Persistent runners....

For many decades, we believed that Africans were superior at long-distance running. Andreas Almgren from Sweden has now proven that it is a matter of hard work, by winning the World Half Marathon Championship at a high pace and grand style.

Talented runners....

Mamede and Lopes in 1984 at Stockholms Stadion

On July 2, 1984, at Stockholm Stadium.....he and his club mate Carlos Lopes broke the then current world record of the 10,000 meters. What could have been a brilliant career for Mamede never materialized due to his bad nerves during international championships. Just a few weeks later, and in excellent physical shape, he abandoned the race during the 10,000 meters final at the Los Angeles Olympics. In a time when psychological training was non-existent for elite athletes, his extraordinary talent was wasted.

His only individual medal at international level was a bronze medal at the World Cross Country Championships in Madrid in 1981. Fernando Mamede passed away on January 27, 2026, aged 74.

Sometimes.....

 ..it is difficult to understand how difficult things are 😲

Not cool....

..entering the Stadium like an energetic jumping clown

..losing the race to an opponent....and suddenly you have Covid-19 😓

Relay....or delay ??

..again  😂

The final 5 K....

Eugene, Hayward Field, May 29, 1975

Frank Shorter and Steve Prefontaine making an attempt to break the American record in the 5000 m. Both runners had a huge influence on the emerging running boom of the 1970`s (and that never faded away !). They were at the time at the forefront of fighting to change the amateur rules that prevented top-class athletes from making a decent living out of their sports. Prefontaine embodied the true joy of running and, on the track, he was a completely fearless athlete. A few hours later, his life came to an end in a car accident. This was his last sunset.... 

Relay or....delay ?

 

Persistance...

Was Florence Griffith-Joyner’s 100-meter world record wind assisted...?

The Omega wind gauge (stationary tube) registered 0.0 wind during the race

On July 16, 1988, Florence Griffith-Joyner ran 10.49 in the 100-meters at the United States Olympic Trials in Indianapolis. Looking at the little flag being held by the official standing behind the start line, it would appear as if there was a strong crosswind coming from the left of the runners (the flag is actually even moving slightly backwards). There is definitely no tailwind, and how could such a crosswind favor the runners ? She outdistances the other competitors as well, and she seems to be the only one in the race to "benefit" from those winds...? 

Anyway....technically, Flo-Jo is still the best sprinter of all time, and that includes both male and female athletes. Her running during that year of 1988 is no less than close to perfection.

Bad behaviour....

London Stadium

..from the spectators during the 100m final (and heats). Shame on you. This is athletics....not football.

The final race....

 (click to enlarge)

behind is nothing....ahead, a few hours 

Eugene, Hayward Field, May 29, 1975. A remarkable career that came to a sudden end. Steve Prefontaine personified in many ways the "joy of running"....and had a huge influence on the running boom that emerged in the 1970's.

Persistent runners....

Los Angeles Olympic Marathon, August 12, 1984 (Carlos Lopes,723)

During the year of 1984, Carlos Lopes had his greatest season. He started by winning his second world cross-country title in New Jersey. In July, in Stockholm, he and his teammate Fernando Mamede ran under the previous 10 000 meters world record time, set by Henry Rono in 1978. The best achievement of his career was yet to come. On the last day of the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Lopes did the race of a lifetime by winning the marathon in supreme style. He ran the last 7 kilometers at an average speed of 2:55 per km, a violent pace at the end of a marathon. The winning time of 2:09:21 was the new Olympic Record, and stood for 24 years until 2008. Carlos Lopes was by then 37 years old, and this win came at the same time as the big running boom of the 1980`s. This made him for sure economically independent for the rest of his life....and he deserved every penny. He retired from athletics in 1985 by setting a world best in the Rotterdam Marathon (2:07.12), and was the first human to run the 42.195 km in less than 2 h 8 min. Not to forget, one month before that, he had taken his third world cross-country title. And, until this day, he is still the last European athlete to do so. He combined, like the very best....a great physique, with huge mental strength.

Courageous runners....

Richard Chelimo 1972 - 2001

Never afraid of "leading the pack". Unfortunately, never got a gold medal at senior level. During the season of 1993 he became the world record holder of the 10 000m....for 5 days (!). The 1992 Olympic final (10 000m) in which he bravely participated, is still a shame for the sport.

How about....

..jumping, 8,68, 8,83w, 8.91w, 8,87 and 8,84 in the same competition....and getting second place !?

The best run ever....

Florence Griffith-Joyner, Seoul, 1988

The last meters of the 200 m final is the best sprint ever done by a human....

Courageous runners....

Eugene, July 9, 1972. US Olympic Track & Field Trials

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift". 
Steve Prefontaine 1951-1975