Be just like me to have a burst of energy as I near the finish line. Working hard, as hard as I can, to get my life in order.
At least this one room, my studio. Came across an article – On Being Part Of The Run Off – featured in a certain classy race program.
Seems like this piece does not appear in the critically-acclaimed, award-winning When Running Was Young And So Were We.
The call came in the night.
It was unexpected and the voice at the other end belonged to Chuck Galford, the titular and actual head of the Cascade Run Off.
“Would you write an article for our race program?”
I like Chuck Galford, I respect him, and I think the Cascade 15K is inarguably one of the world’s finest road races.
“Sure. When do you need it?”
With a chuckle – no pun intended – Galford replied, “How about yesterday?”
Suddenly, I couldn’t remember if I liked Chuck. But then there’s this can-do attitude surrounding this event, there’s a brilliance, there’s an artistry. I began to wonder how to meet Galford’s deadline. I wanted to be a part of the 1985 Cascade Run Off. I remembered the others.
The starter’s gun was first heard in 1978 and from its beginnings the Cascade Run Off has been an event with a distinct personality. A Northwest personality. The founders wanted an event which reflected the energy, integrity and sense of community that seems to define the best about the Rose City. Hard work made the dream come true.
Olympian Gary Bjorklund and Marty Cooksey won the inaugural 15K, establishing just the first of the several world standards which have been recorded at the Run Off. These performances set the stage for future Run Offs, a tradition of excellence which has never abated.
The race committee faced a challenge that first year when the Amateur Athletic Union demanded all entrants become members of their bureacracy, obey the byzantine rules of amateurism and, oh, yes, pay $6 each to join the AAU. To its credit, the committee refused. The goal was to create the best race possible for everyone involved, not to force runners to join an organization in o0rder to run. Runners’ rights prevailed, the AAU gave in, and the Cascade Run Off got off to a roaring start.
In 1979, a small woman from a small town in Maine confirmed her genius as Joan Benoit set the Run Off’s second women’s world record for 15K. Herb Lindsay established himself as a major force in the sport with a sparkling victory over more renowned competitors. The race itself seemed destined to be a major force.
Lindsay’s victory, even his participation, signaled the event’s desire to provide a top-flight competitive opportunity for less-famous athletes. The top names could often pick and choose among numerous races while less experienced runners frequently encountered difficulty getting into top quality competitions. From the beginning, the Cascade Run Off sought young runners with promise and gave them a chance to compete against the sport’s big names.
Undoubtedly, the most significant factor of the 1980 Cascade Run Off was a lady named Helen – Mount St. Helens. Perhaps a response to President Carter’s ill-advised boycott of the Moscow Olympics, perhaps merely a reminder that nothing remains the same, the eruption of that volcano seemed to announce a new era in the Pacific Northwest. There were eons before half a mountain disappeared and then there was what will come after.
Benji Durden was already an “Olympian” who would never get a chance at victory in Moscow. Mount St. Helens perhaps denied him the opportunity to win the Cascade Run Off. Surging to the front of the pack, Durden fell heavily to the pavement at the corner of NW Couch and Ninth. He had slipped on a patch of volcanic ash. It could only happen here. Bruised and battered, with a broken rib, Durden regained his feet to finish eight in 44:44. definitely an Olympic effort.
Herb Lindsay stayed on his feet to establish a new course record of 43:50, but the big news was Patti Catalano. Shouting “I told you I could do it!,” the ebullient Catalano set a U.S. record of 49:43, becoming the first American woman to run under 50 minutes for 15K. In 1980, it seemed the ladies were making the biggest impact.
The earth did not move in 1981, but the Cascade Run Off changed the face of the sport forever.
The AAU had changed its initials to TAC but the mindset remained the same: we make the rules and you obey. The Run Off committee demurred, stating firmly and politely that the rules did not make sense.
Another set of initials had appeared… ARRA, the Association of Road Racing Athletes. Spearheaded by the Run Off’s friend, ARRA sought to eliminate “shamateurism,” the hypocritical system of under-the-table payments, which served to damage the sport’s credibility, not to mention that of the athletes and race sponsors. ARRA wanted to award prize money and eliminate appearance fees, so that competitors would be compensated for their performances, not their reputations or their negotiating ability.
The Cascade Run Off became the first major race to support that concept of open running.
Six-thousand runners (including Bill Rodgers, 65-year-old Clive Davies, and 12-year-old Deanna Koffel from Hillsboro) made a statement with their participation in the Fourth Annual Cascade Run Off. They ran for freedom, not merely for the sake of exercise or competition. And the breath of fresh air that had been the Cascade Run Off was now a gale force pumping new vitality into road racing.
