anEconomist wrote:
no one cares about who was popular with the running nerds, the question was about how popular they were with the general population, something we don't have today
and to say that pre didn't love running is a crock, the one quote he says is about why he does running and why he loves it
besides, i don't know if any of the great ones really loved running per se, they loved competing... i think of bannister... he loved to compete, it wasn't just about logging miles
if you want someone who loves running you could probably be an ultra dude like yiannis kourous
Since this board is mostly frequented by runing nerds, I thought that many could relate.
I would be interested in any quotes that indicate that Pre actually enjoyed running for it's own sake.
It is probably fair to say that a lot, possibly a majority, of top runners didn't (and even today don't) especially really enjoy running. For them it's a means to an end, it's just hard work, and they retire as soon as the extrinsic rewards diminish sufficiently. My sense is that Pre was among these.
My speculation (often confirmed by extended careers as masters runners) is that the following would still run even if they weren't exceptionally gifted: Zatopek, Hill, Dixon, Foster, Shorter, Rodgers (for sure), Scott, Joanie, Gebresellasie, and absolutely (based on his thread on this board), Rono.These guys are "True Runners" in my book, not just great competitors ("Not that there is anything wrong with that!" -sic)