V 8 N. 50 February, 1968

FEBRUARY 1968

The two Kerry's  Pearce and O'Brien followed by Frank Shorter.
This is not from the race being described below.

When the gun sounds starting the San Diego Invitational 2 mile, the world record is Ron Clarke's 8:28.8. Eight minutes twenty-seven and two-tenths seconds later the record belongs to Kerry Pearce. For Pearce, an Australian sophomore at Texas El Paso, this is an improvement of 16.4 seconds.

The following week in the LA Times meet the dew is off the melon for Pearce. He runs 8:50.4 to finish eighth in a race won easily by George Young in 8:31.8. Any hope of challenging Pearce's record was doomed by a 2:15 half in the middle of the race. Tracy Smith and Kerry O'Brien are second and third in 8:32.6 with Ron Clarke fourth in 8:35.0. 

In the post-race interview, Smith says he thought he was strong enough to win if he had made his move earlier instead of waiting for coach Mihaly Igloi's whistle. Please permit an editorial comment at this point. Igloi was noted for controlling every aspect of his runners' training and racing, but an athlete had to rely on his signal to know when to accelerate? Really? 

Editor's note: The following is not from this issue of T&FNews. It is the result of weeks of work by our crack research department, a project which kept the lights burning on the eighth and ninth floors of the Once Upon a Time in the Vest Building late into the evenings.  (That building is located halfway between Timbuktu and Shangrila ed.)

Friday, February 16 is memorable for it is the 100^th running of the New York Athletic Club Invitational, the oldest meet in the country. If that isn't enough, it is the first meet held in the new Madison Square Garden. Indeed it is memorable, but for a different reason, the boycott of Negro competitors and spectators. 

Harry Edwards

San Jose State professor Harry Edwards has organized the boycott and the non-violent picket line outside the arena. There are dozens of others meets. Why this one? Many considerations came together in the selection of the NYAC meet, but significant determining factors are that the New York Athletic Club is lily white – there are no members of color - and it is being held in the largest media market in the US. East coast powerhouse schools Villanova, Georgetown and Manhattan and all the entire Ivy League have withdrawn their teams as have all New York high schools. Edwards states that by choosing to compete or attend the meet or not, Negroes will determine which side of the fence they are on. 

Adding to the list of absentees is the seven-man Russian team that is touring the country. They just competed in the LA Times meet and will stay until the nationals, but they aren't getting involved in this, deciding to stay on the west coast “to train”.

Who is coming? Lennox Miller, a Jamaican, will be there. Larry Livers, the former Villanova hurdler has committed. Texas El Paso coach Wayne Vandenberg says he knows about the boycott but his team, including “six Negro boys”, will be there “to compete, that's all”. Among those “boys” is world indoor long jump record holder Bob Beamon. Hearing this, Edwards replies, “Bobby may be coming up here, but when he sees that picket line you can bet he won't cross it.” 

But what of those world-class Negro athletes who haven't taken a stand, Jim Hines, Ralph Boston and John Thomas? Edwards suggests that it would be imprudent for them to cross the picket line. “Thomas would be very foolish to cross the picket line. There are some brothers in Boston who would be very upset with him. They might not show it that night, but within a week John would regret that decision.” As for Jim Hines, “Hines has said that he wants to play pro football someday. If he runs in this meet, he will never play football for anybody”.

Bill Orwing, the AD at the University of Indiana, having entered African American sprinter Mike Goodrich as a last minute replacement, receives a phone call informing him that if Goodrich crosses the picket line, he will receive “acid in the face'”.

Hines and Boston do not compete. Thomas, an NYAC competitor since 1959, receives three threatening long distance calls and decides discretion is the better part of valor, stating “ I have a wife to think about and a baby on the way”. Livers, who has flown in from Oakland, is confronted at the picket line and decides it would be in his best interest not to cross it.

Miller, being Jamaican, isn't threatened. He wins the 60 in 6.1. Beamon is another matter. He crosses the picket line without problems, but once in the building, realizes the danger that may await. Stating that “there may be a Lee Harvey Oswald out there”, he does his stretching in the locker room. His participation consists of one jump, a 26-3 ½ that wins by over a foot, then returns to the safety of the locker room. We are guessing he passed on the awards ceremony. 

