According to old-timers on LetsRun, here's what the road race scene of the 1970s was like

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.

https://scontent.fymy1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/22549608_1898333807160503_8672070339159199206_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&_nc_oc=AQlhaEsDaO4RI6XRWbWVK9zGrhWDoUv3cJjqFVfXwGsQdwbYM1XROb0Scz99dexKYKc&_nc_ht=scontent.fymy1-2.fna&oh=14a454553525463eeecf5a6c5ff28d6a&oe=5DED08A0

23 out of nearly a hundred not so lazy people!

By the way, a silver spoon was the standard firstprice in my country, so Norwegians are actually born with skis on their feet, and the silverspoon is earned by hard work.

Yea, lot's of 5 mile road races in NE in the late 70's, much more competitive than what you see in that region these days.

As far as guys running under 23:00 at Franklin Park, happened only two times, John Treacy and Gerry Deegan from Providence, think it was 1977(22:47-22:49), I was in that race, just not in their race, they ended up 2,3 at NCAA XC.

Mile High Marathon-1981-20 bucks as I recall. Couple thousand entrants.

Saw the Rolling Stones 4 months later for 16 bucks.

I did my first road race in 72

Miles not meters except 10k

Fewer races so all of them were competitive. Fast runners were concentrated in the few events there were. A larger regional event usually had an Olympian show up (Benoit, Rodgers, Shorter, etc.) And you could line up next to them at the start.

And many of the faster runners would participate in the few local events. Run in full sweats, in trainers, as a workout, sometimes as part of the middle of a long run.

If you wanted to race every weekend you had to travel.

Even with relatively low entry fees for big events, those who did not like that trend put on free events. I remember doing a "No Frills" Marathon. No fees, accurate certified course, no awards.

There were many races where there were no gender or age groups divisions. The winner was the person who crossed the finish first and that was it.

If you wanted to see results you looked at the board at the finish. You may never see full results in print. If they were printed, you might not see them until a month later when the local club newsletter came in the mail.

If you cared about your time (and almost everyone did) you started and looked at your watch.

No Porsche. Trophies, medals, ribbons and merchandise.

1980 was not the 'old days'. By then things were pretty much as they are now. Although mass hobbyjogging had not really gathered steam yet, club runs were bigger, more expensive, and runners were not regarded as freaks. I'd say 1970-75 was the period things really changed - the sub-elite fad became a thing.

Still Old wrote:

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.

Yeah-first road race that I did was in '79 as a youth and it was a 10K-didn't do a five on the roads until the mid '80s-only time that I could do distances under 10K was either on the track or school x-c...most were odd distances like 7 milers due to tradition-I ran a 14.7 k race in Perth, Ontario for several years...10 dollar entry fee in the '80s...

I remember doing late '70s early 80s beach runs in Gulf Coast Florida when my family would summer there in late August-2 bucks -10 for the series; 1-3 mile distance since it was hot AF at 6 pm (or any hour for that matter) --variety of adults, kids, masters runners--we did the popsicle sticks also--ribbons for prizes and a gold cup for the overall winner--beer steins occasionally for the age group winner too-kegs of beer at the end and pop/orange slices/bananas for the kids...

for cross results it was stickers on a bristol board! Good times!

Another thing was to have a Sunday race after church so it would be at 2 pm in the middle of the summer. One particular 10k race it was about 90 degrees and the pavement was sticky.

At some point, everybody realized that wasn't a good idea!!

Ghost1 wrote:

[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!

Remember a bunch of those guys. Similar was a race like the Basingstoke 6 (Klix 6 - later 10k). First prize was something like a Golf Umbrella. Race won by Julian Goater (27:34 10k runner in 1982). I went through 3 miles in about 15:18 and was outside the first 30 at that point.

You would have things like the area 12 stage road relays, where clubs (99% pure amateur) would be trying to qualify to the nationals, and I can remember running for a club that was something like 10th in the Southern Road relay - just scraping into the nationals - and being one of the slowest guys in the team running 14:30 for 3 miles and 80 yards approx.

