Frank Shorter - Olympic Marathon Champion - ”father of the modern running boom”

2021-07-19

In this episode of The Greg Bennett Show, I chat with my neighbor, Frank Shorter in Boulder, Colorado Frank is a remarkable man, who by all accounts is the father of the modern running boom. His Olympic marathon gold in 1972, is generally regarded as the launch of this running movement. He followed this gold medal performance 4 years later at the Montreal Olympics with a silver medal behind an unknown East German who was later documented to be part of that nation’s doping system.

In this episode of The Greg Bennett Show, I chat with my neighbor, Frank Shorter in Boulder, Colorado

Frank is a remarkable man, who by all accounts is the father of the modern running boom. His Olympic marathon gold in 1972, is generally regarded as the launch of this running movement. He followed this gold medal performance 4 years later at the Montreal Olympics with a silver medal behind an unknown East German who was later documented to be part of that nation’s doping system.

Throughout the 1970s he won a multitude of US National Championships over the 5k, 10k, and marathon distances. He won the ‘Fukuoka International marathon Championship’ on 4 occasions.

But he’s more than a runner and Olympic Champion, he was instrumental in helping athletes make a living from what at the time was mostly amateur. And from 2000 to 2003, he was the chairman of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, a body that he helped to establish.

This was a very special conversation for me. It truly felt like he was chatting with one of the great icons of the world of sport. Frank shares his journey into running and when he realized that he had some ability. He describes the emotions of the terrorist attacks on the 1972 Olympics and how he had to compartmentalize the trauma of what happened and focus on the job at hand. He discusses the running into the stadium at those Games with a 2-minute lead and he shares the 1976 Montreal Games, and his thoughts on drugs in sport, his relationship with USA iconic runner Steve Prefontaine and the impact of his sudden death. And so much more.

If you love sport, if you love sports history then this is a must-listen. Do yourself a favor and listen through to the end. You won't be disappointed.

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