Bob Beamon Indoors 1968

Is the boycott successful? Based on the fact that the meet is usually a sellout, but this time there are 4000 empty seats and the fact that it produces worldwide news, likely so. Stay tuned for more on this in upcoming reports.

Martin McGrady has transferred from Central State University (Ohio) to San Jose State. Because of the transfer, he will be ineligible this season but will be good to go in '69.  No one is more of an enigma than McGrady.  Indoors he is a lock to win the 600. Having won all 16 of his races at this distance, he is money in the bank. On the other hand, what is his distance outdoors, the 440 or 880? He has distinguished himself at neither. Indoors he is a draw. Outdoors so far he has been just another guy.

The US Report on the shot put is headed by Randy Matson at 67-0 ½ and George Woods at 66-11 ¼. Read far enough down and you come to the sad decline of one of the greats and the emergence of a new figure who will give color to the event for the next decade. Parry O'Brien can't walk away from the event he dominated for so long. Unfortunately, he is no longer a factor in major meets and is ranked 13^th in the US with a best of 59-3 ¾. At the very end of the list, tied for 24^th at 56-11 is Brian Oldfield.

Roy, could this be the Brian Oldfield you are describing?  George

Pretty sure this is before his days of wearing tie-dye shirts and speedo shorts and smoking cigarettes between throws. No one ever made a staid event more fun.

V 8. N.49 The 1968 Olympic Marathon Trials and What It Began To Teach Us.

July 20, 2018

A few weeks ago Amby Burfoot sent out a photo asking to identify  a group of runners at the 1968 Olympic Marathon Trials.  He was getting an article ready to publish about that held at the high altitude site of Alamosa , CO.  No one knew much about the effects of altitude on distance running and dehydration.  There was no consensus on how to prepare and the importance of staying hydrated.

Amby's  article has now been published as many of you are aware, and some of those participants and organizers, and scientists or just plain interested souls  have sent along some of their memories of that event.  There is also a reunion this weekend in Alamosa for those who were there.  In his replies Amby includes the list of finishers and their times.   Here is the link to the article followed by comments that have come in.  You have to read the article  to better appreciate what follows.  It has definitely generated a lot of interest from those who have read it.  George Brose

RRCA News Article by Amby Burfoot

And here are the attendees:

Back row:   Bob Deines,  David Costill,  Bill Clark,  Amby Burfoot,  Ellen Clark,  Hal Higdon, Joe Head, Tom Heinenon
Front row:  Frank Shorter,  Kenny Moore, George Young, Billy Mills, Joe Vigil, Steve Gachupin
Lesser known than some of the others, Stevew Gachupin won the Pikes Peak Marathon 6 times 1966-71and finished 15 in the OT run.

For more on Steve Gachupin see:   Steve Gachupin on Pikes Peak  from Sky Runner

Who is Joe Head?  We received this note from David Baskwill who runs the Penn State Track Blog 
Penn State Track Alumni Golf

In your post about the marathon, you have a pic of the attendees at the reunion.  It includes a ? for one of the runners.

The ?  happens to be a Penn State Nittany Lion who was in a graduate program out west and ran the marathon after having been encouraged to run by none other than Penn State's XC coach before Harry Groves took over, John Lucas.  You probably know of him because of his Olympic memoribilia.  He also ran more than 160,000 documented miles during his lifetime!

Joe Head wasn't on the team, but his story of running his first marathon as the first ever Olympic Trials AT ALTITUDE is a great yarn.    My Road to Alamosa is on the latest post on my blog.

Joe has continued to run ever since coming in next to last at that marathon (and apparently not being credited as an official finisher by the big wigs!   I have made him an honorary member of our group, joining you as an honored guest.

Dave.

