Re: t-and-f: Bannister ruining the sport

[Randall Northam]

IMHO Pat Butcher was almost right. Pacemaking ruins the sport, but 
Bannister didn't event it. Loads of runners before 1954 used pacemakers 
of some description. Sydney Wooderson, much loved in the UK because he 
looked like a bank clerk and ran like a lion, broke his world record in 
a handicapped race in which he was the only one off scratch!
And that was before Bannister.
I think El Gerrouj is a great, great runner, but was I unhappy when he 
lost the Olympic title after being paced, no I wasn't.
Randall Northam

On 7 May 2004, at 20:03, malmo wrote:
Randy, the problem with your desires to have the runners acquiece to 
your vicarious desires is that those head-to-head match races are 
exactly what runners LOVE!!!!

Have you ever been in a pack with 150 to go, everyone digging hard, 
and you reach for that extra gear and find it, and blow by the field 
like you are walking on air? I have. Believe me, once you've felt THAT 
thrill, you want to experience it again and again! Every 1500 meter 
runner has had that thrill, and no matter how badly you want time 
trials, they will not comply.

Accept it, and learn to enjoy the terror that is racing.
malmo

From: Randy Treadway <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

What I hate most is some of the best athletes in the world going head 
to head at pedestrian race and then seeing who has the most blazing 
speed in the last 10% of the race.  I HATE THAT!!!  It reminds of 
those velodrome bicyclers that see how slow they can go without the 
bike falling over, so they can just watch other- like playing 
'chicken' or 'russian roulette'.