Running Club from the 80's

Anybody remember that group of Irish and Scottish guys living and training in Johnson City, Tennessee? (Louis Kenny, Ronnie Carroll, Mark Finucane, Ed Leddy, and Adrian Leek?) I think most were ETSU runners but hung around and ran together for awhile after college...

Yes, it was a mild suprise to me too, when Merle said that he was moving there. Joe still hand picks his runners, unfortunately there are not that many for him to chose. Also his method of keeping a tight reign on his runners has caused him to lose a number of athletes.

There aren't too many Bobby Macias type runners around the area any more. The clubs handling the top local runners are the Furry Bunnies headed by Dave Olds, See Jane Run headed by Tania Fisher and the Team Nike LA which is coached by Eric Barrons.

I still see David G. running out on San Vicente along with some of the other old veterans, but they are no longer into the racing aspect of the sport. David still continues to wear his SMTC shirts, but I think he added Khakis to his wardrobe. There is no longer much contract work for him with SMTC, so not sure what else he is doing.

Johnny seems to be concentrating on coaching KD. If he absorbed some of Merle's knowledge, he will be a very good coach. Just by observing how well KD is running this year, I say he can be very successful as a coach.

I heard that Slotkin moved someplace up North, but not sure where.

To see Cleveland Wheland when he was into body building was one of the strangest sites. It looked like somebody plopped his head onto Arnold Swarzenegger's body.

Braavo Furgi wrote:

Mason-Dixon Athletic Club:

Nick Rose, Tony Staynings, David Long, Swag Hartel and some other Western Kentucky grads, me, other serious Louisville Kentucky area runners (We had David A Collins and David L Collins...) 1979 to 1985(?)...

Didn't a lot of the old Western grads run for Victory Athletic Club out of Louisville for a time? I have an old book with a pic of Staynings in a VAC jersey.

Alan

More SMTC names: Gunner Linde still races, well, around southern California. I think he was a Swedish olympian back in about 1912. One day Merle missed practice and after we finished a workout several of us broke out a cooler of beer and began playing baseball with a broomstick and a wad of tape. The next day, Gunner reported the Merle that we were having "an orgy" after practice!

I remember Mel Elliott (and occasionally George Cohen) and couldn't conceive of the fact that 40+ guys could break 2:00. My PR in the 400 was in a match race against Mel (I was finished with practice, he was just arriving), and I had to run 53.1 to beat this old man.

We need a damn reunion.

Ghost,

Gunner is now training with Joe. He is still competing, in fact he now competes in your event, the steeple. He's still funny always talking about competition, or lack of since every body else has died off.

Don't see Mel, but still see George. Lon Barnes is back East but he ventures to the west coast every once in a while. It's amazing how quick those old farts were back then.

A reunion would be fun.

yeah, I remember Mel Elliot...ran with a baseball cap on backwards...nice guy....he hosted a BBQ for the club at his Pacific Palisades home in the mid 70's, when I was there. Ed Stotsenberg was the president of the club, then. 65 year old masters guy who was pretty good...big ego...hot head....millionaire who lived in Malibu. There was a big influx of good runners from back east and the midwest, that came out between 1976 and 1980...The SMTC had an ad in Track and Field News, in the mid 70's that was like a 'siren call' to those poor souls back east, looking to extend their careers, post college for a couple more years.

Farnland National Doodle Dashers, Tom Antczak, Jim and Joe Hanson, Jim Drews, Mike Thesing, Steve Benson, Steve Reynolds, Tony Shockency, Al Zetterlund, Jim Ingold, Norm Hommen, Jay Heldt, Steve Ostwinkle, Dave Teague....they were guys from La Crosse, Twin Cities, and Madison: Club Sota out of the Twin Cities, Palmquist, Stokka: Birdlegs Track Club(Racine and Madison)Matthews, Merrit, Moore: Team Banzai(La Crosse) Valentine, Mahler, Christensen, Heldt, Dimas, O'Brien, Ostwinkle, Skemp: Athlete's Foot...Husz, Rogala, Scott brothers,

Colorado Track Club: Casteneda, Sandrock, Rojas and many others.

why don't track clubs like these exist anymore? what's changed that serious runners don't want to train together?

