Don Kardong 14 minutes ahead of Boston Billy in a Olympic Marathon and a PR?

That was still before Rogers was in his prime.

he just ran 2'09'55 the year before, stoping few times to tie his shoes.

Boston Billy was injured prior to that marathon according

to more than one account I have read about it. I am sure

that Bill would have run much faster if that were not the

case.

Don was fairly new at the distance and I'm sure he trained

as hard as possible for that race.

Also, as with Shorter, Bill was not as good a runner in the conditions that day- cool and wet. A warmer day would have favored both of them.

HE WAS ON EPO. NOBODY CARES BECAUSE HE DIDN'T MEDAL

MarathonMind wrote:

Also, as with Shorter, Bill was not as good a runner in the conditions that day- cool and wet. A warmer day would have favored both of them.

Actually, it was just the opposite with Bill. He had a bad day, which he attributed to the effects of a lingering injury and his consequent inability to put in some faster miles leading up to the race. He rebounded fairly quickly, with a very convincing win in NYC that fall.

Rodgers could have (an absolute "No-No" in athletics...) won the gold medal, whether with or without Cielpinski had he not been injured, according to his coach. Drizzling rain probably helped him on the contrary to Shorter who doesn't like rain period. They both "jogged" 2:11 at the Trial and were both probably the best shape in their lives. Rodgers, if I remember correctly what Coach Squires told me, went for a run something like a week ago and it was something about tying his shoe too tight or something and hurt his foot; his wife called Coach frantically... But the damage was done and it was too late. If anything else, it wasn't so much of Rodgers being new to the marathon (which I would disagree anyways); but being too relaxed about the approach to preparation, which sometimes result good or bad. I remember watching Rodgers before the start and a bunch of runners were still in their warm-up suits and he was already stripped down to shorts and singlet and I was thinking, "Already?"... Well, favoring colder weather, that might have been okay for him, who knows. Shorter of course was hurt on his foot as well, yet he ran his second best time in his life under the condition he disliked (I believe it was 2:10:45 with his PR being 2:10:30 at Fukuoka in 72). Kardong was a complete unknown in the marathon until the Trial but he was a damn good 5000m runner at Stanford (competing against Pre at number of occasions). It was just a matter of clicking a good one at the right time; he was out of college and, I believe, was working with a damn good coach (Tracy Walters) and everything just clicked at the right time. I remember talking to him about American Olympic team sellection system and he said, "Without that system (of picking top 3 no matter what), I wouldn't have gone to the Olympics..." Had he won a medal (3 seconds to separate him and Lismont), he would have been the first athlete to have won an Olympic medal wearing Nike shoes (so the question is: Who is the first one?)

Kardong is one of the nicest and most sincere people you will ever meet. Anybody who accuses him of doing any wrong-doing just don't know what the hell they are talking about.

Nobby wrote:

Had he won a medal (3 seconds to separate him and Lismont), he would have been the first athlete to have won an Olympic medal wearing Nike shoes (so the question is: Who is the first one?)

PRE!

Frank Shorter was wearing yellow shoes in Munich

that I think were Nikes.

Shorter should have been the first. Nike had been making him shoes prior to the Oly final for months, but at the last minute he switched back to Asics. I heard later that there was glue leaking out of a midsole in one of his new NIke's and he didnt want to risk it on a rainy day.

Who knows?

RE Kardong. He was wayyyyyyyyyyyyy back in the pack during the marathon and proceeded to work his way to the 4th spot over the last half of the race. The stadium had the top 50 or so listed during the race periodically and he didnt show up until after 30k in the top 50. Then every 5k he moved up dramatically after that. He should have the Bronze and Shorter the Gold. The ridiculous IOC rules about not changing results is a crime.

Forget my previous post. I think the Munich shoes

were Adidas. Frank was probably wearing Nikes in

Montreal.

nike wearer= ovett

Scratch my second guess too. I should have read your

post more carefully.

I now think that it was Joan Benoit in 1984.

Don't think Kardong was a complete unknown in the marathon, at least in the US. Wasn't he 5th in the '72 Trials? And anyone top three in '76 US Trials would have to be a factor, as US was dominating marathon at this time.

no one knows me wrote:

nike wearer= ovett

We have the winner! 800m gold medal; Moscow 1980. First Olympic medal to the Nike wearer, Steve Ovett (followed by Coe in 1500).

Olympic games CEO wrote:

WOW!! NO DRUGS TEST THOSE DAYS? Mr. KARDONG WOULD BE OUT FOR SURE!!

This has to rank among the dumbest post ever and that is really saying something, you've got to be a spam & egger.

Kardong was most likely robbed of an Olympic Medal by that cheater Cierpinski.

MarathonnotofsoundMind wrote:

Also, as with Shorter, Bill was not as good a runner in the conditions that day- cool and wet. A warmer day would have favored both of them.

SAY WHAT,

It did'nt seem to bother him in Boston 1979.

Didn't hurt you either that day, eh Bob?

This has to rank among the dumbest post ever...

Gotta totally agree with that one.

Kardong was most likely robbed of an Olympic Medal by that cheater Cierpinski.

I disagree: Kardong WAS robbed of an Olympic Medal by that cheater Cierpinski.