8
University Dally Kansan
Friday, April 23, 1976
Marathon runners face struggle against themselves
(Editor's note: Steve Clark, who wrote the following story, competed in the Kansas Relays marathon Saturday in a time of $40, good for "about 130th place." Clark admits he walked the last 10 miles. By the time he finished, the course markers had already crossed the finish line.)
By STEVE CLARK
Spark Writer
BOOM!
The startier's gun sounded at 6:58 a.m.
last Saturday. After the annual
saturation, Marathon marched on.
Stampeding like a herd of turtles, the 170 runners of all shapes, sizes and ages made their way around the red tartt track in Memorial Stadium.
The pack thinned out rapidly as the runners completed the one-lap circuit, headed through the open gate and up the ashbath path that leads past the Campanile.
At race time the temperature was in the 60s and the wind, which would later gust up to 35 miles per hour during the race, was negligible.
THE GREY CLOUDS and wet green grass made the brightly colored uniforms of the contestants stand out more than usual. Several runners, thinking the pace was too slow, made an early move to gain better position. There really wasn't any hurry.
The marathon is a race of 26 miles, 385 yards and it takes even world-class runners 4 hours to complete.
World records aren't kept because courses vary, but the current world best is 2:08:34 by Derek Clayton of Australia. He wasn't here Saturday.
THE 1972 OLYMPIC marathon champion, Pete Schorer, was here, but he ran the race.
But less than 10 runners had a legitimate shot at winning the race and the Relays winner.
The remainder of the field was entered not with winning the race in mind, but winning against time, against themselves and against the marathon.
"THE DISTANCE IS the challenge," Kenny Moore, an Olympic marathoner, has said. "The competitive urges melt away long before the distance is completed."
Gene Burnett, director of the Relays marathon, said recently he was just glad that the season was over.
"Marthaoners are the greatest athletes in the world," Burnett said, "they don't crab and bitch about the weather and other things like some athletes do. They just go and run. And they're the most polite group of athletes there is. I really enjoy that."
Burnett has been in charge of the KU marathon since head track coach Bob Timmons added it to the Relays agenda seven years ago.
"I HELPED COACH Timmons mark out the first course they used," he said, "and when he asked if I'd take charge of the event. I was more than glad to help."
Under Burnett's direction, and thanks to the overall growth of distance running, the KU marathon has become one of the most successful events, best attended marathons in the midwest.
In 1970 just 19 runners were in the field, last year 114 and this year 170.
But, Burnett said, people weren't just starting, they were also finishing the race.
"Last year 82 runners came in under four years," he said, "and this year 110 made it." He said he was on a mission to have four and one-half hour cutoff time. So our field is growing in quantity and quality."
THE MARATHON, which some people
dare to call the nightmare to life,
dates to 480 B.C.
It was around them that some unknown, but long-winded, Greek soldier supposedly ran from Marathon to Athens, a distance of 22 miles, 147 yards to bring news of his
sports shorts
MGLOLTON SUSPENDED—St. Louis pitcher Lynn McGlothen, ejected earlier this week for his part in a beanball battle against the New York Metts, has been suspended for five days and financed $300 by the National League.
WOMEN'S TENNIS—The Missouri/ Valley Women's Collegiate tennis tournament, which opened yesterday, will continue through Saturday on the tennis courts behind Allen Field House and Robinson Gymnasium. Players from 17 teams compete in the most which has 64 singles and 30 doubles entries. KU's Astrid Dakas and Cecilia Lopez are seeded first and fourth respectively in singles competition.
countrymen's victory over the Persians in battle.
This monumental feat was in the minds of the promoters of the first modern Olympic games, which were held in 1866 in Athens. They thought it would be a good idea to run the marathon to commemorate what had taken place centuries earlier.
MEN'S GOLF—The Kansas golf team is in Des Moines today for the Drake Relays golf tournament. Tomorrow, they will go to Ames for a dual meet with Iowa State.
"We're getting to the point where we've played enough to be able to evaluate how we can play." Waugh said. "This will be the challenge for us, and that we have had our best golfers together."
