mark of 4.60m tied her own and Emma George's world outdoor best, but was not submitted to IAAF for world record ratification because her indoor 4.62 at Atlanta on 3 March of that year would be considered the world record under the new IAAF rules combining indoor and outdoor best marks for world records a/o 1 January 2000. The Phoenix mark was not ratified by IAAF because there was no drug testing available at the meet, but USATF may have accepted as sufficient a negative result in a test the following morning. Another possible difference between IAAF and USATF criteria might be in what would have been a world record of 5.65m at Pocatello on 9 February 2001, where Stacy was an invited participant in a college dual meet and the IAAF ruled that this constituted an exhibition, rather than a competition. Setting those uncertainies aside, my files show Dragila bettering or tying indoor or outdoor national records 43 times. I wonder how that compares with similar figures for other events. It may be that such a comparison is unfair, in that pole vaulters and high jumpers are alone in being able to choose the margin of improvement in any single attempt. Dragila's Indoor National and World Records: 3.89i 1996-01-13 en Pocatello NR 3.96i 1996-01-13 1 Pocatello NR 4.00i 1996-01-19 1= Reno NRT (tied with Melissa Price) 4.05i 1996-02-10 1 Pocatello NR 4.05i 1996-03-10 en Atlanta NR= 4.10i 1996-03-10 1 Atlanta NR 4.14i 1997-01-11 en Pocatello NR 4.27i 1997-01-11 1 Pocatello NR 4.30i 1997-01-24 1 Reno NR 4.30i 1997-03-09 en Paris-Bercy NR= 4.35i 1997-03-09 en Paris-Bercy NR 4.40i 1997-03-09 1 Paris-Bercy NR/WIR= 4.48i 1998-03-08 1 Sindelfingen NR/WIR 4.51i 2000-01-28 1 Pocatello NR 4.57i 2000-02-19 en Pocatello NR/WIR 4.61i 2000-02-19 1 Pocatello NR/WR 4.62i 2000-03-03 1 Atlanta NR/WR 4.63i 2001-02-02 1 New York NR/WR= 4.65i 2001-02-09 1 Pocatello ? 4.66i 2001-02-17 en Pocatello NR/WR 4.70i 2001-02-17 1 Pocatello NR/WR 4.71i 2003-02-01 1 Boston NR 4.72i 2003-02-07 1 New York NR 4.78i 2003-03-02 1 Boston NR/WIR 4.81i 2004-03-06 2 Budapest NR Dragila's Oudoor National and World Records: 4.13 1996-04-20 1 Lawrence NR 4.15 1996-06-02 en Abbotsford NR 4.19 1996-06-02 1 Abbotsford NR 4.20 1996-06-19 1 Atlanta NR 4.22 1997-04-12 1 Eugene NR 4.24 1997-04-20 1 Walnut NR 4.28 1997-04-25 1 Provo NR 4.30 1997-05-10 en Modesto NR 4.45 1997-05-10 1 Modesto NR 4.46 1999-04-19 1 Walnut NR 4.47 1999-06-06 en Uniondale NR 4.54 1999-06-06 1 Uniondale NR 4.60 1999-08-21 1 Sevilla NR/WR= 4.60 2000-05-21 1 Modesto ? 4.62 2000-05-26 1 Phoenix ? 4.63 2000-07-23 1 Sacramento NR/WR 4.66 2001-04-27 en Pocatello NR/WOB 4.70 2001-04-27 1 Pocatello NR/WR= 4.71 2001-06-09 en Palo Alto NR/WR 4.81 2001-06-09 1 Palo Alto NR/WR 4.83 2004-08-06 1 Ostrava NR/WOB N. B.--WR vs WIR vs WOB Since January 1, 2000 it has been possible to set an absolute world record (WR) in the vault either indoors or outdoors. Since that time, an indoor record that is lower than a current world record set outdoors is classified as the World Indoor Record (WIR). However an outdoor record that is lower than a current world record set indoors is classified as the World Outdoor Best (WOB), not as the World Outdoor Record. I've never heard an explanation for the inconsistency.
Re: t-and-f: Henry Rono
Henry's website this morning reports that he ran 17:47 at Carlsbad! bob - Original Message - From: Martin J. Dixon [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: t-and-f@lists.uoregon.edu Sent: Friday, March 30, 2007 7:28 AM Subject: Re: t-and-f: Henry Rono I'd buy that if you think he will pull a Bubka which, in that case, he would run 19:19. He ran 19:20 a lot of months, training and pounds ago. Tom Derderian wrote: 19:25 On Mar 29, 2007, at 11:37 PM, B. Kunnath wrote: Rono posts regularly here: http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?board=1id=1828663thread=1444899 Any predictions for his 5k time at Carlsbad? bob
Re: t-and-f: Henry Rono
Tom Derderian wrote: 19:25 On Mar 29, 2007, at 11:37 PM, B. Kunnath wrote: Rono posts regularly here: http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php? board=1id=1828663thread=1444899 Yep, that's where I saw his posts. At first, I thought that I was hallucinating or reading the posts of an imposter. Given Henry's natural gifts and motivation, it will be fascinating to see how this turns out. I'm sure lots of people are rooting for him. bob Any predictions for his 5k time at Carlsbad? bob From: Bob Duncan [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: Bob Duncan [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: 'Track List' t-and-f@lists.uoregon.edu Subject: Re: t-and-f: Henry Rono Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2007 21:45:19 -0500 I accidently came across some posts from Rono the other day on one of the running forums. I almost couldn't believe that it was him, but the training claims and master's mile goal matched those of the LA Times story. Ironically, I had found the Rono posts while doing searches for another comebacking athlete from the same era, Patti (Catalano) Dillon. bob - Original Message - From: malmo [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: 'Jorma Kurry' [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; 'Track List' t-and-f@lists.uoregon.edu Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2007 7:43 PM Subject: RE: t-and-f: Henry Rono Henry ran a 5:32 mile in a time trial last week at Albuquerque (5000'). From 220 pounds to 165 since last May. malmo -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Jorma Kurry Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2007 7:42 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Track List Subject: Re: t-and-f: Henry Rono Great article. I know Malmo was posting info at one point about his attempt for an age-group mile record, or something of that sort. Is there an update? He's among the many greats I'd love to meet (Rono, that is :) ). - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Track List t-and-f@lists.uoregon.edu Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2007 7:00 PM Subject: t-and-f: Henry Rono From the Los Angeles Times http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-crowe26mar26,1,1452093.story? coll=la-hea dlines-sportsctrack=1cset=true CROWE'S NEST Rono tries to distance himself from troubled past The runner, who broke world records in four events in short period in 1978, says his life is on the upswing after alcoholism and homelessness. By Jerry Crowe, Times Staff Writer March 26, 2007 Henry Rono, once the world's preeminent distance runner and some say the greatest of all time, probably is best known for his mind- boggling assault on the record books in the spring and summer of 1978, when he broke world records in four events over an 81-day period. I was ahead of everybody, he says. I wasn't competing with people. I was competing with time. It was me and the clock. The clock he could handle. The bottle, he couldn't. The Nandi tribesman from Kenya, who in 1978 was a Washington State student unprepared for the sudden fame and blinding spotlight, has battled alcoholism for nearly half his 55 years. His country's boycotts of the 1976 and 1980 Olympics denied him an international showcase, and he says unscrupulous managers and corrupt Kenyan track and field officials, combined with his own erratic behavior, left him penniless. Rono notes in his soon-to-be-published autobiography that he was so down on his luck in the mid-1990s - homeless and out of prospects - that he showed up at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Ore., and pleaded for a job cleaning floors. His