The boom has passed.....its way to much effort to become world or even national class, most that weren't at that level when in college don't want to put the work in post college, with no definate payoff. Shoe company sponsorships only go to the most elite, the rest are on their own trying to work 50 + hrs/week and train. Plus the running clubs in the 80's were made up of a many young people (and some older masters runners), all of which had a different training ethic. Those young runners are now in their late 40's, 50'2 and 60's, there are not the numbers there to take their place. I now live in New England, with the exception of the Greater Boston Track Club (too far) and some other smaller clubs, there's no place to go to train with a large group. Certainly nothing like SMTC with coached workouts for all levels of runners 7 days/week.

The boom has passed.....its way to much effort to become world or even national class, most that weren't at that level when in college don't want to put the work in post college, with no definate payoff. Shoe company sponsorships only go to the most elite, the rest are on their own trying to work 50 + hrs/week and train. Plus the running clubs in the 80's were made up of a many young people (and some older masters runners), all of which had a different training ethic. Those young runners are now in their late 40's, 50'2 and 60's, there are not the numbers there to take their place. I now live in New England, with the exception of the Greater Boston Track Club (too far) and some other smaller clubs, there's no place to go to train with a large group. Certainly nothing like SMTC with coached workouts for all levels of runners 7 days/week.

______________________________________________

That's all true, plus I think (at least I see) young people more anxious about getting a job out of college and saving to retire, buy a home, etc.

It was more common back then to "chase your dream" not only in running but it could have been music.

I just think our culture has changed.

It's tougher for a 25 year old to see his friends earning a decent living while he/she struggles to make ends meet.

Maybe because times are so tough, they feel they have to find a job and, hopefully, keep it instead of waiting.

Think about it, how many people would give up a job like Quentin Cassidy did in Again to Carthage?

It's not a slam on the people who don't chase the dream. It's more a commentary on our culture.

We need more Stotan Running Clubs.

Hey funny I was watching on the sidelines (taking bets). As I recall, Mel was the winner of that "match" race. I think Clyde may have been in it also. Course I now have senile dementia, could be mistaken. Interestingly I spoke to Mel a few months ago, he's 70, living in Indio CA. Does not run anymore but he does stay in shape on an eliptical. His son is the head womens volleyball coach at Texas, which got beat in the 2010 national championship game by Penn State. George still competes occasionally for the Striders, he was elected to the Masters Track Hall of Fame last year. I remember when he was 42, he ran 1;54 for the 800M...world record at the time. i still correspond with him occasionanny via email.

McChesney was wearing a SMTC singlet. Backside TC (named for the hilly part of Hendricks Park in Eugene) with 1972 Olympic Steeple members Mike Manley and Steve Savage.

There were quite a few runners that wore the SMTC singlet that didn't actually train with the club, they were sponsored by Nike, can't recall is McChesney was one of those or not. I trained with Merle however, Joe had a lot of runners I didn't really know all that well.......unless of course they ran the 800 or 1500 which I did.

I Spy wrote:

And the infamous David Mack.

He's out of prison but still under suspicion in the murder of The Notorious B.I.G.

Former SMTC SOB wrote:

There were quite a few runners that wore the SMTC singlet that didn't actually train with the club, they were sponsored by Nike, can't recall is McChesney was one of those or not. I trained with Merle however, Joe had a lot of runners I didn't really know all that well.......unless of course they ran the 800 or 1500 which I did.

I always saw McChesney training at Hayward being timed by his wife Nancy (I think that was her name)

stang68cs wrote:

Farnland National Doodle Dashers, Tom Antczak, Jim and Joe Hanson, Jim Drews, Mike Thesing, Steve Benson, Steve Reynolds, Tony Shockency, Al Zetterlund, Jim Ingold, Norm Hommen, Jay Heldt, Steve Ostwinkle, Dave Teague....they were guys from La Crosse, Twin Cities, and Madison: Club Sota out of the Twin Cities, Palmquist, Stokka: Birdlegs Track Club(Racine and Madison)Matthews, Merrit, Moore: Team Banzai(La Crosse) Valentine, Mahler, Christensen, Heldt, Dimas, O'Brien, Ostwinkle, Skemp: Athlete's Foot...Husz, Rogala, Scott brothers,

The Club Sota women won the TAC club xc nationals several times between '84-88. I know we were the first association team (as opposed to AW & other "national" teams) in Boston '84, San Francisco '86 and New York '87 and 2nd I think in Raleigh '85. Top runners were Leslie Seymour and Laurie King. Great bunch of women -- and pink uniforms sometimes.

Jock Athletics. Saskatoon, Sask

Ahhhh yes David Mack....out of prison and likely spending all that money he hid following the robbery. Huge talent, ran with him on occasion. What a waste.