Back in the dark ages of the mid-80's, there was little if any track on TV. The Dream Mile from Bislett was the only European "meet" to be shown, but it was usually just the men's mile with perhaps the women's thrown in, if Decker was running.
So the big event every year was the New York City Marathon. I would tape it and watch it over and over and get inspired to go out and run on my own at the age of 10 or 11. I was a weird kid. What dramatic amazing races! Dixon outkicking Geoff Smith in the rain. Who will ever forget that image of Dixon thanking the heavens while the brave Smith lies on the wet pavement. Pizzolato stopping several times in the park but still holding off Dave Murphy. Ahmed Salah building a huge lead, but Pizzolato running him down in park for his second straight win. It's safe to say that were it not for the NYC Marathon telecasts, I wouldn't be as involved in the sport to the extent I am now. There might be some 11-year-old kid out there now who would become a fan of the sport if he/she were only exposed to such exciting races on network TV. There are more track meets on TV now than 15 years ago, but there's also exponentially more channels competing for attention. sideshow