former sponsor, the great runner says, turned him away. If that was a low point for Rono, it was one of many. He says that he was intermittently homeless through much of the 1980s and '90s, was arrested more than once for driving while drunk, and drifted in and out of rehabilitation centers more times than he cares to remember. Friends took him in, then threw him out when his drinking got out of control. In steadier times, he worked as an airport skycap. He parked and washed cars. But all that is past, Rono says. His life is on the upswing. After shuttling from town to town for years, he says, he finally settled 11 years ago in Albuquerque. He says he has been sober for the last five. A full-time teacher pursuing a graduate degree in special education, he has taken a year off from work to write his recently completed memoirs and train for the Masters World Track Field Championships in September in Italy. On Sunday, he will compete in the Carlsbad 5K, and before the year is out he hopes to establish an age-group world record in the mile. I want to alert the public that I am back into running, he told race organizers in Carlsbad after signing on for their event. I want to teach people that you can come back from the streets and being homeless and recover your life again. The 5-foot-8 Rono, whose weight once ballooned to 220 pounds, says he is down to 165, 20 less than he weighed in December
Re: t-and-f: Henry Rono
Chas. L. Shaffer wrote: I'd go to see him run if it was within 300 miles. My wife and I were among the roughly 200 fans present when he broke the WR in the steeplechase at the Northwest Relays in Seattle on May 13, 1978 with a 8:05.4 (h). After that I saw him race several more times, including the great 10,000m duel with Salazar in 1982 in Eugene. I am looking forward to his masters record pursuit, whatever it may bring. I am glad to hear that Henry is back on a good path. Charley Shaffer Seattle [EMAIL PROTECTED] Lucky you! I never saw him race in person. I remember being in Knoxville for the 1982 TAC meet, when they let foreigners compete, and he was listed in the program. I kept thinking that I was seeing him warming up, but it was not to be. bob (KC4TEO) -Original Message- From: Bob Duncan [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Mar 30, 2007 7:18 AM To: t-and-f@lists.uoregon.edu Subject: Re: t-and-f: Henry Rono Tom Derderian wrote: 19:25 On Mar 29, 2007, at 11:37 PM, B. Kunnath wrote: Rono posts regularly here: http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php? board=1id=1828663thread=1444899 Yep, that's where I saw his posts. At first, I thought that I was hallucinating or reading the posts of an imposter. Given Henry's natural gifts and motivation, it will be fascinating to see how this turns out. I'm sure lots of people are rooting for him. bob Any predictions for his 5k time at Carlsbad? bob From: Bob Duncan [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: Bob Duncan [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: 'Track List' t-and-f@lists.uoregon.edu Subject: Re: t-and-f: Henry Rono Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2007 21:45:19 -0500 I accidently came across some posts from Rono the other day on one of the running forums. I almost couldn't believe that it was him, but the training claims and master's mile goal matched those of the LA Times story. Ironically, I had found the Rono posts while doing searches for another comebacking athlete from the same era, Patti (Catalano) Dillon. bob - Original Message - From: malmo [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: 'Jorma Kurry' [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; 'Track List' t-and-f@lists.uoregon.edu Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2007 7:43 PM Subject: RE: t-and-f: Henry Rono Henry ran a 5:32 mile in a time trial last week at Albuquerque (5000'). From 220 pounds to 165 since last May. malmo -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Jorma Kurry Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2007 7:42 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Track List Subject: Re: t-and-f: Henry Rono Great article. I know Malmo was posting info at one point about his attempt for an age-group mile record, or something of that sort. Is there an update? He's among the many greats I'd love to meet (Rono, that is :) ). - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Track List t-and-f@lists.uoregon.edu Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2007 7:00 PM Subject: t-and-f: Henry Rono From the Los Angeles Times http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-crowe26mar26,1,1452093.story? coll=la-hea dlines-sportsctrack=1cset=true CROWE'S NEST Rono tries to distance himself from troubled past The runner, who broke world records in four events in short period in 1978, says his life is on the upswing after alcoholism and homelessness. By Jerry Crowe, Times Staff Writer March 26, 2007 Henry Rono, once the world's preeminent distance runner and some say the greatest of all time, probably is best known for his mind- boggling assault on the record books in the spring and summer of 1978, when he broke world records in four events over an 81-day period. I was ahead of everybody, he says. I wasn't competing with people. I was competing with time. It was me and the clock. The clock he could handle. The bottle, he couldn't. The Nandi tribesman from Kenya, who in 1978 was a Washington State student unprepared for the sudden fame and blinding spotlight, has battled alcoholism for nearly half his 55 years. His country's boycotts of the 1976 and 1980 Olympics denied him an international showcase, and he says unscrupulous managers and corrupt Kenyan track and field officials, combined with his own erratic behavior, left him penniless. Rono notes in his soon-to-be-published autobiography that he was so down on his luck in the mid-1990s - homeless and out of prospects - that he showed up at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Ore., and pleaded for a job cleaning floors. His former sponsor, the great runner says, turned him away. If that was a low point for Rono, it was one of many. He says that he was intermittently homeless through much of the 1980s and '90s, was arrested more than once for driving while drunk, and drifted in and out of rehabilitation centers more times than he cares to remember. Friends took him in, then threw him out when his drinking got out of control. In steadier times, he worked as an airport skycap. He parked and washed cars. But all that is past, Rono
t-and-f: Isinbayeva with Helmut Lotti
This is old, but I just discovered it recently on youtube.com. Check it out... http://youtube.com/watch?v=MXgam88RUko bob
Re: t-and-f: Henry Rono
