would add the most affable and high-spirited athlete who ever laced up a pair of shoes. Less than a year after the Korean race, Dave ran a superb double in the 1960 Olympics, finishing fifth in the five kilometers and third in the 10. Keith James ran 13th in the marathon in the same Olympics.

Geoff Watt had taken a leave from his work as an optometrist to travel the world. With no private fortune, he hoped to accomplish this by hitchhiking, walking, running, and flying between continents. (One of his journeys took him down the east coast of Africa, including a jog up Kilimanjaro.) Having achieved much of his goal, he perished hiking through the mountains of his home country, Australia. It was a great loss to our running community. His daughter Kathy would go on to win gold and silver medals in bike racing in the 1992 Olympics.

The foreign runners and Lee were given an audience with President Syngman Rhee. He seemed genuinely pleased to meet with us. Six months later he would win his own race, another term to the presidency, but shortly after be driven from office under accusations of election fraud, police repression, and corruption.

Results 1, Lee Chang-hoon KOR 2:24:07 2. Keith James SA 2:27:52 3. Raymond Puckett NZ 2:29:43 4. Jim Green US 2:30:59 5. Arnold Vaide SWE 2:31:32 6. Song Sam-sub KOR 2:36:57 7. Gordon Dickson CAN 2:37:28 8. Chae Jung-man KOR 2:39:51 9. Kim Yun-bom KOR 2:40:16

10. Cha Dae-man KOR 2:42:39

16. Geoffrey Watt AUS 2:59:45

‘Descriptions of these races are based on articles that appeared in local newspapers and those which the author wrote for the Long Distance Log (LDL). My South Korean race article appeared in the October 1959 edition and the Argentina article in the December 1959 edition of the LDL, a rare (the only?) “journal” that presented at that time results of road races across America. Browning Ross, 7th in the 3,000 meter steeplechase in the ’48 Olympics, was its editor. Its financial support and circulation was as limited as the fields in the races reported. Thus earlier editions of his monthly were printed on the back of homework papers of his students.

The progress of the race is described in “Lee wins Laurel Crown in Marathon Race,” The Korea Times, September 29, 1959, pp. 1, 3. F

Part 2 of Jim’s story will appear in our next issue. The venue moves to Argentina.

For the Elites, There’s a Lot More to Doing Well at a Race Than Showing Up and Running Fast.

ou’re standing on the starting line, ready for the race ahead. You know about the turns and inclines. You take in a deep breath, exhale, and lower your head for a moment as a bead of sweat rolls off your nose and onto your shoe. You look to the side and notice a fellow runner who possesses a speedy final kick. The event hasn’t even started yet, and all of these thoughts are racing through your head before you take a single step toward the finish line. But you are of single focus. The majority of the field may not necessarily micromanage or agonize over every detail involving training, weather, and competition. But for the elite marathoners whose livelihoods depend on repeated success, their minds are in constant motion regarding the selection, preparation, competition, and strategy. It’s their job. And it’s complex.

CHOOSING A 42K

With most elites able to run two marathons a year, their planning can range from months ahead to years in advance of a race. U.S. Olympic medalist and 2006 Flora London Marathon winner Deena Kastor, for example, announced in June 2006—nearly half a year before the ING New York City Marathon—that she was going to run the November five-borough race.

And because the Olympic marathon, for instance, occurs only every four years, long-term planning involves training for the Olympic Trials, qualifying, and then training for the Olympic marathon itself.

“T was using [the 1976 Boston] to get qualified for the Olympic Trials,” said Jack Fultz, who won the “Run for the Hoses” that year in 90-degree temperatures. “That was sort of the idea and why I was [at Boston] that year. It was only five weeks before the Olympic Trials. I tried two times before to qualify and had bad weather conditions then, too, but it was wind rather than heat.” His 2:20:19 failed to qualify him for the Trials.

With thousands of marathons from which to choose, an elite runner will always have certain ones in mind to run. Never far from view are the marquee marathons that some will try to fit in their career, preferably during their confident prime.

“T would like to run most of the big marathons, the ones that most people would love to have on their resume—Boston, Chicago, New York. The big ones,” said Canadian Tina Connelly, who was second at the California International Marathon in 2003 (2:34:51) and 1999 (2:34:43) and won the Vancouver “First Half” HalfMarathon in 2006 (1:15:29) and 2004 (British Columbia record 1:12:47).

Clint Verran, of Lake Orion, Michigan, who was third at the 2003 U.S. National Marathon Championships (2:15:52), and fifth at the 2005 Freescale Austin Marathon (2:17:14) and 2004 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials (2:14:37), agrees that running a big-name marathon is definitely a lure.