The action by National League president Chub Feeeyen came 24 hours after New York filed an official protest against the 26-year-old McGlennon, who admitted that he intentionally hit new Jok outfielder Del Unser and pitcher Jon Matack.
WOMEN'S GOLF - six-member KU women's golf team left yesterday for the Big Eight Championships in Columbia. Coach Nancy Boozer took Beth Boozer, Michelle Williams and Kelly Webb to the meet, which will end tomorrow.
Turnery, a modest person, decided to seek the cover of the cover lush Kansas greenery. Off he headed toward this would-be facility, when his path was blocked by a fence.
MEN'S TENNIS-KU's tennis team will meet Eastern Kentucky today in the first round of the Southern Illinois. Carbondale and Tulsa will play at Northern Southern Illinois and Tennessee tomorrow.
sopomhore, who was probably on the way to a time of about 3:15:00 when, at the 18-mile mark, he felt the need to answer the call of nature.
KU coach Jerry Waugh is convinced his
Javahawk sound is improving. ..
ONE SUCH RUNNER was Tim Emel, an elementary school teacher. He was in the vicinity of Flint Hall, barely a mile from finishing when he collapsed and was rushed to hospital. A problem was diagnosed as heat prostration and he was released after a few hours.
At the 1896 Olympics the marathon distance was 24 miles, 1,500 yards. At following Olympics the distance varied and the distance established until the Paris games of 1924.
THERE THE CURRENT distance, 28 miles, 385 yards, was first run in London in the 1908 games. The yardage was added so that the race would begin in front of the royal residence at Windsor castle and finish at the royal box in the stadium at London.
And last, but certainly not least, there
was Sharon Kay Wagner, a 37-year-old
houseman.
HE GRABBED THE FENCE and started to leap over, but not before he felt a surge of electricity run through his hands. He'd made the mistake of choosing live electric fence and, after screaming an obscenity, managed to let go.
Royals, Bird dump Brewers, 2-1
in the eighth and stole second. After Amos Otis took a disputed third strike, Jerry Augustine relieved starter Jim Colburn, 0-1, to face the left-handed hitting George Brett.
MILWAUKEE (AP)—Jim Wohlford scored the decisive run on third baseman Don Money's error with two out in the eighth inning, lifting the Kansas City Royals to a 2-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers 'last night.
Unfortunately, the jolt of electricity and the fatigue that had built up over 18 miles convinced Turuney to walk the remaining distance, which he did in a rather dazed condition.
First, she ran the distance under four hours, something only 120 women had accomplished by last January. Second, she became only the third woman ever to finish the KU marathon. Third, she finished about 20 minutes behind her husband, Paul, making them the second married couple ever to complete the race at KU.
Wohlford bunted for a single with one out
Brett hit a chopper toward third and the ball hopped through Money's legs into left foot.
First, one of the runners missed the start. Arne Richards, a librarian from Manhattan who is well known among Kansas road runners, simply wasn't there. Richards was in the United States spinners at the Munich games in 1972. Richards wasn't through.
Turnover was lucky to him even finished.
There are 10 minutes or various reasons never
gone.
His late entrance didn't seem to affect him very much, because by the time he crossed the finish line, in a time of 3:11:00, he had moved up to 48th place.
But what's important are the occurrences
"WHICH WAY DID they go," he yelled as he ran onto the track looking for all the other runners that had disappeared from sight.
"MEL BROOKS' COMIC MASTERPIECE"
With New Saturday Review
*YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN* GENE WILDER - PETER BOYLE
MARTY FELDY - CLORIS LEACHMAN - TERI GARR
KENNETH MARS - MADELINE KAHL
MICHAEL GRUSSON* MEL BROOKS *GENE WILDER* MEL BROONS
*MARY W. SHELLEY* JOHN MORRIS
PG
last Saturday and what transpired from the time the starter's gun was fired until five hours and 40 minutes later when the last contest unofficially completed the race.
April 23-24
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But her feat becomes even more unusual in that just seven and one-month ago he had been told by the doctor.
Then there was Dick Turney, Hays
University of San Fernando Valley
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