I accidently came across some posts from Rono the other day on one of the running forums. I almost couldn't believe that it was him, but the training claims and master's mile goal matched those of the LA Times story. Ironically, I had found the Rono posts while doing searches for another comebacking athlete from the same era, Patti (Catalano) Dillon. bob - Original Message - From: malmo [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: 'Jorma Kurry' [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; 'Track List' t-and-f@lists.uoregon.edu Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2007 7:43 PM Subject: RE: t-and-f: Henry Rono Henry ran a 5:32 mile in a time trial last week at Albuquerque (5000'). From 220 pounds to 165 since last May. malmo -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Jorma Kurry Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2007 7:42 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Track List Subject: Re: t-and-f: Henry Rono Great article. I know Malmo was posting info at one point about his attempt for an age-group mile record, or something of that sort. Is there an update? He's among the many greats I'd love to meet (Rono, that is :) ). - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Track List t-and-f@lists.uoregon.edu Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2007 7:00 PM Subject: t-and-f: Henry Rono From the Los Angeles Times http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-crowe26mar26,1,1452093.story?coll=la-hea dlines-sportsctrack=1cset=true CROWE'S NEST Rono tries to distance himself from troubled past The runner, who broke world records in four events in short period in 1978, says his life is on the upswing after alcoholism and homelessness. By Jerry Crowe, Times Staff Writer March 26, 2007 Henry Rono, once the world's preeminent distance runner and some say the greatest of all time, probably is best known for his mind-boggling assault on the record books in the spring and summer of 1978, when he broke world records in four events over an 81-day period. I was ahead of everybody, he says. I wasn't competing with people. I was competing with time. It was me and the clock. The clock he could handle. The bottle, he couldn't. The Nandi tribesman from Kenya, who in 1978 was a Washington State student unprepared for the sudden fame and blinding spotlight, has battled alcoholism for nearly half his 55 years. His country's boycotts of the 1976 and 1980 Olympics denied him an international showcase, and he says unscrupulous managers and corrupt Kenyan track and field officials, combined with his own erratic behavior, left him penniless. Rono notes in his soon-to-be-published autobiography that he was so down on his luck in the mid-1990s - homeless and out of prospects - that he showed up at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Ore., and pleaded for a job cleaning floors. His former sponsor, the great runner says, turned him away. If that was a low point for Rono, it was one of many. He says that he was intermittently homeless through much of the 1980s and '90s, was arrested more than once for driving while drunk, and drifted in and out of rehabilitation centers more times than he cares to remember. Friends took him in, then threw him out when his drinking got out of control. In steadier times, he worked as an airport skycap. He parked and washed cars. But all that is past, Rono says. His life is on the upswing. After shuttling from town to town for years, he says, he finally settled 11 years ago in Albuquerque. He says he has been sober for the last five. A full-time teacher pursuing a graduate degree in special education, he has taken a year off from work to write his recently completed memoirs and train for the Masters World Track Field Championships in September in Italy. On Sunday, he will compete in the Carlsbad 5K, and before the year is out he hopes to establish an age-group world record in the mile. I want to alert the public that I am back into running, he told race organizers in Carlsbad after signing on for their event. I want to teach people that you can come back from the streets and being homeless and recover your life again. The 5-foot-8 Rono, whose weight once ballooned to 220 pounds, says he is down to 165, 20 less than he weighed in December, when he ran in a 5K in Cincinnati and said, after spying a photo of himself, I look like a heavyweight boxer. His goal, he says, is to slim down to about 140. That's what he weighed as a 26-year-old sophomore in April 1978, when in a dual meet at Berkeley he set a world record of 13 minutes 8.4 seconds in the 5,000 meters. A month later, in Seattle, he established a steeplechase mark of 8:05:4, and a month after that, in Vienna, he set a record of 27:22:47 in the 10,000 meters. Sixteen days later, in Oslo, he set his fourth world record: 7:32.1 in the 3,000 meters. It was amazing, he says, but the way the media was handling my success was intimidating. I was not prepared for that. It was very stressful. Don Franken, a longtime track
Re: t-and-f: Yawn
Incredible for a 100m athlete to take EPO. But then again, it probably helps more for training than competition. Maybe Marion needs to give the 400m a shot before they yank her. (She was supposed to run Weltklasse today in a loaded field, but I don't want to know what happened until I watch the WCSN video!). She was defeated at Rome and that was her first defeat of the year. I don't know if she was beaten again or what. bob - Original Message - From: Martin J. Dixon [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: t-and-f@lists.uoregon.edu Sent: Friday, August 18, 2006 7:02 PM Subject: t-and-f: Yawn -http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/18/AR2006081800926.html
Re: t-and-f: Re: What's so good?
I'll tell what else is so good...the absolutely WONDERFUL job that the people at www.wcsn.com and Eurovision did with the World Championships webcast. I actually pretty much gave up on trying to watch the PAX-TV daily summaries because they were just so inferior, even though they were using the Eurovision feeds. I started watching a bit of the PAX summary today up until the the start of the men's 5000m and then I just gave up because I knew what it would be like. Hell, Dwight Stones does the best with what they give him, though. I'd like to hear his real thoughts on the winning height in today's HJ. But I never would've thought that Steve Ovett would be such an excellent presenter, either. I think Dwight should just team up with those guys full-time and they would have a great broadcast team. They did a superb job with the marathon today...I watched every minute of it today, didn't hit the fast forward once and it was worth every second of it. Radcliffe put on a simply awesome display of strength and confidence but Tomescu and Ndereba ran courageous, gutsy races. The only thing which I really missed were some post-event interviews. But we can find them elsewhere on the net, at least for that particular race. One of the best things was the fact that since they covered everything, one could see the utter joy on the faces of these athletes as they did their laps of honor and the fact that they covered all of the medal ceremonies. (Did everyone catch Drechsler and Frankie Fredricks today getting their special awards, too? That was great.) I ended up not fast forwarding through very much of these broadcasts because the actual action and the presentation were well worth the extra time. It is great to know that WCSN is going to cover the remaining Golden League events, too. This is the wave of the future for those of us in the USA who are starved for decent international track and field coverage. (If anyone has figured out how to capture these webcast files to the hard drive, please email me. I've tried a few of my tools to no avail so far.) bob
Re: t-and-f: Problems with WCSN
I can't get link to WCSN. Everything worked pretty well through Monday. Now when I try to link I get a message which says Server Error This server has encountered an internal error which prevents it from fulfilling your request. The most likely cause is a misconfiguration. Please ask the administrator to look for messages in the server's error log. My ISP says there is nothing they can do on their end. Anyone else having a problem? Mine is OK today, as I can access yesterday's archives. I had big problems on Monday night though, while others said it was working. They have a support number at 1-866-800-1275. One thing which you can try (in case it matters) is make sure you have any firewall disabled at your end. bob