The comments and replies to Amby's article follow:

1. WAIT A MINUTE??? Gatorade was invented at Florida STATE? You mean it's really Seminolade?

Sincerely,  Jim Shields

2. I caught that as well. Guess Mr. Burfoot never met Dr. Robert Cade? Other than that small error a great read. 

Steve Sims

3. yeah...If I knew then what I know now...'course I was only 10 at the time  Jim Shields

4. New Cade Museum of Innovation and Invention has the old lab as one of the exhibits.  Norm knows all about it so I defer to him. 

Leonard Rhine

5. Great article.  It was so much fun to read about the planning, strategy, and stories of these legendary 1960s runners.  Running a marathon, at altitude, in a desert made everything new and just a calculated guess.  If people today study this race they could benefit greatly.    Bill Schnier

6. Excellent!
Some additional info and thoughts:
Buddy Edelen had initially gone  to Alamosa to train for the '68 Games. After setting the World Best in '63 he won the '64 Trials on the very hilly Yonkers course by over 20'. It was brutally hot. Edelen had been training in England, where he taught and raced, and had often trained in multiple sweat suits to try to prepare for hot conditions. Amby mentions Daws and Winrow doing long runs in Alamosa in sweats. I am sure they knew of Edelen's training. I still have the SI article about Edelen's remarkable Trials race. 
Buddy "only" finished 6th in the '64 Games. He had gotten sciatica, which hindered him then  - and ultimately ended his '68 hopes. 
Amby mentions Moore's writing about the '72 Olympic marathon, where he placed 4th, for Sports Illustrated.  He says that launched his great career at SI. But Moore had already written a wonderful piece, Concentrate on the Chrysanthemums, about the '71 Fukuoka race for SI. Shorter won thatvrace which made him one of the favorites in Munich. I still have that article too - as well as Moore's "Best Efforts, in which it is included. If you can find a cooy of the book, it will bring back memories. Many good stories.
Amby mentions the beer drinking Jim MacDonagh and his 20th place finish in Alamosa but neglects to mention that MacDonagh was 44 years old. His toughness was famous around the New York running scene. After his death in 2008 LetsRun had a brief, interesting thread about him.  

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=2704203

The weight losses surprise me. It was, according to the Alamosa newspaper, 73 degrees. And very low humidity, of course. Does one really get more dehydrated in those conditions than in humid ones? After decades of running in Florida heat/humidity I find that hard to fathom. In summers when I visited friends in Concord CA, over over the hills from, Oakland, it was often mid-high 80s but almost no humidity. I loved it. Far easier than similar temps in Miami or Gainesville

My personal perspective: I had planned to go to Alamosa both for the Trials and for a month of training. Amby mentions the top 20 being offered a free month in the dorms but anyone could stay there for a low fee.  But I got a nagging injury that June so I cancelled - both the training stay and the race.  Geoff Pietsch

7. I caught the Florida State Gatorade gaff, too. Ironically, I was a very early Gatorade guinea pig as a member of the UF basketball team in 1966. I can testify that the early batches were ghastly. Dr. Cade and his minions were always running around wanting to draw our precious bodily fluids .   

One other note: didn’t Frank Shorter start that race? I seem to remember something about that. As I recall he DNF’d from blisters or something. 

Great article, Amby, and a lovely stroll down memory lane!

John Parker

8. Dr. Costill, just in case you didn't see this.

But I'm sure you have seen it.   George Brose

9. Thanks George

Yes, I talked with Amby a few weeks ago and am leaving in the morning for Alamosa. Have no idea how many will be returning. We’ve lost a few along the way. I’ll give you a report when I get back. David Costill 

10. I lived and trained in Alamosa from November 1967 through September of 1968. I ran the Olympic marathon trials; did not do well. In fact it was the only marathon that I did not break 3 hours. Don't recall my place, my time was around 3:20 - 3:21. They weighed everyone before and after the marathon. After the race, I got on the scales and weighed 92 pounds, thus loosing 9 pounds. The man weighing me turned to me and said, "are you there"?  

If you attend the the reunion, I'd appreciate if you can get the results of the marathon trials and send them to me. Thanks!

A month before Alamosa marathon trials, I ran a P.R. 2:47 in the Denver marathon. Which I'm sure didn't help me in the trials. No coach, no advice on running in those days. Workouts done in those days were on whom I was training with on that day. Two years later when I was training with Igloi, I showed him my training diary and he said, "what is this, no plans, no direction" and went on.  

