Olympic Gold -Frank Shorter

Although Frank was great in his win and generated interest with the running boom public, Dave Wottle also generated huge interest in running.

The ABC version of his race is popular but there is also a BBC version of the 800 meter 1972 final. It is not in high definition though. High definition is not needed. The American is not the center of attention here as he was in the ABC version.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwGxLfWSnEM

- Dave Wottle, 1972, BBC

On Saturday, June 5,1971, I was on a plane from San Francisco to Eugene and going to run in the National AAU Marathon which was to be run the next day as part of the National AAU Marathon and Twilight Meet. Tha marathon was also the Pan Am Team trial Frank Shorter was in the seat ahead of me. I believe Shorter had run in a track race the night before. When we got to Eugene and received the Official Program I found that Shorter was there to run the Marathon and not 6 miles. Jim Ryun, Steve Prefontaine and Arne and Knut Kvalheim were entedd in the Twighlight Mile Run. Tickets were 4.00 each.

The Marathon started in sunny warm weather but I believe that about an hour later it cooled off significantly, became cloudy and a fairly strong wind came up. Kenny Moore led at the 10 mile point in 25:45 with Shorter second in 25:46. As we all now know Shorter was second in that race and then did not lose another Marathon until July 31, 1976.

On September 10, 1972, I was sitting near the back of the Munich Olympic Stadium as Frank Shorter, Kenny Moore and Jack Bacheler lined up with the other 70 starters for the Olympic Marathon.

Since our seats were over the tunnel we were able to stand at the very top of the stadium and watch the runners go and come back. We saw Frank Shorter way up the road as he approached the stadium all alone. Frank then entered the stadium tunnel but then a heavy non-runner run out onto the track, followed shortly later by a confused Frank Shorter. Many in the stands were very confused also. That is one of the races that I will never forget.

Obviously the times I quoted were for 5 miles. The ten mile times were 52:35 for Shorter and 52:39 for Moore. According to the results I have they were 5 seconds apart at 15 miles and together at 20 miles in 1:45:41. Moore won in 2:16:48.6 and Shorter ran 2:17:44.5

The retelling of the 1972 Oly-thin is great.

Also loved the gigglin bathroom scene from Fokuoka.

The day of the marathon, September 10, 1972, was probably one of the greatest days of Olympic spectating with finals in the mens 1,500, 5,000, marathon, 4 x 100 & 4 x 400 relays, high jump, women's 4 x 100 & 4 x 400 relays and discus. Scheduling in current Olympics don't allow for this many finals in a single day.

[quote]Jon Ulm wrote:

I have nothing to add but I also have read this book.

Before reading it I was not aware that Mr. Shorter had those severe foot injuries that ended his competitive days. In the late 70s and early 80s I remember thinking that he no longer entered races due to age. He was in his 30s. Back then I thought that was very old, too old to compete.

What were those foot injuries precisely?

Page 140 Frank says, "...mental toughness and distance consistency each account for 20 percent of the total running program. The most important factor is speed work (30 percent); the remaining three elements are general experience (15 percent), rest (10 percent), and nutrition (5 percent)."

This comes after discussing his altitude training with Pre and their 3-mile race the eve of Pre's death.

Of that race he says he didn't do any interval training prior to the race and relied on his toughness and consistency to finish second while breaking the American record. 12:51.4 and 12:52.0.

Anyone see that race? Or have a link to video?

I was home in Maryland for the 1972 Olympics and my recollection is that ABC was showing the marathon live and Frank Shorter had broken away when ABC ended its morning coverage and said something to the effect that we'll be back with the conclusion of the marathon when Olympic coverage resumes at ?sometime in the afternoon.

Four years later in Toronto the same break in coverage was scheduled but ABC continued the live coverage giving local stations the option to continue or return to regularly scheduled programming -- WJZ-TV in Baltimore made the right choice.

No, Frank Shorter did not start the running boom. You guys just think that because it started it for you.

Four things started the running boom:

1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson created the Presidential Physical Fitness Award -- this and other health encouragements like the quit smoking movement had begun and helped and...

1967, a little book called "Jogging" by Bill Bowerman...sold something like 3 million copies in a few years and...

1968, another little book called "Aerobics" by doctor Kenneth Cooper. In some ways this was a bigger influence than Bowerman's book. The New Aerobics was published in 1970.

Kenneth Cooper has been credited with the fitness boom. Together with Bowerman they were credited with the running boom.

The Munich Olympics was a turn off for mainstream America...for obvious reasons, so much so that it almost killed the modern Olympics. It was billed as "Germany's apology for the Nazi's and WW2." And look how it turned out.

My neighbors parents, in the suburbs, were already jogging by 68, and I saw Cooper's book at their house... And started running. And then the other neighbors started running. And then I saw people running often. The book and its ideas were written up in many mainstream publications. Small running stores were popping up well before 72.