Re: t-and-f: Dumb question on coverage
I have a question on being able to watch the coverage. I haven't signed up with wcsn but I might do so today - depending on the answer to a question. I noticed that they tout live coverage. This doesn't help me much, in that I'm at work most of the time that live coverage is offered. Is there a way to see it not live? Dave Cameron [EMAIL PROTECTED] The best part of the coverage is that they maintain archives. So you can go back and watch the previous activities after work. In fact, I would guess most of us are doing it this way. With the archives, you can fast forward and rewind at will, skipping events/competitors which don't interest you. It's a little awkward, but works fine. I've been up late the last two nights going through the archives to try not to miss anything and they have more programming than most of us have time to watch. Since I work at home, I'll be tempted to start sneaking peaks all day long, though! You can also access the one-hour summary which PAX is telecasting. The usual American announcers been doing a pretty good job on the summaries, too, although you lose a bit of the drama involved in watching all of the details. You really need to have a high-speed connection for this to work well. I'm using a cable modem and get good performance and images. If you are any slower than DSL speed, I don't know if this will work at all for you. bob
Re: t-and-f: Coverage
Thanks to the people who pointed out the availability of the webcast. The $4.95 is an incredible bargain that I enjoyed for today's second round. I appreciated the continuous coverage of events and not having the drivel that is too often a part of US TV coverage. The SP and women's 10K were a treat. Make sure that you go back and watch the men's 1500m heats. Heat one was quite fast and fun with Ovett giving commentary. At one point, he slips and refers to Alan Webb as Scott! bob
Re: t-and-f: TFN WC Contest
- Original Message - From: Martin J. Dixon [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Track Field List t-and-f@darkwing.uoregon.edu; Track-Canada [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, August 05, 2005 4:00 PM Subject: t-and-f: TFN WC Contest Kind of last minute but here are the details: http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/tfn/contests/2005WCOut/index.jsp Yeah, I wish I had entered. I've been to busy lately to study all of this. But that webcast is gonna be fun, at least for those of us in the US who are used to crap for track coverage. bob (still enjoying my free, 1st class subscription from last year's TFN Olympic contest--gloat, gloat)
Re: t-and-f: Fw: NYT - Felix, 18, Is Still Making the Adjustment From High School Star to Professional
Interesting the number of athletes who need inhalers. Do you suppose it is out of proportion to the general population, and if so, why :-) Maybe we inhale too much dirty air. But seriously, I don't think the medication would give you any advantage. I've been asthmatic most of my life and had a terrible recurrence in my early 20's when my running was really going super. Since then (almost 30 years), I've suffered through one medication after another and the side effects. This is no fun at all. For example, most inhalers or other meds will make your heart race and also can make you overheat. Corticosteroid drugs weaken muscles and cause weight gain. And you have to time the medication for best effect. After your race, you are jittery from the side effects. Beer helps :-) though. Despite the effectiveness of the medication, you are never 100% again and this is a *progressive* disease, which means that you get worse over time. I personally had to abandon road racing and limit any serious competitive efforts to 800m. The list of asthmatic athletes is endless. Jim Ryun, of course. Had Jackie Joyner-Kersee not been asthmatic, her 800m times would have been faster, given her natural talents and her records would be even further out of reach. Joan Samuelson became asthmatic later in her career, as did Mary Slaney. Paula Radcliffe is asthmatic, something which I just discovered and makes her records even more incredible. And now it appears that none other than El Guerrouj is having breathing problems as his last two races have been far below his usual standards. bob
Re: t-and-f: Fw: NYT - Felix, 18, Is Still Making the Adjustment From High School Star to Professional
malmo wrote: Doesn't give you an advantage? Think again. Remember Dr Smulovitz, the Eugene endocrinologist who supplied many of Eugene's runners steroids in the 70s and 80s? In the 90s I know of many athletes who where being treated by him for asthma. A sudden breakout of inhalers for a small cabal of atheletes, and you're suggesting it doesn't give an advantage? I don't think so. I have also heard that the Eugene area is terrible for people with allergies (like the Tennessee Valley area where I live), so that might account for much of this. However, there were also the stories about the East Germans (i.e. Krabbe) taking Clenbuteral, which was approved for asthma in Europe, but also had anabolic properties. It never received FDA approval in the US for humans. We know that many athletes will try anything if they think that it would give them an edge, but I think like I said, there are disadvantages for many of these drugs. I suppose that most of the controlled studies on the effect of the drugs (at least, outside of East Germany) have been on unhealthy subjects. A small degree of bronchospasm occurs in even healthy individuals, especially with exercise. So theoretically, relatively healthy people might benefit. The question would be what would constitute an unhealthy, asthmatic condition vs. cheating. I still don't believe that a truly asthmatic athlete on medication will gain an advantage over a non-asthmatic athlete. bob
Re: t-and-f: Fw: NYT - Felix, 18, Is Still Making the Adjustment From High School Star to Professional
Those would be impressive examples if they were legit, but chances are quite strong most, if not all, of them were bogus prescriptions for performance enhancing reasons. I don't believe many people are going to believe that Ryun was a drug cheat, nor JJK, who is a spokesperson for various asthma foundations. Radcliffe is an avowed anti-doping advocate and Samuelson really wouldn't have had any reason to cheat at the point in her life at which she developed asthma. That leaves Slaney, who was known to use a nebulizer before races at the end of her career, and ElG. There are lots of others. I had also heard recently that Dragila was asthmatic, too. bob
Re: t-and-f: Fw: NYT - Felix, 18, Is Still Making the Adjustment From High School Star to Professional
malmo wrote: I think it's more of the pill for every ill syndrome. 40 years ago were normal mentally healthy people taking Prozac? Ritalin? Did kids have ADD when I was in school? Amen. There is a level of expectation that medication is the cure for everything, with the drug companies reaping the benefits. In all too many cases, the side effects are another problem altogether, with long term effects either unknown or suppressed from the public. bob
t-and-f: Re: [masterstf] Kingdom denied entry at meet
How do some people treat a two-time Olympic champion? Don't ask. Check out this incredible/horrible story: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04178/337949.stm Well, I think he should've just paid the entry fee. It was his own decision. This isn't a horror story. I'm sure he'll get over it. bob.
