I miss Mary Slaney

8:25 (3000..might be faster)is pretty impressive to...and so is 4:16 (mile)!

Joan and Mary ran completely different races and neither could close to the other in their speciality.

Slaney was awfully talented, but I would have to argue Joan Benoit could give her a run for the money in talent, albeit at a longer distance... A 2:21 marathon for a woman in 1985. THAT is impressive.

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I have spent time with both. Mary in terms of pure PHYSICAL talent is the best. She was 30 seconds faster than Joan on the track over 10,000 meters. As for mental tenacity I would both were/are amazing.

One was clean and one was dirty

Until I see evidence otherwise I'm going to go with the opinion that Mary was no more dirtier than any other of the top American middle distance runner of her era, and turned to drugs late in her career to stay competitive, like Eddy Hellybuck and Dieter Baumann.

She failed a drus test. The idea she was clean when fast and only cheated when she slowed down is just typical American backing a cheating American. Decker cheated end of story.

Mary at 15 years old was a talent and she got a lot better before her falls (at the Olympics and the subsequent drug issue). This is my point.

The drug use I can not speak to as I knew her before she was "busted". I have no reason to defend her regarding that. She, in my opinion, was the best female middle distance/distance talent this country has ever seen. I have no desire to change your opinion.

Mary Decker.

Difficult to like, easy to admire.

As a few people posted, to say Mary didn't have tactics is to be ignorant of the wins in Helsinki. The most exciting moments in US distance running history, bar none. As great as Billy Mills, Bob Schul, Dave Wottle and Frank Shorter put together. To defeat the Soviet women at 3000 and 1500 was absolutely incredible.

Ruth Wysocki=class acthttp://www.trackandfieldnews.com/asset/cover_art/198408_thumb.jpgMongol tribes of Helsinki RE:... Don't forget Steve Scott came up from Upland High School in So Cal and went on to an IAAF Outdoor WC Silver Medalhttp://www.uscaa.org/bahclubs/track/images/USCAA97RuthSteve.gif

Campell Street Pirate wrote:

I ran an indoor meet in San Diegio which was hyped as a showdown betweed her and Ruth Wysocki. Ruth got her in a big upset at the trials in 84. They were racing a 2000. Mary of course got the star treatment and shows up in a limo, jumps out and there were a huge group of kids at the tunnel wanting her autograph. But she had to warmup so she did and set a new world record. Wysocki was never a factor.

Love her or hate or, I would love to see that again in this sport from an American.

runn--BTW Ron Tabb was the one who "married down" IMO

2:22:43

1983 Boston Marathon 2:22:43

1985 Chicago Marathon 2:21:21

Wonderful runner. A great person.

jjjjjjjj wrote:

2:22:43

2h21.21 - Ingrid K. ran 2h21.06 for the WR, or was it the other way round? either way it was a 2h21 performance. The 2h22.43 was at Boston in '83.

JB wasn't that talented in terms of real speed, she was mentally very tough and trained very hard, at a time when 100m/week (especially at her intensity) was a lot for women (and coaches of women) to handle, or at least think they could handle. Ingrid K ran better on the track (precursor to Radcliffe) given her 30.13 10000m solo in '86, and WR in 5000m (first under 15.00 and later 14.37). Grete W. was even faster (4.00 for 1500m) who pioneered faster Marathons for women (WR going from 2h30's to 2h27 in one jump), but didn't really train properly for them (as the better women do now), and was better suited to 5000/10000m if they had been championship events in her time (late '70's to early '80's). Ingrid K. stayed on the track mostly (other than Marathons), whereas JB took to the roads (like Rodgers had earlier) as the American road circuit in the early-mid '80's was the place to be for Americans to do well.

MDS was a pioneer in her own right - even if one admits her later transgression - although not always a likeable (came across sometimes as a spoiled brat) one. Only a real "hater" thinks that she was doing drugs early in her career, it seemed more a case of desperation in maintaining her career at an elite level in the 1990's as she aged. Her speed and range was admirable - I think a 24-flat 200m (out of the blocks/standing start with no wind) was a more reasonable estimate of her speed, and indicates a 400m ability of about 52sec. This is line with her sub-1.57 800m, in fact won wonders (opportunities perhaps and also that she did run well over longer distance, up to 10000m, the latter a solo WR of 31.35 on the track when women weren't doing the event) why she didn't run faster than that, given her speed AND endurance ability. Any female who runs 2.02 for 800m at 14 years old (even if she was still prepubescent) has some major talent.

The only other talent comparable (although with less raw speed) was Zola Budd (2.00, 3.59.9, 8.28, 14.47 as a teenager), but she didn't get the career as a Senior athlete that might have been even better than Slaney - what a 10000m she might have run in 1988 if she had been able to stay in the sport in her 20's (late 1980's). But then she was still rather immature physically as a teenager (even at 19), so perhaps she may have struggled later anyway.

