$2 to enter local 5K
10 guys under 15:00, wearing trainers
Slowest time is 17:42
1st place prize is a Porsche
$2 to enter local 5K
10 guys under 15:00, wearing trainers
Slowest time is 17:42
1st place prize is a Porsche
5k? In the 70s? Almost never anything that short unless it was maybe a fun run in conjunction with a longer race or some other very unusual occasion.
$2 entry fee? Ballpark
17:42 slowest time? See the comment about 5ks.
Frequently there was no prize.Biggest prize I ever heard of was a black and white portable TV. Porsches as prizes were about as rare as functioning brain cells are for you.
Popsicle sticks instead of timing chips. $5 for a cotton tee shirt with the races name in one color silkscreen
jamin wrote:
$2 to enter local 5K
10 guys under 15:00, wearing trainers
Slowest time is 17:42
1st place prize is a Porsche
The prize thing is just stupid. The whole point was there were no medals or prizes. It was simply real men racing for the pure enjoyment of it.
And someone has already pointed out that the distances were longer.
I was there in New England. AAU sponsored races that cost under $5 to pay local cops traffic detail, no water stations, popsicle sticks for placing, no T-shirts, no cheering throngs, just a few locals and family and friends of participants.
Usually no prizes, maybe a medal or something donated by a local merchant, for example: a toaster, a case of Moxie, a transistor radio, 2 tix to the local movie theatre (showing Jaws)....
Key point: everyone competed, none of this fatties raising funds for charity nonsense. (That woulda pushed Jock Semple into a frenzy).
Seven shillings and six pence to enter.
Arbitrary race distance - no permit required - just don't race on major roads - course distance based on how far it is around the block.
Timing consisted of four guys - #1 calling out bib numbers, #2 writing them down, #3 calling out times, #4 writing them down.
Hand written results sheets
No, prizes, medals, T-shirts or WATER.
[quote]Raddison wrote:
Seven shillings and six pence to enter.
Arbitrary race distance - no permit required - just don't race on major roads - course distance based on how far it is around the block.
Timing consisted of four guys - #1 calling out bib numbers, #2 writing them down, #3 calling out times, #4 writing them down.
Hand written results sheets
No, prizes, medals, T-shirts or WATER.
So many famous names there -Ricky Wilde, Nicky Lees, Nick Brawn (2.11 marathon), Jeff Norman (Brit. Olympic marathoner, 1976), Ron Hill (2.09) who was a veteran.
Then mixing it up were top fell runners like Mike Short. Those were the days, and everyone raced almost 52 weeks a year!
10k was the most popular road race back then and road races were not circuses like they are today.
No metric races. 5 miles was common but 6, 7 ,8 or whatever and measured with a car odometer at best. A route was picked and then measured.
Gramps wrote:
Key point: everyone competed, none of this fatties raising funds for charity nonsense.
It's so awful that running has actually become mainstream, and ordinary folks are participating in local races for funsies.
Try to access a copy of Hal Higdon's On the Run From Dogs and People. He recounts the fun and oddities of the New England scene in the early 70s.
From the Vault wrote:
5k? In the 70s? Almost never anything that short unless it was maybe a fun run in conjunction with a longer race or some other very unusual occasion.
$2 entry fee? Ballpark
17:42 slowest time? See the comment about 5ks.
Frequently there was no prize.Biggest prize I ever heard of was a black and white portable TV. Porsches as prizes were about as rare as functioning brain cells are for you.
Yes. 10k's were the thing. Everyone wasn't fast but everyone was there to race.
Prizes? Usually trophies, ribbons, even the popsicle stick they gave you with your place on it. But there were often donated awards. Stores giving items instead of money.
I once won a toaster! Hanging plants. gift certificates to stores, restaurants, bars, movie tickets, etc Things like that.
I often wonder how much the total value of everything I won was. I always placed overall or in my AG.
At some of our races they would have a table full of merchandise- start with the overall winners- pick what you want.
Then go through AG's. I liked that. THEN they often raffled off the rest using your bib number.
Entry fees? Yes $2.00 to $5.00
Almost always beer and food after with music.
Gramps wrote:
I was there in New England. AAU sponsored races that cost under $5 to pay local cops traffic detail, no water stations, popsicle sticks for placing, no T-shirts, no cheering throngs, just a few locals and family and friends of participants.
Usually no prizes, maybe a medal or something donated by a local merchant, for example: a toaster, a case of Moxie, a transistor radio, 2 tix to the local movie theatre (showing Jaws)....
Key point: everyone competed, none of this fatties raising funds for charity nonsense. (That woulda pushed Jock Semple into a frenzy).
I have to say- I kind of like the "mass" races. I used to come in top 5 out of 200, now it would be top 5 (often winning) out of 600+
As far as distances- it didn't matter if the 10K was 6.0 or 6.4. There were also races that were odd distances.
No cared if there were hills (I liked them) or if it was too hot or too cold.
General Tso wrote:
Gramps wrote:
Key point: everyone competed, none of this fatties raising funds for charity nonsense.
It's so awful that running has actually become mainstream, and ordinary folks are participating in local races for funsies.
This is an excellent point. People are out there for their health and for the social scene.
I have a friend who struggled with her weight her whole life. Now, in her 50's she runs and races sometimes more than once in a weekend.
Someone commented that she races too much.
I said- it's her social life and it's fun and healthy. It gives her something to run for and she's a much happier person.
There is room for all of us.
jamin wrote:
$2 to enter local 5K
Sounds right on the entry. There weren't any 5ks back then. The races were 4mile, 5mile, 10k, 15k, 20k etc
jamin wrote:
10 guys under 15:00, wearing trainers
Are you joking? There would be 30-40 guys under 15:00 during a 10k.
Leather trainers... that hardened after the sweat dried, making your toes (and heels) bleed after your next run.
jamin wrote:
1st place prize is a Porsche
Where's MY Porche? In what fantasy world did they ever give out Porches? In 1979 the Porche 928 was the baddest car on the road. Compared to a 2019 Honda Accord, it was a tin bucket. The only races I've ever heard of that offered a car for a prize wasn't even in the 1970s -- it was the 1985 NYC Marathon: $25000, plus a 1986 Mercedes-Benz 190 Sedan.
jamin wrote:
Yadda yadda yadda
Write this down on a piece of paper, Jamin. Carry it with you:
In the 70s, when we said we were going to get serious about training we did it. We didn't talk about it. We didn't make excuses.
Just saying.
I remember more than a few times
Having to write my number on a piece of construction paper with magic markers
Early 70's: I don't think I ever ran a road race with more than 30 runners. There"d be a few people at the start. There were rarely people on the course. There were no water stations.It was usually a solitary, lonely effort. Ribbon awards. I occasionally see names in recent race results of people I raced back then. I hope they see mine.
1980
15 years old
34:50 10k
Didn't even place top 6 in my age group
Local race had 4 and 6 mile options
Metric was jut starting to be used so in high school I ran 1,500, 1,600, mile, 3,000, 3,200, and the 2 mile.
Never heard of a 5K in the 70's.
Here was a 10K in Perry, FL.
1977: $5.00 to enter and you got a popsicle stick, a t-shirt, and a free all you can eat fish fry.
1. Ken Misner 29:20
2. Barry Brown 29:50
3. Tim Heny 29:53
In 1976, believe the winner was Jeff Galloway.
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