Re: t-and-f: Re: [masterstf] Kingdom denied entry at meet
Agreed. I have always had respect for Kingdom, but my estimation of him just went down a couple notches (assuming of course the story is true). You know what they say about bein' nice to the right people on the way up Sooner or later you gonna meet them comin' down Well, there ain't no goin' back when your foot of pride come down - Bob Dylan Foot Of Pride bob
Re: t-and-f: Another idiotic jewelry DQ
Jim Gerweck wrote: At this week's CT Class MM meet, one of the top 3 vaulters in the state was competing w/ one of those string and bead necklaces (the PV official either didn't notice or didn't care). About 20 years ago, when my daughter was running in high school, one of her teammates got a DQ at the state meet for false starting in the 2 mile run. There are special places in hell for those who make these rules. bob
Re: t-and-f: Wis. bound Withrow: 8:57.95/4:19
1 Matt Withrow (Sr.), Tinley Park (Andrew) 8:57.95 1 Matt Withrow (Sr.), Tinley Park (Andrew) 4:19.07 Great performances! A lot of depth in that 3200m field, too. Same day double? bob
Re: t-and-f: Ritz seems to have recovered ok
Benji Durden wrote: Finals 1 Dathan RitzenheinColorado 14:08.40 10 2 Kyle KingBaylor14:25.758 3 Scott RantallOklahoma State14:28.796 This is good news because he got his NCAA qualifier but more importantly wasn't in a race where he had to push too hard unnecessarily. Everything is looking up for him now; a great weekend double. bob
Re: t-and-f: Knee pain help needed
Gary Liguori wrote: Does anyone out there know a good Physical Therapist who perfroms deep tissue massage in the states of Minnesota, North Dakota or South Dakota. I read Mark Plaatjes article in march Runners World, and I'm desperately trying to get help with an 8 year old knee problme that is keeping from doing any meaningful running. I would also consider finding a rolfer. I have used them periodically over the years with good results. I have seen myself progress to pain-free running after about three sessions. bob
Re: t-and-f: Dragila No-Height at WIC
From now on, please don't put results in the headers until after the broadcast to the USA. Some of us would like to experience a little bit of drama. bob
Re: t-and-f: speaking of cheap WRs
G. Hill (the apostle Paul of T F?) wrote: Note Matsumiya's 1:28:36 WR for road 30K this past weekend. In her marathon WR, Radcliffe went through 30K in 1:21:34. A most under appreciated athlete... I hope she's getting her fair share of UK dollars, because the US doesn't acknowledge her existence. She's a gem. bob
Re: t-and-f: can I come back now? It depends...what do you thinkof Milli Vanilli?
Keith Whitman wrote: Give the fans what we really want-a monthly column by Malmo. What we really want are some *women* in those new monthly fold-outs! bob
Re: t-and-f: Alan Webb
Geoff Pietsch wrote: Now? Webb needs to race. Stick his head in there and get callused again. My two cents (if I haven't already spent them): Webb should have run cross country last fall. His 3:53 was set up, I believe, by the hard training he did for cross country the previous fall. He's likely a bit weak on speed from altitude training, too. But I share your thoughts on the lack of competition. I would think that the college team thing would have had a positive effect and let him have some fun, too. I also agree with Steve Scott's comment that Webb should just go to Europe and race, where expectations won't be so high. I'm afraid that the poor kid will crack under all of this pressure. He needs to go back to college and have a misspent youth. bob
Re: t-and-f: GUARDIAN UK ARTICLE: Jones to leave Francis for Nike's sake
You know, I'm a bit surprised that Mr. Lewis hasn't weighed in on all of this (yet)... bob
Re: t-and-f: Track connections
Martin wrote: There is a bunch of stuff on the letsrun home page. Here is an article about a race he had with Shorter. http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/news/020203/Local/ST001.shtml 31:05 for 10k...not too shabby at all. This likely made him the fastest astronaut in history (at least, in distances). bob
Re: t-and-f: Hazards of sport
Ed Grant wrote: Runners have many dangers srrounding them when they go on the road, but nothing like this Well, not necessarily dangerous but quite ghastly! I've often thought about finding a body out in the woods on some of my trail runs. Those high school guys must've had nightmares about this. Definitely something to tell their grandchildren. (Ed, you should write a book. You have so many great stories) bob
Re: t-and-f: UW Indoor Meet Attendance Error
Bill Roe wrote: A professional tour stop (anyone else remember the old ITA besides me and Garry Hill and Bob Hersh?) reported crowds using a dart board, which obviously weren't connected to reality. Some of the big stars of ITA were Jim Ryun and Ben Jipcho. (Keino Lindgren too, I believe.) As I recall, one of their gimmicks was a series of lights set up around the track which indicated record pace. (Did they even have any outdoor meets?) Some of these meets even got national televised coverage but after the ITA was dissolved, the athletes who were involved had to struggle to get reinstated as amateurs. As far as I'm concerned, all that the ITA ever did was to essentially shorten the careers of some good athletes. I guess the reverse was true of a few of the legends, some of whom seemed really ancient (i.e. well into their 30s!) at the time and must have come out of retirement to compete due to their marquee value.I also recall hearing that many athletes couldn't afford to go professional as they would lose out on their lucrative amateur earnings. bob
Re: t-and-f: Iraq 'tortured' athletes
There was a recent, excellent, documentary on Saddam Hussein called Uncle Saddam. Anyone interested in the craziness over there should watch this, as it has been making the rounds on cable television in the US. Son Uday, the perpetrator of the athlete torture, was actually imprisoned by his own father at one time and possibly slated for execution. Intervention on the part of President Hussein of Jordan may have saved him. However, Uday is more or less next in line in terms of power. Another interesting Iraqi custom is intermarriage between second cousins and sometimes first cousins. Saddam's first wife was a cousin. The familial links are strong, as many of Saddam's top people are relatives. Which, of course, hasn't stopped him from enacting his own form of justice on them. There was a case where he had two of his daughter's husbands executed. bob
Re: t-and-f: Iraq 'tortured' athletes
Phil wrote: Always seems to me you can understand Saddam better if you just think of him as a Mafia Don, basing much of his chain of command on family and personal loyalty rather than merit, and ready to use whatever power needed to keep power. Those are my exact feelings, too, although I can see a bit of Idi Amin in him too. What really amazed me in the documentary were his many palaces (some underground) and their splendid architecture. And while Saddam blames the US embargos for the suffering of the people in Iraq, he continues to flaunt his wealth. He once asked everyone in the country to turn over all of their gold in order to help improve the plight of his people. Some time later, he showed up in a carriage which was manufactured from the gold. bob
Re: t-and-f: January TF News...
