|
Now that the Games are over...
Wow, that was really something. I'm not sure that something done once every four years can be counted as a 'tradition', but I do like to make a point of watching the Olympic marathon(s) ... along with a whole lot of other Olympic events of course, but I've had a particular soft spot for the marathon ever since a sadistic teacher in high school forced us to run cross-country every week. That was the year ('76) Cierpinski denied Frank Shorter the marathon double, and then rubbed salt into the wound four years later by completing it himself.
At the LA games in '84 I had to watch because the great Aussie legend Rob de Castella was up against fellow legend Juma Ikaanga. Those two sparred for 40 kms before being blown out of the race by the amazing Spaniard Carlos Lopez who ran the fastest Olympic marathon ever. That was the year Spedding got bronze, while de Castella and Ikaanga had to be content with 5th and 6th.
Of course Seoul in '88 was Australia's greatest year in Olympic marathons, with the double medal hopefuls de Castella and Moneghetti looking the goods. Didn't work out that way though, Mona finishing 5th and Deek 8th.
Since then I've more or less been hooked on the sport, well, as a spectator anyway. So last night I stayed up until 3 a.m. local time being amazed once again. Despite the heat and the tough course, ten runners finished inside 2h15m! Baldini ran the 5km from 35 to 40km in 14:40 ... astonishing stuff.
Bit of a shame to see Tergat fall well short. And sad to see Jon Brown come in 4th again ... that must really hurt. But I guess that's what happens in the Olympic marathon.
But now it's all over and I am staring at my own training schedule and wondering how fast I might be able to run if I could shed 20 kilos and 10 years? The former is theoretically possible but the latter, sadly not of course. Still, if the only thing we sought from running was glory, then an awful lot of us would be very, very disappointed I'm sure.
Trying to think of something profound to say, but it ain't happening.
Oh well. Run on.
|
Now that the Games are over...