Shorter's achievement didn't hurt. But the prime was already well pumped by 72.

When was Runner's World founded, anyone?

When was Runner's World founded, anyone?

1966 or '67 "Distance Running News"

I was running well before 1972 so Shorter's race did not factor in my involvement in the sport at all. As with most phenomena, there was no single event causing it. There was definitely a growing interest in running before the Munich Marathon.

For example, in 1967 the Boston Marathon had around 600 entrants. By 1972 it had over 1,000 and both numbers were much bigger than the 200-300 who typically had been running it in the 50s and 60s. And while Lydiard, Bowerman, and Cooper deserve tremendous credit for getting previously sedentary people to start running for their health, they weren't really suggesting that those people race, though obviously a number of them did so.

But after Shorter's race there was a huge increase in the number of people entering existing races, road races in particular, all of us who had been running road races prior to Shorter's race commented on how much bigger the fields had become. And there was an increase in the number of road races as well. So I'd agree that the pump was primed but only a little water was flowing.

Runner's World was originally called Distance Running News and was founded in 1966. It came out something like 3-4 times a year. Orville will know. Eventually it came out six times a year and changed its name to Runners World and was still published in black and white. By 1973 it was published monthly and was in color.

Let's not forget two time Olympian Browning Ross who, I think, did as much for the advancement of distance running as anyone. Read his resume by Googling "H. Browning Ross" and looking at his Wikipedia page. Browning started "Long Distance Log" which was "A Publication For Runners By Runners" and was first Published in 1956. There were about 1,000 subscribers. It was last published in 1975.

As for the Boston Marathon, the expert is Tom Derderian. By the time I ran Boston for the first time, which was in 1962, the number of runners had begun to rise very slowly but there were still no women allowed and only the leaders received splits (at off-beat Locations). Water and gels were not used in marathons in those days unless the weather was brutal.

That first year, 1962, there were 181 starters.. In 1963 there were 183 finishers. In 1965 there were 358 starters. in 1966 there were about 500 entrants and the first woman, Bobbie Gibb Bingay, ran 3:21:40 unofficially. In 1967 Gibb and Katherine Switzer ran Boston unofficially. In 1972 there were 1081 started the race and 5 women finished it unofficially.

Participating in the sport of running was changing and also beginning to become more popular. The other factors in the unbelievable change are listed in the above posts

Frank definitely graduated in 1969--he was already out of the Ivy League when I entered it that year.

I used to have a copy of Frank's book--didn't quite realize it would be so pricey now. Anyway, it was one of the items in my Great LRC Book Giveaway of a few years back. I have no idea whom I sent it to, but either s/he has a rather valuable book, or got a decent payday on Amazon/eBay. Anyway, I'm sure it's found a good home.*

I remember enjoying the book for its (brief) detailing of a typical training week for Frank, which I believe included a long day and two(?) track sessions. Can't remember whether he did any of what we now call tempo runs, but I think it's accurate to say that Shorter's week didn't include very much slow-paced running.

*I would actually urge others (who can't be bothered with the hassle of selling something online) to consider clearing out their own running libraries and passing the items on. If you use this site's search function (look for "giveaway," I guess?), you could probably find details of how I worked it; basically, people sent me stamps and I sent them books. Worked out great, and kept me from continually re-reading those books (which was kinda pointless, since I wasn't coaching anymore--and was keeping me from reading *new* books).

Long Distance Log is now archived at the RRCA's website. I've slowly been working my way through it. I didn't learn LDL's existence until I'd been running for several years and never actually saw an issue until recently. Browning definitely planted the seed.

I bought Olympic Gold: A Runners Life and Times (Marc Bloom) when it came out in '84. Had Frank sign it when he was in Ann Arbor in '11 for the USATF Masters Nat 10 km Champs. Terrific stuff if you can find it.

Was a college jr when he won the marathon in Munich (incidentally am reading a 'scholarly' book now called 'Munich 1972: At the Olympic Games' by David Clay Large). I remember sitting alone @ home and hollering as he pulled away and neared the stadium. Erich Segal was an interesting choice as commentator w/his ties to Yale & Frank and got the nod largely because his book 'Love Story' had been made into a hugely popular movie a few years before. The W German student that entered the stadium before Frank added a surreal layer to a Games that had seen tragedy just days before w/the Black September terrorists and Israeli coaches & athletes.

As has been noted, the 'running boom' got its start prior to Shorter's runaway Oly win - by publication of a couple books in the 60s. Heck, Boston had to institute entry standards in '70. The win in Munich certainly had a galvanizing effect, motivating many more to put some running shoes on and be their own best athlete. Runner's World was doing its share in mirroring the times, showcasing efforts of the best and slowly swelling #'s.