Martin J. Dixon wrote: ...just arrived. I am constantly battling our local post office and I am curious as to whether or not anyone else in the world hasn't got theirs yet or, even better, if someone in some extremely remote locale has. I just received mine a few days ago here in Alabama, so mine had to go across country, too. It is a most excellent issue. I haven't read the articles yet, but the color photos are better than ever. The foldout turned out great. Kudos to Gary and staff. bob
Re: t-and-f: Dogs kill runner
Randall Northam wrote: All very true. But we don't have the death penalty, we don't have as many fat people (percentage wise of course, because we don't have as many people), we don't eat grits (we put that on the road when it snows) You can trash our leaders, but when you start talking about fine Southern cuisine, you're on shaky ground, Randall! I'll ignore the temptation to comment on my impression of English cooking! To each their own! bob
Re: t-and-f: Dogs kill runner
Randall Northam wrote: I went to the Atlanta Olympics so don't talk to me about southern cooking! I didn't like grits but I did like the greens. Nothing beats a good Southern meal. Of course if it's not mama who is doing the cooking, you have to be careful about your choice of restaurants. Many establishments are phony in this regard. The best cooking will often come from those places where there are bunch of little old ladies in the kitchen. Grits and breakfast are just the tip of the iceberg. Cooked turnip (or collard) greens, red beans, fried okra, cornbread, and the appropriate condiments are heavenly. The condiments are most crucial: hot pepper sauce for the greens, tabasco sauce for the beans, and butter for the cornbread. Of course many people like to just throw the cornbread right into the bowl of greens in order to sop up the juices. And of course, you wash this down with a big glass of iced tea. bob
Re: t-and-f: Dogs kill runner
I'm a big animal lover but have no use for pit bulls. You could've guessed that they were the culprits without even reading about this unfortunate incident. People breed these dogs for fighting or protection, often to impress their friends. But this is first time that I can remember hearing about runners actually being killed by dogs. bob
Re: t-and-f: Jones and Charlie sighting
ghill wrote: well, I wasn't kidding, but I also wasn't being mean or nasty in any way; just my way of saying that this story has so many juicy twists and turns I'd expect to see it on the front page in the grocery store checkout line. Actually, we all just *WISH* that in the USA track was so popular that it could become tabloid-ish. It's become almost like a cult thing, ya know? bob
Re: t-and-f: TFN's centerfold
Geoff Pietsch wrote: Am I alone in hoping that a regular centerfold, like the one of Jorge Torres in this month's issue (I get it late - our snails move really slowly), will be a regular feature? I still have a bunch of full-sized posters of folks like Brendan Foster and Shorter and Viren that TFN used to sell back in the '70s. I wish they were still around, but centerfold photos would be good substitutes. Easy for coaches to remove and post on bulletin boards. And there are certainly plenty of female athletes around these days who would make good centerfolds! I still have Amy Acuff's risque calendar up in my home office, with the sado-Stacey Dragila picture prominently displayed. I remember that poster series well. I used to have the Juantorena and John Walker posters but sadly have let them get away from me. I keep telling myself that I'm at least going to get one of the good (but expensive) Prefontaine posters which are still available. But a new series of posters and/or centerfolds would be great. Hell, USATF should be doing this, too. bob
Re: t-and-f: TFN's centerfold
ghill wrote: hmmm... that would suggest only 2 possibilities: 1. you're single 2. you're married to Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Actually, I *did* have a couple of pics of Cassandra Petersen (Elvira) on the walls, too! Not single, but the Widow Duncan has cut me some slack regarding my track fetish! bob
Re: t-and-f: yelling at runners (was: favortie sport...)
Mike Prizy wrote: But why be dead right? If special clothing has to be worn with the intent of being seen by drivers, then maybe a route farther away from auto traffic needs to be found. I think bright clothing gives some runners a false sense of security. Unfortunately such routes are getting more difficult to find. And for those of us who run in the evening, it is even worse. I once lived in an area where I could safely do long runs at night with plenty of well lighted sidewalks and relatively safe streets. Now I live in a rapidly growing area where runners and bikers risk life and limb, children do not even walk to the nearby school, and the only sidewalks are in those highly restricted subdivisions. The primary design consideration for the community has been to maximize the profits of the developers. Hell, it's not even safe to walk anywhere in broad daylight, as drivers ignore posted speed limits and there are only narrow shoulders on the sides of the road. So I try to wear bright colors, stay alert, and attempt to minimize time on the more dangerous roads. Having grown up in the South Suburbs of Chicago, I've had numerous run ins with cars and pedestrians. While in college, I was surprised at the number of run ins I had on country roads - not just with aggressive car loads of teenagers - but from the grandmas and grandpas who wouldn't yell or throw anything at us, but seemed set on making me/us dead right. I was once tooling along on a cold night and felt something hit me in the chest. I looked down and saw that I had been egged. I watched the auto which I thought had just passed me turn into a driveway and immediately confronted the driver. To my surprise, it was an elderly man and his wife! Since I didn't actually see the egg being thrown, all I could do was apologize and continue on. Our angry responses to driver aggression can sometimes get us into trouble. I fully expect to get shot by a drunk redneck one day while running and die just like Dennis Hopper at the end of Easy Rider. bob
Re: t-and-f: yelling at runners (was: favortie sport...)
On a more sober note, my daughter grew up as a runner and regularly endured attacks, such as the occasional beer bottle, firecracker or cherry bomb. Just two years ago as an adult, she was attacked my a man while running in a park in Los Angeles. Despite being an experienced runner, she was wearing headphones and the guy was able to sneak up on her. Fortunately, she escaped and with the assistance of a passing motorist, the culprit was arrested. Unfortunately, there were no witnesses to the actual attack. My daughter went to court on it but the judge let the attacker go free for lack of evidence. I think maybe we should refer this one to the Runners Defense League. And then maybe move to Vancouver (must be something in the water up there). bob
Re: t-and-f: Ernst Van Aaken and longevity
Dave Cameron wrote: Anyway... I'm wondering how long Van Aaken lived. I understand he is deceased now (he was born in 1910, so didn't make it to 100). Given his adamant belief on people programmed to live to 100 - does anyone know how close he got? I did a little research and found that he died in 1984. I recall that he had suffered a terrible accident while training where he was run down by a motor vehicle and eventually had both of his legs amputated. I don't know how much this accident contributed to his demise, as he was coaching and lecturing after the accident. Most of Van Aaken's book are in German, although Runner's World published a famous one back in the 1970's called The Van Aaken Method. bob
Re: t-and-f: The REAL athlete of the year
Martin J. Dixon wrote: Sorry to continue to stray off track here. The adversity was just icing. He deserved to win it anyway. He did do a little something extra after winning it twice, he won it a third time AND a fourth. Armstrong's thoughts on the matter are not relevant. He is not a normal human being. Ask the great cyclists in history who have never won it. I agree completely. There is a great story by Rick Reilly on Armstrong in the SI Athlete of the Year issue; Armstrong is as tough as they come and his discipline should be an inspiration to all athletes. As much as I bitch and moan about SI and their lack of track coverage, they make me appreciate the intensity of these other athletes. And their last issue even had a short piece on the old Juantorena / Boit rivalry. bob