I knew Buddy and Joe Vigil very well. I was on the Alamosa Olympic Marathon Committee, as the manager of the travel agency that I worked was the AOMC secretary and got me involved.

Give Joe Vigil my best, I don't know if he will remember me. 

Enjoy the reunion.

 Tom Findley

10. George, I ran it as well. Dr Costill or someone didn’t like my body fat percentage. We had just moved here from California and I missed a lot of training. The Gatorade really bothered my stomach and I dropped out after two laps. 

Dennis Kavanaugh

11. By this time I was having so much fun reading these, I forwarded them with some permission, not from all, to a lot of you and to Tim Johnston who finished eighth (2hr 28min 4.4 sec) at Mexico City in the Marathon to get his read on how he got ready for altitude.  Here is Tim's first reply, there will be a second further down, and hopefully more.....George

12. Yes, George, a fascinating piece, on which I can comment extensively, but I'll save those comments for when I have more time.

In the meantime, I have the following to say:

  A. Dealing with the altitude. It was obvious from what savvy physiologists were saying and previous high-altitude results (e.g. the ?1965? Panam games in Mexico) that this was a special challenge that distance runners would have to take special steps to meet, or else duck out altogether. 

    B. The first thing was to try to get the venue changed. As a member of the British 'International Athletes' Club' (the 'trade union' for internationals) I drafted and organised a circular letter to the IOC, etc., signed by many past and potential British Olympians, suggesting moving the distance events to a lower altitude - e.g. sea-level Vera Cruz. That was, I think, in winter 1966, and got nowhere.

    C. That option having failed, I decided I would do everything I could to meet the challenge. This would mean living full-time at altitude for several months before the Games. All over the world, elite distance runners were reaching the same decision, although, ironically, the dog-in-the-manger Swiss had a resolution passed by the IAAF, disqualifying any athlete who moved to altitude with the specific purpose of preparing for the Games - more later of the effects of this resolution as it affected me personally.

    C. My first choice was Alamosa, where I had a good friend in Buddy Edelen, with whom I had often raced cross-country in Belgium. But Buddy advised against it because of the winter snow.

    D. Next was Bogota, Colombia, where we had old family friends. At 2600m. even higher than Mexico, but with a gloomy climate, given to days of rain and mist. In summer 1967, while I was still making up my mind, I had an invite from the British Olympic Committee to join a select group of guinea-pig athletes, led by physiologist Griff Pugh, to do research at the high-altitude training camp at Font-Romeu in France, then in Mexico City itself.

    E. In October 1967, with Griff and technical assistants, and fellow cross-country international, Mike Turner, I flew out to Mexico City.

To be continued...  Tim Johnston

(Be sure to check out Tim's book, "His Own Man, the Biography of Otto Peltzer") and our review at: 
Otto Peltzer, His Own Man

13. Then from Amby Burfoot 

Thanks all. Rushing to catch Alamosa plane. I always make the damn mistake about Cade's university. Bad on me.

Frank showed up night before race at my room, asked if he could borrow a pair of "road" shoes. I said Sure, any but the ones I'm running in. He started, went three laps I believe, feet badly torn up by my shoes.

Definitely his first marathon start. Not his best.

Tom, you still look like you're 15? I'm betting yes. I have a formal photo of all of us, but not a great one. Carrying it to Alamosa.

I believe Young, Moore, Deines, Mills, Clark, Heinonen and a half dozen others will attend. I'm trying to set up a short video round circle with all speaking briefly for subsequent video sharing.

Best to all. Amby

Here is the complete list of finishers.

