Forgot about Balcha, thanks for the correction. Great story about Stahl can't stop laughing while typing this.
I was in Europe back in '81, I agree with your take on orienteering very competitive in the Scandinavian countries I visited. Was suprised how fast some of the competitors were.
I interviewed Stahl for `Athletics Weekly` magazine in April 1986 (if the memory is correct). He was staying at the Tower Hotel right on the course. This was for the London Marathon. I think he ran about `2:16 on that occasion.
Everything you said about him is correct. He worked many hours and trained mostly on his own. I think he was self coached for most of his career.
His physique: Yes he was tall....but rather on the slim side. I would guess 6.2/150-155 (1.88/68-70 kg).
What I remember from the interview: His room at the hotel was meticulous (this was the day before the race). All his running gear and bottles were organized for the next day. Nothing was out of place.
His personality: introverted and quiet. He answered the questions about his training and racing but did not offer much more.
One had the impression that although others viewed Stahl as a champion runner, he was more modest in his own self appraisal, showing no arrogance or pride in his accomplishments.
Stahl gave the impression that running marathons was more of a hobby than the be all and end all of his life. Possibly this attitude helped him in his extraordinary accomplishments and longevity as a runner.
Thanks for the contribution. Hope he runs well in Frankfurt.
its great to see stahl is still running well, please someone post how he does as well as the overall winners, stahl is like john kelley, clarence demar bill rodgers, etc. runners who ran at a time when there was practically no money and the fact they ran late into life shows they ran for the enjoyment as well as pure competitition, which i consider refreshing compared to a lot of todays runners who start talking about quiting running, when they are still only in their twenties.
I agree with you. But he did just fine money-wise.
He didn't make it past 10km today. I'm not surprised given what he told me in August. Maybe he'll give a go next year.
Yes, the guy reminds me of a typical Swedish birch tree: tall, thin, and very white. He lives in Åhus, not Aarhus(a Danish city), which is on the southeast coast.
Thanks for the update and the city correction. Got to bone up on my Scandanavian cities. Coming back to the marathon after being away for a long time can be difficult.
Do you know if the heart issues that bothered him in his 40s have cleared up?
I didn't know about his heart problem till I read it here. I'll try and follow his racing on the internet and maybe get a chance to talk to him next summer.