“Being an elite athlete, I’m always trying to produce a breakthrough performance,” he said. “I don’t want to run a small-time race and have an unbelievable performance. I want to perform on the biggest stage possible. Races like Boston, New York City, LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon are big stages so that when I do have this performance, it’s recognized and it’s meaningful.”

MULTITUDE OF REASONS

Other variables are also involved in selecting a marathon, of course, in addition to cachet. Everything must align itself for a specific 26.2-miler, and as elite runners are not created equal, neither are the requirements.

Alan Culpepper, 12th in the 2004 Olympic Marathon (2:15:26) in Athens, Greece, had a not entirely uncommon reason for running Boston in 2006.

“Tt kind of just depends on how you pick it. Everyone’s a little different. You kind of pick it just based on where you are in your career and what you hope to accomplish. I ran a flat marathon in the fall and it didn’t go too well,” he said of his 12th-place 2:13:20 at the 2005 Chicago. “I felt really cut up trying to hit pace, pacemaking, and splits. And so I was, like, I just want to go and race. And I tend to do well in that type of scenario. So that was why I wanted to come to Boston again and do that type of championship style.” He placed fifth in 2:11:02.

Mebrahtom “Meb” Keflezighi, a U.S. citizen who is a native of Eritrea, East Africa, and whose highlights include second-place finishes at the 2004 New York (PR 2:09:53), 2004 Olympic Marathon (2:11:29), and 2004 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials (2:11:47), as well as third at the 2005 New York (2:09:56), had a similar approach in selecting Boston in 2006.

“T’ve been wanting to come [to Boston] for a long time,” he said. “My goal in 2004 after the medal was to come [to Boston] in 2006 and run. For whatever reason, in 2005, I wanted to run fast. I’ve got my medal; let me go run fast and not have to worry about a championship or win a race.” He was third at Boston in 2:09:56, three seconds off his PR.

In addition to choosing a major race and wanting to shift gears, other factors must be considered before making a commitment.

While Connelly eventually decided to run Boston in 2006—partly because her husband, Brendan, is from the area and she was constantly being asked by family and friends when she would finally run it—the Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada, resident does take into account many factors for her choices.

“One of the most important things about choosing a marathon

is the timing, the time of year you’re going

to run your marathon. Obviously, running

a race in January or February is different than

“T select a marathon just as far as what time of year it is, what the weather conditions will be like, what the competition will be like, how I will do against that competition. That sort of thing,” said Connelly, who ran the 10,000 meters in the 2000 Olympic Games.

Added Verran, a physical therapist, a veteran of more than a dozen marathons,

running a race in the middle of June or the fall. For me, | chose [the 2006] Boston because it falls in the middle

of springtime. It gives me time to prepare in Michigan from January to about April.”

— CLINT VERRAN

and a coach of other marathoners, “One of the most important things about choosing a marathon is the timing, the time of year you’re going to run your marathon. Obviously, running a race in January or February is different than running a race in the middle of June or the fall. For me, I chose [the 2006] Boston because it falls in the middle of springtime. It gives me time to prepare in Michigan from January to about April.”

WHEN CHOICES WERE FEW

There was a time, though many may not realize it, when the number of marathons was not nearly as plentiful. A quick look at the ages of present-day marathons reveals that fact.

For Johnny J. “The Younger” Kelley, who won the 1957 Boston and 1959 Pan American Games marathons, finding a marathon was made easier by default.

“One of the things that reduced the problem for us was that the world wasn’t awash with marathons in those days, so there might have been seven or eight well-known races in the United States,” said the two-time Olympian (1956 and 1960) from Connecticut. “There were only [that many] races that you would train for in those days.”

While enjoying the newborn spurt of the running boom in the 1970s, Fultz recalls facing a similar situation when picking marathons.

“Back then, there weren’t that many runners around and there weren’t that many races around,” he said. “There were more than there were back in the ’50s, of course, but Boston was still the marathon to run. I was living down in the Washington, D.C., area, so I was on the East Coast, so that was the focal point for anyone who was running marathons at all was to try and run Boston.”

KNOWING THE RACES

No two marathon courses are alike. And as such, preparation is key, which may sound obvious, and it is. But the way in which elite marathoners prepare takes as many turns as the routes themselves.

Prior to the Internet, wire-to-wire coverage, global communication, and topographical course charts, learning about a specific race primarily relied upon word of mouth and reputation. For example, Kelley won the U.S. National Marathon Championship each of the eight years from 1956 to 1963, as he continually benefited from his repeated experiences of success.