1--George Young, 2:30:48, Casa Grande AZ

2--Kenny Moore, 2:31:47, Eugene OR

3--Ron Daws, 2:33:09, Minneapolis

4--Bob Deines, 2:34:13 (note: originally 2:33:14, almost surely wrong per athlete) Pasadena CA

5--Steve Matthews, 2:34:17 (note: originally 2:33:17), Denver

6. Ed Winrow, 2:34:51, NYAC

7. Nick Kitt, 2:35:09, Los Angeles

8. Doug Wiebe, 2:35:31, Pacific Coast Club

9. Bill Clark, 2:36:14, Quantico Marines

10. Jeffrey Reneau, 2:38:46, Laconia NH

11. Tom Hoffman, 2:41:54, Fort Atkinson WS

12. Ed Cadena, 2:42:25, Bakersfield CA

13. Bob Scharf, 2:42:49, Washington DC Sports Club

14. Tom Heinonen, 2:43:30, Minneapolis

15. Steve Gachupin, 2:43:54, Jemez Pueblo, NM

16. Gary Muhrcke, 2:44:56, Freeport NY

17. Wayne Van Dellen, 2:45:26, Woodlake CA

18. Art Coolidge, 2:45:44, Scotia NY

19. Don Lakin, 2:46:03, Pacific Coast Club

20. Jim McDonagh, 2:46:30, Bronx NY

21. Floyd Godwin, 2:49:21, Denver

22. Gar Williams, 2:49:56, Washington DC Sports Club

23. Darryl Beardall, 2:50:05, Santa Rosa CA

24. Jim Van Manen, 2:50:21, Ventura CA

25. Jose E. Dones, 2:52:43, Santa Barbara CA

26. William Blewitt, 2:53:46, Lawton OK

27. Gabe Petroni, 2:53:55, Santa Barbara CA

28. Jose Barela, 2:54:47, Barstow CA

29. Byron Lawry, 2:54:54, Lancaster CA

30. Charles Comefort, 2:55:24, Dunes TC IN

31: Kenneth Katzer, 2:56:31, Lincoln NE

32. Bill Gookin, 2:57:11, San Diego CA

33. Gerald Smith, 2:57:20, Minneapolis

34. Norbert Sander, 2:57:39, Millrose AA NY

35. Gary Pierson, 2:59:37, Denver

36. Richard Vafeades, 3:01:40, Denver

37. Ed Dodd, 3:02:30, Drexel Hill PA

38. Jim Mathews, 3:02:57, Denver

39. Ed Walkwitz, 3:04:23, Hadley MA

40. Tom Snyder, 3:04:37, Lincoln NE

41. Evan Smith, 3:06:02, Marysville WA

42. John Pagliano, 3:06:30, Pasadena CA

43. J. Peterson, 3:07:43, Lockport IL

44. Bruce Guthrie, 3:07:48, Alamosa CO

45. Peter Hanson, 3:09:22, Colfax CA

46. Robert Lowe, 3:11:25, Denver

47. George Husuark, 3:11:52, Montebello CA

48. Bill Anderson, 3:15:00, Santa Barbara CA

49. Leonard John Suarez, 3:16:26, Bisbee AZ

50. Russell Holt, 3:20:13, Springfield MA

51. Tom Findley, 3:21:11, Columbus OH

52. William Peck, 3:22:38, Wasco CA

53. Darwyn Batway, 3:32:34, Spokane WA

54. Bruce LaBudde, 3:37:49, Atlanta

55. Larry Boies, 3:38:22, Minneapolis

56. Jerry Laird, 3:41:54, Houston

57. Albert Sewell, 3:46:36, Fisk Univ, Nashville TN

58. Rick Vasquez, 3:49:18, Pico Rivera CA

59. Pete Mundle, 3:50:56, Santa Monica CA

60. Etwin Gookin, 3:52:05, San Diego CA

61. William Lamb, 3:55:29, Sepulveda CA

62. Alan Bass, 3:57:55, San Marino CA

63. E. Kirkpatrick, 3:58:54, UColo, Boulder CO

At Mexico City the US representatives would finish as follows:

                    14th Kenny Moore  2hr 29 min 49.4 sec
                    16th George Young 2hr 31 min 15 sec
                    22nd Ron Daws  2hr 33min 53 sec

14.Great article, thanks for sharing. In 1977 after my senior year in college I worked at Blue Mt. running camp in the Poconos. I met and ran with Ed Winrow at the camp. He was coaching a Mansfield State at the time.  Jubie Aulisio

