Cudawudashuda wrote:
That's just great.
He wasn't.
With at least 18 other guys mentioned in the above posts, it was unbelievable that Sandoval was forgotten.
"Although the humidity remained thick, an unexpectedly cool, gentle headwind blew in off the still winter-cooled Niagara River. Over the next several miles, Thomas, Tabb, and Heath, who had placed last in the 1976 trial) traded off the lead, but no one wanted to try to break the race open quite yet. Sandoval, Hefner and Wells remained in the midst of the pack, patiently striding along. Just past 19 miles, Durden shot an angry glance at a hovering helicopter, then shot into the lead. The bearded Atlantan, who had placed sixth at Boston only five weeks earlier in 2:17:58, vigorously pumped his arms as he lengthened his advantage to 75 yards with a series of sub-five-minute miles between 20 and 22 miles. Meanwhile, the pack had dwindled to two--Sandoval and Hefner--both of whom appeared quite content to run behind Durden for the moment. At 22 miles, however, Sandoval--who seemed to be running effortlessly and carefree to this point--shifted up a gear and appeared to be working for the first time all day. Maintaining the same controlled style but at an obviously faster pace, he ate up Durden's lead with a single mile in around 4:40. By 23 miles, after taking the lead, he was able to downshift into his easy form again, while continuing to pull away.
A large soundsystem at the finish blared out the lyrics of a popular song: "This is it, Make no mistake about it" as Sandoval, grinning from ear to ear, closed out with a 2:10:18."
(This article was excerpted from an article that appeared in the August, 1980 Running Times)