A Somewhat Cranky Defense of Democratic Elitism
First off, check out this stellar 2008 review of the cult classic Once a Runner by Marc Tracy. The book was given to me when I was 17. It was a gift from a girl. Back then (before the internet when things were harder to replicate and books were physical objects) the book was out of print. This copy had obviously been handed around from person to person before it got to me. It felt like the book found me as much as I found it. The writing is cheesy and adolescent, but I was cheesy and adolescent, and it spoke to me. It's set in the late 70s and the book paints runners as neither hippies nor squares, but folks who simply opt out of the stale culture wars. By then everyone knew that the hippy movement was going nowhere and that the square mainstream culture was pretty much going nowhere either. Both the culture and the counterculture were sorta dead. The culture war was over; nobody won. So what's a young person with energy supposed to do with himself, without politics, ...
Sweet post.
ReplyDeleteVery nice! I just plugged your blog on mine today. :^)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Terzah!!
DeleteMost readers probably won't be able to identify everyone in the pictures. I spy Galen Rupp, Chris Solinsky, Mary Decker Slaney and Zola Budd, Steve Prefontaine... Could you please add a comment listing who's who?
ReplyDeleteThank you! Interesting... Kid picture: Which event?
DeleteI presume that's Roger Bannister in the black and white photo.
ReplyDeleteFrom the top down:
ReplyDelete1) The kid inside.
2) John Walker, Steve Ovett, Jurgen Straub, Abderahmane Morceli and Steve Scott at the 1977 World Cup.
3) This is the famous Kamariny track in Iten, Kenya.
4) Shalane Flanagan, after winning Bronze in the 10,000m in the Beijing Olympics.
5) Any college track.
6) Men's steeplechase finals, Beijing Olympics.
7) Galen Rupp at Hayward Field.
8) Random college runners at an indoor meet.
9) Some kids creating glory days.
10) 800m champion Maria Mutola.
11) Jim Ryun, 1964.
12) Henry Rono.
13) Zola Budd in her infamous crash with Mary Slaney.
14) The bumblebee, Chris Solinsky.
15) Pre.
16) Yep, that's Banister breaking 4 minutes.
17) The great Ed Whitlock.
Three days to Millrose!
ReplyDelete(Wait. Left?)
Great photos! I was there in person for #14 :)
ReplyDeleteLove the picture of running on the snow covered track. brings back memories.
ReplyDeleteThat's air under Ed's feet, incredible..
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