Still making long strides
By Sharon Robb
Posted February 19 2004
Bill Rodgers is speaking out against performance-enhancing drugs and American runners lagging behind the Kenyans, who now dominate marathons.
The 56-year-old can no longer match strides with the world's fastest runners, but his passion for making running a part of his life is as strong as ever.
"The drug problem is depressing," Rodgers said. "We have wimps for leadership in baseball and wimps for athletes. I don't even want to call them athletes if they are using steroids and other performance-enhancers. I wouldn't honor them with that designation.
"USA Track and Field is cracking down on its athletes. The system isn't perfect, but they are stepping up to the plate. I would like to see other sports have more courage when it comes to standing up for their sport. I am more impressed with 72-year-old Ed Whitlock breaking marathon world age-group records than I am with Mark McGwire and his drug-aided home run record."
Rodgers helped ignite the country's running craze of 1975-1980 after winning four Boston Marathons and four New York City Marathons.
He continues to earn a living in running, making promotional appearances at about 25 races a year, including Saturday's Town Center Classic 5K in Boca Raton. It will be his first race since he broke a leg in August during a training run.
He competed in several South Florida races in the 1980s, including the 1983 Orange Bowl Marathon/10K, Alamo Run, Calle Ocho 8K and Fort Lauderdale Heart Run, winning several.
"I'm not bringing my racing shoes," Rodgers joked. "I'm not flying off at the gun. I wish I could. But I haven't done any hard running. I have to get fit again. Right now I running 50 miles a week at 8:30 pace. It knocked me back a notch. ... I ran 38 years without a serious injury."
He is spokesperson for the Nov. 14 Marathon of the Palm Beaches, which kicks off today with a Chamber of Commerce breakfast at the Kravis Center's Cohen Pavilion.
Twenty-nine years after his first Boston Marathon, Rodgers is still popular. He said he wouldn't trade his era of running for anything.
"People remember me because I was part of the first running boom," said Rodgers, the divorced father of two teenage daughters.
"It was all new. The second, third and fourth boom was harder for any runner, particularly an American, to make an impact. It's not as new, and it's harder to succeed."
Rodgers would like to see young Americans race more and take on the Kenyans.
"Back then we loved to race," Rodgers said. "We weren't afraid to take on anyone. Greg Meyer and I ran a marathon 20 years ago and we were singing The Girl From Ipanema the whole way because it was so easy to beat these guys. I don't see today's runners racing that much. They have got to go out and explore marathons. They can't be afraid of New York, they have to race and duke it out with the Kenyans.
"It's harder with the great Kenyans, but not impossible. I view it as a great challenge. I would want to chase [world record holder] Paul Tergat. Is that possible, for a sea-level-born runner to beat an altitude-born runner? You've got to try. You've got to go for it. It's easy to be overwhelmed by these great runners. We were lucky in a way, because back then, it was just us."
Rodgers said he will probably not race a marathon "hard again." His last was the 1999 Boston Marathon, where he dropped out with 6 miles to go because of dehydration.
"That was depressing," he said. "It took me a while to get over that. I would like to do what P. Diddy did [at the New York City Marathon] and race from the back of the pack and raise money for charity."
Sharon Robb can be reached at
.
What: Town Center Classic 5K Run/Walk/Kids K/Health Expo.
When: Saturday, 7:30 a.m.
Where: Boca Town Center, Glades Road, Boca Raton.
Prize money: Elite, top three men and women, $1,000, $500 and $300; masters, $300, $150 and $100. In addition, Simon Gift Cards will be awarded to the top three finishers ($75, $50, $25) in each of the age categories.
Of note: The race, headed by Boston Marathon and Marathon of the Palm Beaches race director Dave McGillivray, has attracted most of South Florida's best runners, including Eddie Ernest-Jones, Zepherinus Joseph, Jason Bodnar, Josh Brashears and defending women's champion Sonja Friend-Uhl in addition to four-time Boston and New York Marathon winner Bill Rodgers, Eddy Hellebuyck, Sergey Yakoviev, Arturo Garza and defending men's champion Andrew Smith of Saucony Canada. Eight members of the elite field have run sub-15 minutes. The course features several tangents and is certified. Race proceeds benefit the Junior League of Boca Raton. For more information, call 561-998-1995 or 561-368-6001 or visit the Web site
.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/sfl-robbfeat19feb19,0,6946814.story