Re: t-and-f: Call to axe Jones, Montgomery tour
Martin J. Dixon wrote: Shoes are staring to drop. Isn't Australia the land that was basically originally settled by criminals shipped from the continent? That was a cheap shot if I've ever heard one. Merry Christmas to any Aussies on this list. bob
Re: t-and-f: Track TV hero
Ed Grant wrote: Tonight, at 9 p.m., on CBS, there is a movie called The Man Who Saved Christmas, based on a real-life story. The hero of the tale is A.C. Gilbert, who before he took up the profession of toy-maker in the WW I era, was a natonal indoor AAU PV champ, also an IC4A champ, and also briefly held the world record for the PV at 12-7 1.2 in 1908 Thanks for the tip!!! I'll watch it. I grew up with his chemistry and erector sets and recently attended a show based around his toys. Woo-hoo, I'm ten years old again! bob
Re: t-and-f: Track TV hero
Alfred Gilbert (aka A. C. Gilbert) was the co-winner in the pole vault (with another American, Edward Cook) in the Olympic Games of 1908 in London (3.71m). As Ed Grant had implied, it is a bit difficult to imagine that Jason Alexander's television character had once achieved such athletic prowess. However, Alexander portrayed the role admirably and I enjoyed the movie. There is more on A.C. Gilbert at www.frontiernet.net/~davegilbert/acg/ and pubs.acs.org/hotartcl/tcaw/00/sep/schmidt.html/. bob
Re: t-and-f: Sportsman of the Year
They should just call it American SportsMAN Of The Year. I would vote for Paula myself in a perfect world. And heaven forbid that an American with the name of Khalid should be selected. It's a crying shame that SI has never seen fit to honor a Carl Lewis or Marion Jones or Michael Johnson. They should have a male and female award like TFN. (or possibly even name a horse--maybe they've done that in the past; John Walker once stated that his favorite all time athlete was Secretariat). Let's face it, their attitude is very slanted towards big sports and that basically excludes women, in addition to track men. At least they no longer consider bicycle racing to be a wimpy sport. I still subscribe to their rag, as every once in a while some great sports writing can be enjoyed. They just need to direct their energies to some other stories. What the heck ever happened to Kenny Moore? I believe that one of the the last items that he wrote for SI was on Mamo Wolde. bob
Re: t-and-f: Sportsman of the Year
Don Franken wrote: Dear Bob, Kenny Moore is a screenwriter (his writing partner is Robert Towne) and a movie producer. Well, Kenny's in good company. Recall that Towne directed Personal Best and even included an infamous scene with Moore. Cringe if you may, but those were the good old days to me. bob
Re: t-and-f: Dark Day addenda
Ed Grant wrote: My wife happens to belong to one of the consituent members of this organization. Her group was taken over by radical feminism with absolutely no consultation of the hundreds of local groups spread around the country. It just happened. And this is typical of the other major members of the group which is now being hailed as a civil rights: leader. There is a good column by Pat Buchanan on the Augusta controversy at http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=29717. bob
Re: t-and-f: Frank Shorter disses George Frenn
Lee Nichols wrote: (Interesting side note: Track athletes were featured on the cover of SI no less than three times that year -- Pre was on the 6/15/70 issue. And in a non-Olympic year! When was the last time that happened?) I've been a SI subscriber since the mid-70's and it seemed that in those days track athletes on their covers was not uncommon. I recall Coghlan, Slaney and others, often during indoor season, along with Kenny Moore's great writing. I used to write SI protesting their more recent pathetic coverage of track but have given up. Given the SI penchant for their swimsuit girls, I'm especially surprised that they haven't picked up on some of our sports female athletes for cover material. Of course, they wouldn't have to be shown grimacing, as is the custom with TFN! bob
Re: t-and-f: Re: NCAA brothers
Keith Whitman wrote: or the Plummers? (yes I know, sisters) How about Monica and Regina Joyce? bob
Re: t-and-f: M100 Jaskulski shatters 100m record in Hawaii
Ed Parrot wrote: If most 100-year-olds fall, they go to the hospital. They get operations. They break hips. This guy gets wrapped up and he's going to run the 100 meters. Say what you will about masters competition, the above observation makes me proud to be a track and field athlete Yeah, I know. I think that kind of thing just keeps us all going and is more spiritual than going to church every Sunday for a year. bob
Re: t-and-f: Heptathlon standards
ghill wrote: JJK's score of 6304 would put her at No. 5 on the yearly list for 2002. What 6304? That would be her score after SIX events in her WR performance. Has anybody calculated what her best case heptathlon score would be, taking her PRs for all events? I believe that you guys publish that kind of thing from time to time in TFN, but it's still nice to hear again. bob
Re: t-and-f: Jabbour is the future: was Letter...NYC mara... coverage
Tom Derderian wrote: TV is dead. Webcast is the future. Most webcasts have mediocre picture quality although I have seen a few with pretty good pictures, assuming that you have a high speed connection. The poor quality ones are a chore to watch and the low quality really shows through when the subjects are in fast motion. For example, I tried to watch some of the European Championships on the BBC web site and it was frustrating. The technology is there if it gets applied correctly, though. Hopefully, more people will acquire high speed connections so that they can make the most of the medium. Maybe USATF should try doing something along these lines with domestic meets. It would be nice to even employ multiple streams, so that you could go to a web page and select which event that you wished to follow. bob
Re: t-and-f: Meanwhile back at the hall of fame....
Lee Nichols Yes, you were fortunate -- because here in America, this gets my award for worst, or at least most annoying (watch out, I sense another new thread starting), television coverage. Ditto the men's 5K that year, which I think was shown in some abbreviated form late at night after I had given up entirely. This was back when Kennedy was quite competitive and he deserved prime time treatment by the network. bob
Re: t-and-f: NYTimes.com Article: A Journey With Wilt ChamberlainThrough Sport and Life
ghill wrote: I can't imagine that the IAAF or IOC have ever looked at it as a substance to be banned. Didn't the FDA even refuse even to sanction its production as a drug? (I remember Oregon athletes of the era complaining that decision was based on bad science.) Back in the 70's and early 80's this seemed to be a hot medication for runners. I've used it off and on for years with mixed results. My wife and I are horse owners and she swears by it and often has the breath herself. It can burn sometimes for a while after application, but if you need any, check out your local feed store and it will likely be with the horse medications. If I had my choice, however, I'll take a good massage anyday to DMSO. bob
Re: t-and-f: Meanwhile back at the hall of fame....
Bob Hersh wrote: The Tokyo '91 long jump. Perhaps the greatest field event competition ever. And not just the WR, but the whole competition. Just amazing. And it was telecast virtually in its entirety. Just riveting. What a series by Lewis! I've still got it on tape along with a lot of other stuff from the early 80's onward. Field events just do not get this kind of coverage any more. More favorites: 5000m in Munich...the anticipation leading up to Pre's race was amazing. I had been in Atlanta to see a concert (I think Santana) and made a point of driving home in the middle of the night so that I could be home to watch it on TV. Coe's 1500m in LA, defeating Cram and shaking his fist at the British press, with Steve Scott fading and consoled by his wife after the race. Carl Lewis' 200m in Indianapolis in '83, easing up significantly in the homestretch, yet still running 19.75 to almost break Mennea's WR. (I got to see this one in person). And what about Michael Johnson's 19.32 200m in Atlanta, surpassing the significant hype for that race? bob
Re: t-and-f: Meanwhile back at the hall of fame....