What you have to take in is that in a pretty small radius in England, say 30-40 miles from a center point, you might have at least 5-6 clubs (more in London) that could turn out 12 low 15:00 5k capable guys - all what Let's Run call 'hobby joggers' and in our case, all living locally, within say 15 miles of the club's track.

That was the big difference between the 70s/80s and a local road-running scene now in the US, where a sub 16 min guy can usually turn up with a shot a winning most weekends.

I remember a fun run back in the old days and winning a pair of imitation crystal ash trays in the barrel draw lol. ?

From reading a bunch of running books...

Obscure race distances like 2 miles weren't uncommon.

Some prizes were a simple pair of shorts.

I think people ran more back then. Al Sal said in his book that the USA used to pump out 2:30 marathoners "by the barrelfull." Bill Rodgers talked about how it was a mark of pride to tell someone you ran more than they did the previous week. Weekly mileage was a bigger thing.

Awesome!

Unfortunately, never again.

I agree, that is one hell of a field for what was, essentially, a local race!

Don't want to over mythologise the "good old days" but there was more of a willingness to get out there and race from the top runners, certainly here in the UK.

Go back to the early 60s...

Entry fees were 50 cents, 25 cents if you were a RRC member.

Distances from 4 miles to the marathon, including 10 mile, one hour and 2 hours on the track. The Jr races were 2-5 miles.

In DC we had a summer series (Bunion Derby) and a winter series (Operation Snowman, I think) and we raced every weekend, also midweek in the summer, and every holiday except Christmas. There was also a series of All-Comers track meets in the summer, so some weeks we raced 3 times.

Fields were small, but everyone was serious. Boston had 189 starters in 1962. There is a video clip of the start that I like to show people and I always say "See me there on the second row?" Hot stuff for an 18 year old. :)

Great discussion. DC Roadrunners had a great program with a 2 mile fun run and a longer race alomost every weekend. They also had a stable of guys that could clean clock - run up front at Boston, sub-30 10k, etc. Won an apple pie once, in trainers (leather Adidas Country) and nylon shorts before going to work as life guard in the summmer.

New book coming out this fall, Racing Shadows, (Oct 1, on presale now Amazon) that recounts those simpler times for two marathoners, one from the '80's and one from the 1930's. Hope you all will give it a look and enjoy.

https://www.amazon.com/Racing-Shadows-James-K-Dill/dp/1627202420/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=racing+shadows&qid=1564231543&s=gateway&sr=8-1

I'm pretty sue the winter series was called "Snowball," maybe it was "Snowball Series," or maybe it was "Snowman." But "Snowball" rings more of a bell. The idea was to build up your racing distances in preparation for the Washington's Birthday Marathon. I really liked the 20km at Haines Point. There was also a 25 km at American U, a 20 mile in Reston and I can't think what else. There was a 30km in Arlington but I'm pretty sure that was in March after "Snowball" or "Snowman: was done, though maybe not.

Yea, pretty sure it was the Snowball series. I always liked the National Capital 20 miler in the fall in Alexandria -up to Mt. Vernon and back and accompanying 35 miler that wend down to the Washington Monument and back. In the summer, the National Postaal 24 hour relay at Fort Meade - teams of 10 running alternate miles for 24 hours on the track. Great races and great competition.

I ran in the Cherry Blossom 10 miler in 1976 and 1977 and one of those years the title sponsor, Union First Bank, offered to cover everyone's $2 entry fee.

As I remember, in most races there were only 3 age groups, 16 and under, open, and masters (40 and over) and the prizes were jackets, sweatshirts, ribbons or medals. T-shirts were rare but like for the Palos Verdes Marathon, they were only given to the finishers.

Ran the Golden Gate Marathon ~'80 or so. $10 entrance fee included T-shirt and the Ferry fare from Larkspur docks where it ended, back to San Francisco ferry port. They tore your name off the bib and put it on a wire hanger. The course was not marked very well; you couldn't lose sight of the runner in front of you.