The Frank Shorter Story

I remember that September day back in 1972 when I saw that slim figure running into the stadium (it was being telecast by ABC the "The world wide of sports) and there he was Frank Shorter running into Gold, American History and social consciousness. I still have that image in my mind and I remember that that moment send chills right up to my spine and legs. The next day, it was a defining moment I became a committed runner. Frank Shorter's run it just revolutionized my thinking, aspirations and hopes. With this revelation, I have more than just respect to the guy, I have admiration and deep appreciation. Also this goes to all of people who have responded and wrote on this thread regarding Shorter's painful life, I see survival, dedication and dignity. Thank you to all.

P.S. In 1970 Frank Shorter went to run the Pan American Games in Cali Colombia South America (Marathon) The Colombian Track and Field Association did not want to allow Alvaro Mejia (South American Champion and then ratged 4eth best during the 1960's-Boston Marathon winner) because he was not wearing their "(uniform} rubber made shorts!! in a marathon. So Alvaro Mejia refused to appear in the race in the next day and the Colombian Track and field association scratched him from the team. When Frank Shorter heard this, he along with Canada and other countries filled out a protest stating that if Mejia would not be allowed to run, they also would not be running in the race. The Colombian Track and Field relented and allowed and "beg" Alvaro Mejia to run. Frank was and is about running and runners.

Absolutely speachless after reading this....hits way too close to home and brings up some deep, hidden memories.

GaryB wrote:

Absolutely speachless after reading this....hits way too close to home and brings up some deep, hidden memories.

Sorry to hear that GaryB - Franks story was brutally honest, and so hard to stop reading. He was my childhood hero and he was always friendly when you met him, a true legend, all class and still is, bravo Frank.

Watched British movie last night "The loneliness of the long distance runner" Gave you the same feeling

Interesting to read how hidden anger at family can be a motivation for distance running. My relationship with my father was not nearly as bad as Frank's, but looking back, I realize that was a main reason why I chose running over the more mainstream sports. My dad didn't know sh!t about it, which reduced his involvement in my life, and I could use running as therapy for releasing my frustrations. Without running, I probably would have been a more destructive individual.

Anyways, don't want to turn the thread towards me. Reading the article and the responses made me think of personal experiences. I feel like more men than not have screwed up relationships with their fathers, and never get the feedback they desperately hope for. I don't particularly understand what motivates a father to beat and abuse his children. That really doesn't help us ensure the future healthy survival of our species.

Like most of the posters on this thread, I too was moved by Frank's story. So much, in fact, I was literally unable to continue past the 8th page. There was too much identification and transferance for me, including flashbacks and vivid recollections of my similar experiences.

I think many distance runners share similar stories of survival and resiliency. The same experiences that evokes feelings of pain and emotional trauma are the ones that fuels our drive to overcompensate, cope, and heal from those traumas. I know that personally and felt absolutely empowered by Frank sharing his story. Distance running for so many has become antidepressants, anti-anxiety, and mood stabilizing. Running is mindfulness in action for me and something I encourage all who suffer emotionally to engage in. There is something reparative about running twice a day, as I continue to run 2 times a day with no thoughts of ever racing again (even though I sometimes get that "itch" when I'm very fit).

Thank you Frank. You have once again empowered and inspired us all. Thank you for allowing so many others, who have endured a pain similar to yours, to unveil their own truths and no longer suffer in silence.

buppster wrote:

Watched British movie last night "The loneliness of the long distance runner" Gave you the same feeling

Yah, watched that last night too....only the protagonist in that movie was simply a dumba$$ - bad decisions all around. If that had been Shorter, there would have been no question as to him winning the race at the end.

Retardo Montalban wrote:

buppster wrote:

Watched British movie last night "The loneliness of the long distance runner" Gave you the same feeling

Yah, watched that last night too....only the protagonist in that movie was simply a dumba$$ - bad decisions all around. If that had been Shorter, there would have been no question as to him winning the race at the end.

Clearly, you didn't understand the basic theme of the film, which is a description of the master-slave relationship that too often defines the social link between one generation and the next. The runner gives up on the finish line to state his freedom to choose, even though running has been his escape and solace in the facility for so long.