15. Tim,

Thanks for your comments, and I am looking forward to hearing more.  In the meantime would it be ok to share 

these with Burfoot to share with the other guys at their reunion this weekend?  (as well as a few other running friends, but 

not on the blog?)  I studied for three years with Dave Costill at Ball State from 76-79 so have heard, and forgotten , a lot of what

Amby has portrayed.  George Brose

16. Wish I had heard of this sooner. Yesterday evening was too late to make it from Gainesville. So.... I missed it once again. Looking over the list of finishers (thanks Amby) I see so many names from races I ran. Wonder how many will be there.
Seeing Bill Gookin's name reminds me of his ERG drink. As I recall, he battled the same taste problems that Cade did.
Anyone know the science of dehydration that I asked about previously? I assume Costill weighed everyone so the weight losses Amby lists are accurate, but I still am puzzled by such big losses in such low humidity.  Geoff Pietsch

17. George, thanks for sending the article.  It is well written with lots of interesting detail, as I would expect from Amby Burfoot.  In Alamosa, Amby introduced himself to me the day before the race, and took notes while he asked me several questions about my running. I'm sure he did this for all the entrants.  This was my first marathon.  I ran an evenly paced 2:53:46 and placed 26th mainly because of the many dnf's.  I was able to enter because of my track times (4:11 mile that year).  I drove into Alamosa the afternoon before the race, which was the advice I had been given: arrive at high altitude either less than 24 hours or more than 30 days before the race.  Looking back at my running log, I see that I lost 8 pounds in the race, dropping from 152 to 144, and that I drank 6 cups of Gatorade during it.  That was obviously inadequate for rate of evaporative loss resulting from the low pressure at high altitude, even in 72-degree weather and 15 mph wind.  I knew nothing about the effects of dehydration then, i.e., that aerobic power diminishes significantly with the drop in blood volume.  I am still learning about it as I start another season of coaching high school cross-country runners.

Bill Blewett 

(If you are a baseball fan, be sure to read Bill Blewett's book,

"The Science of the Fastball") ed.

18. Bill, that was a great first marathon under those conditions.   Did you know the guy with the Oklahoma shirt in the first picture, J.C. Freeman?   That year before , 1967, I had been living in Kenya at 6000 feet and going over 14000 feet at least once a month.  We climbed very fast and I always had problems adapting except one time when I was doing technical climbing and more concerned with my saftety.  Came home in Jan. '68 and drafted into the army by April.  Had I kept up my training, I might have convinced the Army to send me to their track program under Ralph Higgins or with more info might have tried the marathon, but I was oblivious to it all.  Studying German at the army language school in DC and learning 40 lines of dialogue each day was burning me out.  Tried running a bit that summer in D.C. but it was just too much to think of putting in a lot of hard physical work, then studying all night, in addition to the daily military harassment.  George B

19. I loved reading this well written account. Kerry Pearce wore a brand new pair of shoes and got blisters according to his coach, Wayne Vandenburg.

Pete Brown

20. The Second Segment from Tim Johnston

Mexico City (contd.):

With mad scientist Griff Pugh, Mike Turner and I, as guinea pigs, concentrated our main efforts not so much on the effects of altitude alone, but rather on the combined effects of heat and altitude. Pugh had a secret weapon: the Bomb. This was a mini-radio transmitter, about the size of the top-joint of a finger.

The No. 1 guinea pig had to swallow this, while his partner ran alongside him with a radio receiver, which recorded signals from the transmitter in his stomach, registering his core body temperature. After various inconclusive trials, came the Big Day. 12 noon on a bright, sunny October day on the University 400m track. I was to be the No. 1, while Mike ran beside me each lap down the home straight, holding a radio antenna in front of my stomach. My task was to run as many laps as I could at approximate marathon pace, while Griff Pugh recorded the steady rise in my body temperature.

I stopped after 58 laps at 5'20" pace. 

'This is extraordinary!' said Griff. 'Do you think you could manage a few more laps?'

'No, Griff,' I said, and staggered off the track.

