Back stories from Sunday's NYC marathon:
Twenty-five years ago, Rod Dixon made up a big deficit in Central Park to overtake Geoff Smith less than 200 meters from the finish and win the 1983 NYC Marathon. It was an unforgettable race, and it led to an unforgettable image of the triump and heartbreak of the two competitors. A photo taken just after the finish shows Dixon raising his arms to the sky relieved and exultant, while Smith sprawls on the ground in exhaustion and disbelief. Yesterday Dixon returned to the scene of what he called his "career-defining race" to run the marathon with his daughter Emma. the pair finished in just over 3:38.
25 Years After Win, Dixon Finishes with Daughter
It was twenty-four years ago that Zola Budd collided with Mary Decker Slaney in the 1984 Olympic 3000m final, a painful and unfortunate meeting between a young runner and her idol. The 42-year-old Budd-Pieterse moved to the U.S. recently and completed her first NYC marathon yesterday, running 2:58. She was hoping for 2:50 but faded in the final miles, citing low blood sugar as the problem. In her remarks after the race she quipped:
"At 35K I saw my uncle from South Africa waving at me," she said. "He's been dead for 10 years, so I knew I was in trouble."
Zola Budd Runs 2:58 in Her First NYC Marathon
A year ago, Ryan Shay collapsed and died while running the U.S. Men's Olympic Marathon Trials. Yesterday, members of Shay's family stood at "Ryan's Spot," a memorial for Shay located between the 24 and 25 mile mark on the course. A number of Shay's former teammates at Notre Dame ran the race in his memory, wearing blue and gold ND singlets.
Finally, on the eve of the U.S. elections a story about another kind of vote. It's unfortunate that the World Major Marathon challenge, which awards a half million dollars to the man and woman who earn the most points via top finishes in a series of five major marathons, was decided by a vote. Gete Wami and Irina Mikitenko finished with the same number of points. The directors of the five marathons voted unanimously to award the winner-take-all prize of $500,000 to Mikitenko. Elections are fine for choosing presidents, but in sports, choosing a winner by voting is never a good thing.
1 comment:
What an amazing picture of Dixon and Smith! And is that Fred Lebow waving his arms above Smith? If so, it is a priceless portrait of a man very much in charge of his race!
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