Only for Masters: T. Seko's web page

acceleration

Thank you.

Good picture of Bernie Ford. At least he could console himself that he was beaten by a so and so.

in the know... wrote:

though he was definitely a 'great'....Seko was a chickeshit who would just sit on others and let them do all the work; never helping with the pace.

It's called racing intelligently. The idea is to win, is it not?

Aye, 'tis the truth.

u bigot wrote:

Why ONLY masters???????

because the alarming lack of knowledge and history about our sport that dominates this board day in and day out would indicate only those over the age of 40 would appreciate the subject of the thread.

of course it shouldn't be that way at all and i am certain it isn't intended to be "for masters only".

respect the sport.

old worn out shoemaker

but "just sitting" is so easy at 4:50 pace, I mean... ANYONE can do it! (snark off)

in the know... wrote:

though he was definitely a 'great'....Seko was a chickeshit who would just sit on others and let them do all the work; never helping with the pace.

That is not "chickeshit" (typically spelled 'chickenshit'), that is called 'tactical'. Unless he is riding in the back of a car for the first 24 miles or so, he is also doing work and running to win. If those tactics bug a runner so much, throw in a bunch of surges or alter your strategy so that he cannot or does not want to sit on your shoulder.

Like old worn out shoemaker said... 'only masters' because I knew that only masters would appreciate the effort and talent of those great runners...

There definitely has been a long list "collapse of talent" in the Olympic marathon before 84. Strong favorites who failed to medal include: Jim Peters (52), Sergei Popov (60), Buddy Edelen, Terasawa, Brian Kilby and Vandendriesche (64), Bill Adcocks (68), Ron Hill and Derek Clayton (72), Jerome Drayton and Bill Rodgers (76). Many had good reason (injury) some not. I think the "failure of favorites" seemed more dramatic at 84 only because it was the height of the running boom and media coverage of events leading up to the 84 Olympics, like NYC, made the favorites widely known. By comparison, going into the 64 Olympics, in the prior two years leading up to that race Terasawa had won Fukuoka twice and broken the world record (and was running on homeground in Tokyo), Edelen had also broken the world record, Kilby had won the European and Commonwealth Championships, Vandendriessche had won Boston twice and was second only to Kilby in the European Championships, Jeff Julian had won Fukuoka. None medaled in Tokyo (and due to recent surgery, the winner Bikila was not favored). I think that "collapse" compares to 84, and is also a tribute to Bikila.

juamarti wrote:

Like old worn out shoemaker said... 'only masters' because I knew that only masters would appreciate the effort and talent of those great runners...

WRONG.

Juan Josez your site is Que Bueno! WHERE do you find this GREAT stuff?

Thanks for some great blasts from the past.

Ahhh...those old, uncomplicated Tiger Flats. Best damned racing shoes ever made.

Thank you for the GREAT pictures.

Seko was a stone, cold hardass. Magnificent stuff.

Thanks for posting, that was awesome!

Helluva kick at the end there.

I'm no masters runner yet (36), but my brother and I used to pretend to be Bill Rodgers and Seko when we were kids. The lucky one who got to play Boston Billy would pull ahead at the end, while the other would lament in a non-PC Japanese accent "Rodgy gonna ween! Rodgy gonna ween!"

Despite our favoritism for our American Hero, we always respected Seko for being such a worthy adversary. The Soh brothers were awesome too. Every picture seems to show them running through total pain.

I see you have websites dedicated to DeCastella, Seko, and Salazar. Any on Rodgers or Jones or Lopes or Ikangaa?

Or better yet, Rudolfo Gomez!!!

Rodolfo

Currently I'm working on Steve Jones web page, where I'll include highlights of the 1984 Chicago Marathon where he broke the World Record...

Regarding Gomez, I know him personally, and I talked to him on March 4th in a marathon held here in Mexico. Eventually I'll have some good photos from him too...

juamarti wrote:

Like old worn out shoemaker said... 'only masters' because I knew that only masters would appreciate the effort and talent of those great runners...

thank you. maybe one day the "young ones" will "get it".

you are "great people". please keep sending us the wonderful work you do.