I sent this in a letter to the editor at Runner's World:

"While I find Frank Shorter's tale tragic on many levels, none more so than the reactions of those in the community where he grew up. If one wonders why victims of abuse struggle to come forward, they need not look further than those in Frank's home town who question, or claim the children's abuse by their father "never happened." It strikes me as inherently arrogant for someone outside of a family or the circumstances surrounding abuse to discount or even deny its occurring. Abuse victims need not have their shame compounded by the opinion of others. There is no difference between blaming the victim of rape and denying the violent actions of an abuser. The victims of abuse need understanding and compassion, not blame and condemnation."**********

I took the writer of Frank's story in RW chose to suggest his story was "overblown". Maybe it was me, but I just found it odd to even include comments from the neighborhood.

I too grew up in a home where physical and emotional violence occurred daily. My step father used to beat the sh*t out of my mom. So much so that I became accustomed to the 2:00am wakings by my mother trying to get my brother and me out of the house to get away. I remember looking at her as she bled, and fought...

There is no comparing an individual's experience with abuse. There should be no accusing the abused.

I too learned from it, and suffer from it, but my three boys and my daughter will never know it.

Geez, I'd never thought of this before yet it explains so much about myself and the compulsion to run I've had since I was a lad. I wonder how many of us have somewhat similar backgrounds. My father was a huge man, but once I was running he couldn't catch me. Running also allowed me an education I may never have been able to get and consequently a job and a future I couldn't have imagined in the '50s.

All the best to Frank, that's for sure.

return to index wrote:

Running provides a protected space that moves along with you, wherever you go.

this observation is spot on.

Ever heard Haile Gebrselassie talk about the severe beatings he received from his father as a kid? In an absolutely male dominated society like Ethiopia, it would take a LOT to speak out against your father, and in a worldwide public forum at that. I bet Haile could relate to Frank's story, even if not at the same level of severity.

return to index wrote:

You're very welcome.

I've often thought that the drive of many long distance runners came from having first-hand knowledge of the darker side of man. Running provides a protected space that moves along with you, wherever you go.

I also suffered childhood abuse, but there's an old adage that says you don't speak ill of the dead.

The time for Shorter to speak out about his abusive father was while his abusive father was alive and able to answer for what he did. Shorter was wrong to let his father live out his days under false pretense, and what he is doing no is nothing short of cowardly.

As Carl Lewis, Cierpinski never tested positive.

durrrbuddy wrote:

there's an old adage that says you don't speak ill of the dead.

Which is essentially superstitious nonsense. The dead don't care. Speak the truth, there is never a wrong time for that. This is really about cycles of violence and emerging from that into functionality, which is an ongoing struggle in our society, not some allegedly saintly small town doctor who will be forgotten completely in the next couple of decades, anyway.

As for including the townspeople's contradictions of the accounts of Frank and his siblings, I think it's important to include those as context. It shows that in this day and age there are still people who are, yes, "arrogant" enough to let their impressions of a person override the truth of those who knew that person far better and are only happy to blame or discount victims to preserve their own assumptions. It's an important part of the truth of Shorter's narrative.

Having grown up with a similarly raging father, I understand Frank's point of view. He clearly views his father's behavior as pathological. He was psychiatricly/psychologically ill. Frank and his siblings point this out multiple times in the article. His father on some level couldn't control his rage. Who would argue that expressing such animosity towards your own children is intentional?

Furthermore, part of the consequences of being abusive and not seeking to correct the behavior is the destruction of your legacy. My dad worries about this openly although he refuses to admit any wrongdoing. It is just another way that he feels he is a victim. I can't protect my father from the consequences of his behavior and neither can Frank.

Frank CAN do a lot of good by speaking about it the way he has. And the death of his father is no reason to stop doing so.

That guy defending Frank's dad sure looks like an a-hole making those comments.

Read the article, durrrbuddy. Frank did speak out while his father was alive.

lane 8 wrote:

savagesquid wrote:

Frank Shorter is America's true distance running legend. Never mind the talk of Rupp/Sol etc.

Does that include Mills????

Look at Shorter's consistency. Different event(s) (Marathon, Etc) in the early 70's, Shorter was usually the favorite. Today, it's a toss-up which African will win Boston, New York, etc.