I had gooseflesh, was dizzy and shivering. My core body temperature was registered at 41.5 centigrade (106.7 fahrenheit), according to Griff, the highest ever recorded in an otherwise healthy individual.

We had established that, as the body-temperature rises, at a certain point the body's functions go into reverse: the body thinks it is too cold and sets up a goose-flesh and shivering reaction. That is the warning sign; if the athlete doesn't then slow down or stop and take immediate steps to halt/reverse the process (icing the head and neck, stepping under a cold shower...) he will suffer irreversible brain damage, ultimately death.

All this is now well known, yet people continue to die of heat-stroke while exercising in the sun.

Next instalment: training intensively at 2300-3000 metres.

TJ.  Tim Johnston

21. Not running much these days. More on my bike. DNF at the Trials (Alamosa) . Two weeks later won the Heart of America Marathon in Columbia, MO

HAL HIGDON  

 (Special thanks to Thom Coyne for making the contact with Hal)

22. I hope everyone enjoyed reading these.  It was a pleasure putting them together, and I am sure there will

be more after the reunion this weekend.

George Brose

When the 50th anniversary 8Km race was held in Alamosa on July 28, 2018, a number of those old timers ran including Gary Muhrcke, Amby Burfoot, Tom Heinonen, , Frank Shorter, Bob Deines, Joe Head, Bill Clark, and other luminaries, Benji Durden and Jay Birmingham.  Below are the results for the age group 60 and up:
'
from Finishline Timing

    MALE AGE GROUP RESULTS 60 - UP
=============================================================================

Place No.   Name                    Age Sex City               St Time    Pace  Nettime    
===== ===== ======================= === === ================== == ======= ===== ======= 
    1    56 Rich Hadley              62   M Florence           CO   35:16 23:31   35:16 
    2    36 Benji Durden             66   M Boulder            CO   36:15 24:10   36:15 
    3    81 Bruce Kirschner          64   M Louisville         CO   37:12 24:48   37:12 
    4   209 Michael Sandrock         60   M Boulder            CO   39:02 26:01   39:02 
    5   192 Art Kitze                61   M Kettering          OH   39:17 26:11   39:17 
    6   153 Pablo Vigil              66   M Fort Collins       CO   39:41 26:28   39:41 
    7    73 Jim Johnson              61   M Colorado Springs   CO   41:07 27:25   41:07 
    8    11 Greg Birk                62   M Montagnola         NO   43:32 29:02   43:32 
    9   191 Chris Trunk              63   M Coatesville        PA   44:09 29:26   44:09 
   10   141 Kevin St.Croix           62   M Nathrop            CO   44:23 29:35   44:23 
   11    28 Robert Davis             61   M Phoenix            AZ   44:57 29:58   44:57 
   12   108 Scott McMillen           61   M East Greenwich     RI   44:57 29:58   44:57 
   13   196 Jan Frisby               74   M Grand Junction     CO   46:01 30:41   46:01 
   14   195 Amby Burfoot             71   M Mystic             CT   46:32 31:01   46:32 
   15   200 Gary Muhrcke             77   M Huntington         NY   46:41 31:08   46:41 
   16   143 Darrell Sterns           67   M Colorado Springs   CO   46:44 31:10   46:44 
   17   199 Rick Moisio              63   M Del Norte          CO   46:49 31:13   46:49 
   18   208 Steve Jones              62   M Boulder            CO   47:04 31:23   47:04 
   19   180 Joe Lowrey               61   M Denver             CO   48:11 32:07   48:11 
   20   185 Doug Ouren               62   M Fort Collins       CO   48:40 32:27   48:40 
   21   213 Bob Deines               71   M Willits            CA   49:04 32:43   49:04 
   22   142 Will Steinberg           64   M Albuquerque        NM   54:38 36:25   54:38 
   23    60 Joe Head                 70   M Marion             NC   55:10 36:47   55:10 
   24   207 Tom Heinonen             73   M Eugene             OR   55:10 36:47   55:10 
   25    72 Alan Johnson             70   M Leadville          CO   55:13 36:49   55:13 
   26   206 Tim Cronin               68   M Boulder            CO   55:52 37:15   55:52 
   27    93 Frederick Maas           73   M Santa Fe           NM   57:11 38:07   57:11 
   28   138 Ron Shepherd             65   M Rocky Ford         CO   57:54 38:36   57:54 
   29    12 Jay Birmingham           73   M Fleming Island     FL 1:01:42 41:08 1:01:42 
   30   214 Frank Shorter            70   M Boulder            CO 1:01:42 41:08 1:01:42 
   31     4 Dana Anstey              69   M Patterson          CA 1:10:41 47:08 1:10:41 
   32    83 Kirk Kritner             64   M Alamosa            CO 1:12:50 48:34 1:12:50 
   33   202 Bill Clark               74   M Los Altos          CA 1:19:31 53:01 1:19:31 