Bloomquist, Bret wrote: How about worst races in track history? Or even the 2000 Olympic Trials 200m, where both MJ and Maurice Green pulled! \ Or the 1992 10,000m travesty with Khalid Skah and Richard Chelimo, where lapped runner Hammou Boutayeb paced Skah over the last three laps. bob
Re: t-and-f: NYC coverage
Lee Nichols wrote: As most of you probably already know, it appears the only NYC Marathon TV coverage will be a pared-down, one-hour highlights show after the event, that afternoon on NBC. Oh well, after NO coverage of Chicago, I suppose I should be grateful for that much. I miss watching the whole thing, which they showed when I was a kid. (And they showed all of Chicago, too.) It's a shame, too, as there were so many classic races in the past which were given excellent coverage in New York, usually better than the Olympics. I recall watching Salazar's classic duel with Rudolfo Gomez and then going out and hammering a 20 miler in the rain. Another time, I drove down to my daughter's college XC meet and brought along a VCR along so that I could tape the marathon from the motel the next day. In my neck of the woods (north Alabama), all we have to watch on Sunday morning are news shows, church services, and real estate shows. Hell, many of us would probably fork over $$$ to watch these marathons on pay per view. The US networks blew it big time over Chicago, even though everyone knew ahead of the time that at least one world record was a possibility. With this lack of coverage, youngsters have fewer opportunities to watch and be inspired, which ultimately diminishes the new talent pool. bob
Re: t-and-f: NYC coverage
Gmcmmail wrote: Hell, many of us would probably fork over $$$ to watch these marathons on pay per view. The US networks blew it big time over Chicago, even though everyone knew ahead of the time that at least one world record was a possibility. Nope, gotta disagree with you there! Running/track field fans have been the stingiest fans in the world of sports since day one. I doubt you would sell more than 500 PPV slots for any race. I'd be one of the 500! Unable to attend the Olympic Trials for 2000 and with weeknight coverage limited to PAX-TV (which my cable provider didn't carry), I installed a long-range outdoor UHF-TV antenna just so that I could pick up a grainy picture from Birmingham, Alabama, 90 miles south of me. I've often thought about installing a satellite dish, simply for the possibility that I might be able to pick up some European track meets. bob
Re: t-and-f: speaking of AOYs......
ghill wrote: As always, I have trouble getting excited over another undefeated El G season based on a series of set up races. Let's talk about '96 and '00, where he didn't get a perfect place on the grid and didn't have preordained rabbits going out at a pace he requested. Oh yeah, he lost the biggest race in both of those years, didn't he? Well said, but still sad, given the talent of El G and Bernard Lagat. After the Seneca Lassiter debacle, I think we're all getting fed up with rabbited races, week after week after week, where the only thing that matters is another record. bob
t-and-f: Paula Radcliffe
I say once again...Paula Radcliffe, Athlete of the Year! bob
Re: t-and-f: marathon stats
Gary Hill wrote: in anticipation of a kick-ass Chicago on Sunday, we've posted some stats you might find interesting on the TFN site (www.trackandfieldnews.com) Thanks for the interesting statistics. Now, if only we had televised coverage in the US (outside of Chicago or satellite)... Runner's World is giving updates during the race on their website, but it's not the same! Anybody know of any other live coverage options? bob
Re: t-and-f: Browne named Athlete of the Week
Ben Hall wrote: Nothing against Browne, as I am very glad to see a good marathon performance out of him BUT... can USATF retroactively award David Krummenacker with an Athlete of the Week honor? He tore it up in Europe this summer, didn't he? Something about Krummenacker being the fastest 800m/1500m American ever (1:43.9, 3:31.9)... Hell, he was really the only American man who was competitive at 800m and up, had 3 firsts and 3 seconds in GP events. bob
Re: t-and-f: USATF Release: Jones named Athlete of the Week
Post, Marty wrote: On Feb 17 at the World's Best 10-K in San Juan on a stinking hot day with high humidity - is there any other kind in Puerto Rico? - Radcliffe ran 30:43 in what was then the second best women's road 10-K in history. I figured that she had probably run another road competition or two during the year, but couldn't find anything on the Internet. I guess she'll be #1 in the hearts and minds of distance bigots like myself. It's a tough job for the TFN editors, as they're often comparing apples to oranges. I don't think Radcliffe's 3000m loss to Szabo should count against her, as her primary events were 5000m and up. And after Chicago, assuming that she wins in another great time, you could base things on the marathon alone, with her other competitions just being icing on the cake. bob
Re: t-and-f: USATF Release: Jones named Athlete of the Week
Post, Marty wrote: Radcliffe has put up some big numbers going up and down a range of distances this year. One loss, but in a tremendous time, and, of course, there's still the Chicago Marathon to come. Joe Henderson has a good article on Paula Radcliffe today at http://www.runnersworld.com/home/0,1300,1-0-0-ZNEWS,00.html#bell, making the case for her setting two real world records this year: best non-Chinese mark at 10,000m and best marathon time in a women's only race. I hope Chicago won't be stretching things too far for her, but she was actually pretty conservative in her racing all summer. Except for her 3000m loss to Szabo at Monaco, she avoided the lucrative IAAF track circuit and pointed mainly to the Commonwealth Games and the European Championships. Mar 23IAAF World X-C Long Race1st26:55 Apr 14London Marathon Marathon 1st2:18:56 Jul 19 Monaco Herculis3,000m 2nd 8:22.2 Jul 28 British Commonwealth Games5,000m 1st14:31.42 Aug 6 European Championships 10,000m 1st30:01.09 ER Sept 22Nike London 10K (road) 10,000m 1st30:38 Oct 13 Chicago Marathon Marathon ??? ? bob
Re: t-and-f: Bob Hayes nostalgia
ghill wrote: Still my choice for World's Fastest Human ever. The article in the new Sports Illustrated was good, but somebody needs a real in-depth article. Where is Kenny Moore when we need him?! bob
Re: t-and-f: Women's track trivia
Post, Marty wrote: Answer: All finished in the top six places at the nationals 5000 meters last June and all declined to represent the US at the World Cup. Seventh finisher, Collette Liss will be running for American team. Has the US ever had to go down so many places to get a World Cup representative? No Suzy-Favor Hamilton in the 1500 meters, either. Nicole Teter is injured. No Stacey Dragila. Tim Montgomery is out. Angelo Taylor is only on the relays. See http://www.usatf.org/events/2002/IAAFWorldCup/roster.shtml for the team. Maybe this will be a good opportunity for some of the new blood. bob
Re: t-and-f: GOOD track field movies/books?
Another good movie was Four Minute Mile. See http://us.imdb.com/Title?0095171 for more information. There was even a querky Cerutty character in this production. Much better was Roger Bannister's own book, The Four Minute Mile. Go to amazon.com for a description. bob