Only the most fiercely fought of battles could remind onlookers that this was an athletic contest, not some political convention. With a mile remaining in the race, Rodgers was running his heart out, but he was not alone. Domingo Tibaduiza was a stride behind, while alongside was Herb Lindsay. Next to the defending champion was Greg Meyer, who seemed to remember first he hadn’t already been paid. Meyer sprinted to a course record 43:19 and $10,000 in prize money. Neither the sport nor Meyer’s bank account have been the same since.
Anne Audain’s life seems forever changed by her victory. She temporarily lost her amateur status, but she earned both $10,000 and the respect of her peers. Few knew just how talented this New Zealander was before Cascade but everyone was convinced after her 50:33 victory here.
That two other Kiwis – Allison Roe and Lorraine Moller – followed Audain across the finish line testifies to the growing international flaor of the Run Off. Athletes from Japan, South Africa, South America, Australia, Kenya, even California, have ventured to Portland seeking the best of racing and the best of races.
By 1982, the dust had settled. The ARRA prize money road racing circuit was a reality. TAC had been converted and was actively involved in ensuring the eligibility of athletes who won prize money and a calm had settled over the Run Off. Running was again more important than rules.
Prize money still totaled $50,000 and CBS was here to produce a national broadcast. The Cascade Run Off was obviously Big Time.
It was also – just as obviously – one of the top road races in the world.
Since her victory in the 1981 Run Off, Anne Audain had earned a reputation as one of the world’s best road racers. She left here with another $10,000 and a course record 49:22. The depth of the women’s field, like the men’s, was truly stunning. Cascade boasts a dozen or more world-class athletes in each division, a score of national-caliber racers, top runners, the very best in the Northwest, and thousands of runners with all levels of ability. Quality is a thread that courses throughout the event.
The course is perhaps the most challenging fast route in the United States. Streaming through downtown Portland past Duniway Park, runners must climb 500 feet, most of it up Terwilliger Boulevard. After reaching Capitol Highway, the descent has begun, and when Barbur Boulevard turns into Front Avenue, well, it is not a place for the weak of spirit. The final 5K has been covered as fast as 13:24!
Michael Musyoki was the man who did it, only because he had to. In one of the most thrilling finishes one could imagine, the Kenyan star overcame a seemingly insurmountable lead held by Jon Sinclair. Repeated viewings of the videotape of that stirring stretch duel leaves one question unanswered – how did Musyoki do that?
Jon Sinclair was still asking himself that question when he returned in 1983. But even Jon’s spectacularly flowered shorts were no match for Michael Musyoki on this day. While the previous year no one had believed their eyes, on June 26, 1983, few believed the finish line clock: 42:27. A new course record, a Kenyan national mark and faster than any man has ever run 15K in the history of the sport. No, in the history of mankind. Paul Cummings’ 2nd place finish of 42:41 was the fastest ever by an American.
Womankind saw three females run under 50 minutes for the first time in one race. Grete Waitz established the existing course record of 48:44, with Denmark’s Dorthe Rasmussen (49:20) and Canadian Nancy Rooks (49:39) trailing the Norwegian superstar. These results highlight the continued improvement of women’s performances on the road. It is an evolution in which the Cascade Run Off has played a major role.
With 7,500 starters, the 1983 Run Off was the largest in the event’s history. It was also the year which saw the starting line moved to the east side of the Burnside Bridge. This change made the route safer, even with the increased number of participants. Eliminating many of the sharp turns of prior years, the course itself permits faster times. More people running faster, more improvements at Cascade.
By 1984 the Cascade Run Off had become a finely tuned instrument, acknowledged as one of the sport’s premier events. In just seven years, the race committee had seen its dreams come true.
The race itself featured more Olympians – fourteen -than did many finals at the Games several weeks later. Simeon Kigen, removed from the Kenyan Olympic squad in part because of his affection for the U.S. road racing scene, proved that he was every bit as talented as any athlete who would actually compete in Los Angeles. Kigen’s 43:30 was the slowest winning time since 1980 but it was nonetheless fast enough to earn $10,000. Canadian Sylvia Ruegger garnered top women’s honors with a quality 49:40.
Money. Times. Olympians. Television coverage. Tens of thousands of spectators. An honest but fast course. These are only part of the story behind the Cascade Run Off. There’s the dedication of the race committee, the support of numerous sponsors, and the assistance of City Hall. There’s the people and there’s Portland.
Most importantly, there are the runners, the cast of thousands who star in the extravaganza. It is, after all, their race.
And, weather permitting, their day in the sun.
“Chuck? Hi, it’s Jack. I’ve finished the piece. Is it too late to enter the race?”
Jack D. Welch – former Director of Public Relations for NIKE, former Editor and Publisher of “Running,” and currently a Senior Editor for “Track & Field News” – admits to a love affair with the Cascade Run Off. Based on his performances over the years, his affection is unrequited.
https://www.runnersworld.com/running-times-info/1981-cascade-run-off-the-race-that-changed-the-sport