=============================================================================
     FEMALE AGE GROUP RESULTS 60 - UP
=============================================================================

Place No.   Name                    Age Sex City               St Time    Pace  Nettime    
===== ===== ======================= === === ================== == ======= ===== ======= 
    1    17 Colleen Burns            68   F McIntosh           NM   39:41 26:28   39:41 
    2   133 Carey Sanchez            62   F Superior           CO   41:36 27:44   41:36 
    3   144 Donna Sterns             65   F Colorado Springs   CO   43:33 29:02   43:33 
    4    35 Amie Durden              62   F Boulder            CO   48:54 32:36   48:54 
    5   134 Cathy Saratore           66   F Colorado Springs   CO   51:26 34:18   51:26 
    6    82 Kathy Kirsling           69   F Tijeras            NM   53:12 35:28   53:12 
    7   190 Deb Hadley               61   F Florence           CO   58:34 39:03   58:34 
    8   160 Becky Walkden            64   F Durango            CO 1:02:06 41:24 1:02:06 
    9   198 Ellen Clark              71   F Los Altos          CA 1:03:07 42:05 1:03:07 
   10    55 Oma Gutierrez            80   F Alamosa            CO 1:06:54 44:36 1:06:54 
   11   136 Jayne Schiffer           62   F Alamosa            CO 1:10:38 47:05 1:10:38 
   12   119 Donna Nicholas-Griese    72   F Coaldale           CO 1:12:02 48:02 1:12:02 
   13    85 Michele Kritner          62   F Alamosa            CO 1:31:14 60:50 1:31:14 

Mike / Thanks for sending this.  A small addendum:  I was born in Alamosa and lived 17 miles away in Monte Vista, graduating HS in 1968.  At the time, we (most valley residents) had no idea this was significant (or even happening).  As a late-blooming runner, I have come to recognize Joe Vigil’s and Alamosa’s contribution to the running world and echo the thoughts “wish I knew then, what I know now.”  /
Steve Payne

Architect

NCARB, LEED AP

Dear George:

Before I ever heard about Gatorade I had heard about Gookin-Aide.  I don't know which came first but the classic line I remember was the guy who wrote, "I don't want to drink Bill Gookin's sweat".   I didn't really use either Gatorade or Gookin-Aide but I used to hear good things about Bill's "sweat".  I was more inclined to use Shorter's "de-fizzed Coke".

Take care,

Tom Coyne

I  was crazy for ERG.  considered it a magical elixir that replaced all that one needed,  powdered urine, just add water.  Richard Trace


Friend Jay Birmingham describing a recent 5 mile race in Alamosa, Colorado against a field that included Frank Shorter.....who he talks about. Times ?   You really don’t want to know.

Steve Price

Begin forwarded message:

From: Jay Birmingham
Subject: Re: By A Nose

We tied.I caught him at 3 1/2 miles.  He couldn’t shake me and eased back the last 50 meters. I slowed to finish besde him. 

George: Great stuff. Thanks so much. With regard to 2018 results in the 8K, I give Gary Muhrcke first place in the age-graded division among those who also ran 1968. Didn't do the math, but at 77 he seems the clear winner.

Impressive number and quality of people reading/commenting on your blog.

--

Amby Burfoot
www.AmbyBurfoot.com (for books and personal info)

www.RunWithAmby.com 

www.100kLifetimeMiles.com

www.LifetimeRunning.net