V. 5 N. 96 More about Marianne Dickerson and a running documentary

Leading Rosa Mota  (Portugal) early in the World Championship race.  Mota
would finish 4th that day.

This email came to us from Ken Foreman via Eric Tweit:

ERIC,

I JUST READ THE BLOG ABOUT MARIANNE DICKERSON AND I CHOOSE TO RESPOND. I WAS THE HEAD COACH OF THE WOMEN'S TEAM AT THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AT HELSINKI IN 1983. WE HAD MONTH LONG TRAINING CAMP AT BOSON, IN SWEDEN, WHERE I WORKED WITH THE HEPTATHLETE'S, THE JAVELIN THROWER'S, THE RELAY'S AND THE DISTANCE RUNNERS...ONE OF WHICH WAS MARIANNE.   

IN MY NEW BOOK, ENTITLED "RECOLLECTION'S" I HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT THE MARATHON AND MARIANNE...I COPIED THE TWO PAGES TO YOU, (SEE BELOW)AND PERHAPS GEORGE WILL WANT TO PUT THEM IN HIS BLOG. ​

KEN

            During our training at Bosön I worked at length with marathon runner Marianne Dickerson. On our last day together, Marianne ran 200s as “finish simulators.”

            When we were finished, she said, “If it comes down to a kick, I am ready.”

            The marathon course in Helsinki was uphill for about two miles before the stadium, then it was twice around the stadium to the finish line. I was standing on the uphill portion of the course where I could see the runners to give our ladies their place and their time. Marianne was running a distant third when she passed me—I waited for Julie Brown and Debbie Eide.

            I was told that Grete Waitz (Norway) was the first runner to enter the stadium and Raisa Smekhnova (Russia) was second—more than three minutes behind Grete. When Marianne entered the stadium, Greta had finished and Raisa had just begun her second lap ... then she began to falter. The finish between second and third would turn out to be one of the most “gut-wrenching” finishes in the history of World Championships track and field meets. As Raisa continued to struggle, Marianne put on a furious kick, which caught the brave Russian at the finish line. Marianne was second in 2:31.09, and Raisa hung on for third finishing in 2:31.13.  When I saw Marianne later that evening, she said, “I told you at Bosön that if it came down to a kick, I would be ready, and I was.”

Bob Roncker sent us a link to a wonderful documentary filmed around 1970  at Humboldt State University on running in nature in the Pacific Northwest.  This film could easily be a tribute to Marianne and all runners past.

Harriers