I liked MDS, but the funniest thing was her proof that she didn't use PED's. Something like:

"Testorone? C'mon!"

Her argument was the fact that using testosterone was just so ridiculous, she couldn't have done it. Admittedly, the E/T ratio may not have been the perfect way to measure it, but nonetheless claiming that combined with birth control pills and drinking wine before the drug test never seemed convincing.

I agree with the posters that state she was an amazing natural talent and turned to PED's as she aged. At 15, I highly doubt she was on anything. No clue about what happened in her 20's. Regardless, at least some of the competition was dirty (ahem, Regina Jacobs?), so it was tough to know how equal the playing field was.

61 at 400 in a 4:25 mile isn't guts, it's idiocy.

fsdafs wrote:

61 at 400 in a 4:25 mile isn't guts, it's idiocy.

Not when it destroys the whole field.

'Well Slaney could break 23 in the 200 in college'

Anything to back that up?

ukathleticscoach wrote:

'Well Slaney could break 23 in the 200 in college'

Anything to back that up?

No I was mistaken. It was written by Kenny Moore in his book "Best Efforts" that she ran 23.7. I would bet that was with a running start.

Indoor AM record.1 mi. 4:20.5 Mary Slaney

Athletics West San Diego, CA 1982-Feb-19

Outdoor Am records.

1,500 m 3:57.12 Mary Slaney

Athletics West Stockholm, SWE 1983-Jul-26

1 mi. 4:16.71 Mary Slaney

Athletics West Zürich, CHE 1985-Aug-21

2,000 m 5:32.7 Mary Slaney

Athletics West Eugene, OR 1984-Aug-03

3,000 m 8:25.83 Mary Slaney

Athletics West Rome, ITA 1985-Sep-07

800 METERS

1:56.40 Jearl Miles Clark (Reebok) 08/11/99

1:56.43 ——Miles Clark 08/12/98

1:56.78 ——Miles Clark 08/22/97

1:56.90 Mary Slaney (Athletics West) 08/16/85

2:34.65 Mary Slaney (Athletics West) 08/14/88

2:34.8 ——Slaney 07/04/85

1500 METERS

3:57.12 Mary Slaney (Athletics West) 07/26/83

3:57.24 ——Slaney 08/30/85

3:57.40 Suzy Hamilton (Nike) 07/28/00

3:58.43 ——Hamilton (Reebok) 08/08/98

3:58.92 ——Slaney 07/23/88

3:59.10 ——Hamilton (Nike) 08/16/02

3:59.19 ——Slaney 06/04/84

3:59.38 Anna Pierce (Nike) 08/28/09

3:59.40 ——Hamilton 09/06/02

3:59.43 ——Slaney 08/13/80

MILE

4:16.71 Mary Slaney (Athletics West) 08/21/85

4:17.55i ——Slaney 02/16/80

4:18.08 ——Slaney 07/09/82

4:19.18 ——Slaney 07/27/85

4:19.59 ——Slaney 08/02/85

4:20.34 Shannon Rowbury (Nike) 09/07/08

4:20.5i ——Slaney 02/19/82

4:20.93 Regina Jacobs (Mizuno) 07/20/98

4:21.25 ——Slaney 07/02/88

4:21.46 ——Slaney

2000 METERS

5:32.7 Mary Slaney (Athletics West) 08/03/84

5:34.52i ——Slaney 01/18/85

5:36.65 ——Slaney 06/25/88

5:37.86 Lesley Lehane (Puma) 07/11/86

5:38.09 Amy Rudolph (Reebok) 09/14/00

5:38.34 Amy Begley (Nike) 06/07/09

5:38.42 Regina Jacobs (Mizuno) 07/08/94

5:38.80 Annette Peters (Nike West) 06/06/92

5:38.95 ——Slaney 07/12/91

5:38.9 ——Slaney 07/07/82

3000 METERS

8:25.83 Mary Slaney (Athletics West) 09/07/85

8:29.69 ——Slaney 08/25/85

8:29.71 ——Slaney 07/07/82

8:31.08+ Regina Jacobs (Mizuno) 08/12/99

8:31.38 Shannon Rowbury (Nike) 07/22/10

8:32.91 ——Slaney 07/20/85

8:33.25i Shalane Flanagan (Nike) 01/27/07

8:34.62 ——Slaney 08/10/83

8:34.69 ——Slaney 08/17/88

8:34.91 ——Slaney 06/23/84

I like in the Helsinki 1500 aftter running the Russian down in the stretch she crosed the line, just stopped and turned around and starting walking. No jumping around in celebration, no breaking down in tears. Just like she was finishing a workout.

Badass.