For almost a dozen years I proudly served as Senior Editor (Road Racing) for Track & Field News. Widely and correctly known as “The Bible of the Sport.” It was my honor. Like to consider myself an original gangster of running. With apologies to Buddy Edelen, Ron Daws, the Kellys. Like to think I changed running literature. With apologies to Kenny Moore and Hal Higdon. Like to think I’m not crazy. With apologies to R.P. McMurphy.
Like a grandpa who sits you on his knee and tells you about back in the day, sure, we played football but no helmets. And no time-outs. Played both ways, too. Jock straps were considered high-tech safety equipment. Nobody said “high-tech.”
I’ll be honest, never owned a mouthpiece in my life, but I must’ve had a dozen pairs of orthotics. Of course, when I started, there were no orthotics. Hell, we didn’t even have running shoes. Let alone sports gels. Forgot where I was going here.
Oh, yeah, prospecting through my archives, amazingly minimal except to my bride, I am reminded I wrote a column all those years. – JDW
All of a sudden, Greg Meyer is down from being the holder of three American Road Records to a single entry on the book, at 25km.
In the span of a week at the beginning of February, his 10km (Thom Hunt) and 15km (Ric Rojas) standards were eclipsed as the 1981 season continued its hot start.
HUNT CAPTURES 10K RECORD
Phoenix, February 1 – For the third year in a row, Bill Rodgers finished second to Thom Hunt in the Runner’s Den/KOY 10K Classic. But this was the first time Hunt had run this fast – an American Record 28:12, to be precise, bettering Greg Meyer’s 28:24 of 1979.
The time for the former Arizona steepler was so fast spectators seemed initially to fear he might have missed a turn. But after waiting 40 seconds for Rodgers to appear, the reality of Hunt’s superlative effort on the certified loop struck home.
Such awareness struck Hunt’s competitors much earlier. Running in virtually ideal conditions, the leading group of Hunt, Steve Ortiz and Steve Floto went through a 4:23 mile and 9:04 2M. Shortly after the 3M mark, Hunt opened up and was soon on his own.
There was no looking back and no need to.
Steve Scott, perhaps the only man in the field capable of staying with Hunt on this day, didn’t officially enter, choosing instead to cruise 30:44 in training gear (fear of “contamination” from non-amateur Tom Fleming?).
“I really didn’t have any particular thoughts going into the race,” Hunt said. “The previous two years, the race wasn’t that keyed up. But this year, several top runners were brought in, so I figured someone had to be ready.
“I’m more ready at this time of year than I have ever been because I don’t have a collegiate season to worry about. I’m getting ready for the International Cross Country meet right now.”
Of his American Record effort, Hunt commented, “By the 2M mark, I was feeling good. I had put in a couple small surges earlier, but nothing big. A bit later, I put in one real good one, but nobody went with me. I pressed the pace and opened up some breathing room.
“Then I was able to maintain and relax. I wanted to make sure I could finish with no problems. It was a good effort considering the time of year.”
Hunt who called this “only my third or fourth serious 10K on the road,” feels the AR can drop even more. “When a group of good people goes by 3M in 13:30, instead of one guy alone, then the time will be faster. The record can be a lot faster than it is.”
The southern Californian native insists he won’t switch his concentration totally to the road. “I won’t forsake anything. I’ll go in everything – steeple, 5000, indoors and, outdoors and roads.”
ROJAS SNAPS 15K RECORD
Tampa, February 7 – The Gasparilla Distance Classic is just that. I mean, we’re talkin’ major road race here. We are also discussing Ric Rojas and his stunning victory with a similarly stunning 43:12 for 15K. Certified… honest. The course has been measured, on foot, three (3) times by calibrated wheel.
Give credit where it is due. Ropjas, always a high placer but rarely a winne, simply destroyed the record and in the process bested a great percentage of Amrica’s elite road racers. His rivals didn’t exactly throw in the towel, as no less than four others broke Greg Meyer’s mark of 43:40, set in this race last year.
Herb Lindsay – who had come to Florida prepared to break the old standard – finished second in 43:17, just five seconds ahead of Robbie Perkins. Myers finished fourth in 43:33 with Pete Pfitzinger fifth (43:37). Call this race ” the Fukuoka of the South,” as in, what do you have to do to win?
With an all-star cast, including Benji Durden, Kyle Heffner and Jon Sinclair, there was no lagging about. A pack of twenty determined-to-go-for-the-win types quickly broke away from the field, hitting 1M in 4:27 and 2M in 9:04. They were already twenty seconds ahead of record pace. Passing 4M at 18:23, the pack began to spread and by 5M (23:03) the four leaders were Rojas, Perkins, Lindsay and Meyer. It was getting serious.
The quartet hit 6M in 27:43 and went by the 10K point in a rather creditable 28:38. Seven miles in 32:26. Perkins was hanging with Rojas; Lindsay was ten meters behind, with Meyer another five meters back. Rojas surged at 8M (37:04), losing Perkins and Meyer, but Lindsay began to mount his final challenge. He managed to close to within fifteen meters of Rojas, but no closer.
Rojas had been clearly anxious about being chased by Lindsay, the U.S.’s top road racer in 1979 and 1980. “I really thought he would catch me,” Rojas said. I kept thinking, ‘My God, he’s going to catch me.’ But sometimes you have to give yourself the benefit of the doubt. I knew I had to go as hard as I could and hang on. The only way to beat him was to open it up early; Herb has more speed than I do.”
Lindsay agreed. “I really thought I had a good chance of catching him. But I had so many peaks and lows. My mood was up and down like a roller coaster. I was feeling good,” Lindsay continued, “and I could see Ric starting to struggle in the last half-mile. But then I had a stitch… Every time I’d try to make a move, it felt like a dagger would go in my side.”
Said former record-holder Meyer, “I ran a strong race, but strong races don’t count anymore.”
On the distaff side, the competition was nonexistent, as it always is when Grete Waitz takes to the roads. Shortly after winning in 48:13 (5:11 pace!) – second-fastest all-time to her own world best set here last year of 48:01 – Waitz declared, “It was just a training run.”
She finished 44th overall in a field of 2823.
Grete’s strong run comes while she isn’t even in top shape. “I can’t race in both summer and winter,” she explained. “I wasn’t running for a record. I don’t want to run for a record every time. People expect me to break a record every time I run and that causes too much pressure.”