“Yonkers was notorious for its hills, so anyone who had an aspiration to run the national championship, which was held each year in Yonkers, New York, knew that they had to train for those hills,” he noted. “The hills were the ultimate challenge for us in those days, getting over the Yonkers hills.”

It took Fultz, who trained for Boston while still in D.C., a few tries before winning the B.A.A.’s race in 1976 after top-25 performances in 1971 (12th at 2:27:12) and 1973 (23rd at 2:30:55). And he learned by running with fellow elite marathoners.

In 1971, he met up with Jeff Galloway, and the two of them ended up running the rest of the way together. Fultz was 12th and finished 37 seconds behind the future U.S. Olympian.

“Coming [to Boston] for the first time, I didn’t have a clue really what it was about.” Fultz confided. “I came back the next two years and did not have the benefit of anything other than talking with other people about the nature of the course and the layout. Getting ready for the ’76 race, coming back up, I started pulling out my old training logs to see what I had done in specific preparation for Boston.”

Contributing to Fultz’s education was fellow Georgetown grad Eamon O’ Reilly, who was still living in D.C. at the time and had set the American record in Boston in 1970 at 2:11:22 when he finished second to England’s Ron Hill (CR 2:10:30).

“My best still at that time was 2:23 or 2:24, something like that,” Fultz said. “Eamon was a whole different stratosphere for me. I aspired to get there at some point, but I wasn’t there yet. So, he provided a lot of valuable information in terms

of where to push on the course, where to set, where to regain your rhythm and your momentum, and all of that. It proved pretty invaluable.”

SEEING THE COURSE

Training to run 26.2 miles fast is one thing, but how important is it for the elites to know beforehand about the course itself? While detailed charts and graphs are nowadays available for nearly every marathon and there is enough general knowledge to tap into, the question remains how important is it for an elite marathoner to know a course.

Keflezighi noted as an example that for his Boston debut in 2006, he didn’t make it a point to run every mile of the course during his training.

“No,” he said that race weekend. “This is the first time. I was [in Boston] in January [2006] and then we drove it [three days before race day] just to refresh my mind. You read about it and then try to simulate the same exact, not the same exact course, but you do hill repeats because this has hills. You can get away with [not doing hills] in Chicago, unless you feel like you need to do it to get stronger. These are downhill, so we did a tempo run where we go eight miles out, up- and downhill, and then come up the uphill to simulate the Newton Hills. Things like that. In terms of my tempo and threshold pace, we picked the same place we did for Athens. I’ve been doing a little more runs up the hills because this is a hilly course. Toward the end of my 26-mile run, the last 15 miles will be up a hill.”

During Kelley’s day, as he explains, having a connection to a race didn’t hurt when trying to learn more about a course, as was the case in 1958 when Canadian great Gerard Coté, the four-time Boston winner (1940, °43, ’44, ’48) who had also raced against Kelley at Boston and Yonkers, showed him the course of the Marathon of Sainte Hyacinthe in Quebec.

“Gerard invited us up, and as a courtesy to the Americans, especially Jock Semple’s B.A.A. club, he’d take us over the course the day before the race. That was the way we saw it, by courtesy of the race director,” Kelley said of those times.

The 12th annual edition, which ran through towns such as Granby, Sainte Hyacinthe, and Sainte Pie, was won by Kelley in a time of 2:31:37.

“Tt was interesting to hear that some of the [2006 Boston] course will go under Massachusetts Avenue,” Kelley noted of the similarity. “There was a situation almost identical when we were going over the course the day before the Canadian marathon, and Gerard Coté was our escort and we were in a van and he was telling us about the course. We get to a point about 24 miles along, just about like [the Boston] course, and you could go above and you could go under. And we wanted to know which way we had to go. Gerard was so funny; he had that French wordplay about it, and we said, ‘What do we do here, Gerry? Do we

go under or do we go over?’ He says (mimicking Coté’s accent), ‘You go under, you go over! It mak no differance’” (laughs).

COURSE-SPECIFIC TRAINING

The Hansons-Brooks Distance Running Project team, created by brothers Keith and Kevin Hanson and Brooks Sports, Inc., to hone potential top U.S. distance runners and bring forth a rebirth of American marathoners, took course-specific training a step further and incorporated a uniquely detailed route as part of its training.

Six of the first 19 finishers at the 2006 Boston were from Hansons-Brooks, including Brian Sell (fourth at 2:10:55) and Verran (10th at 2:14:12).

“Our coaches this time set up a 26.2K Boston simulation where they had hills timed sort of like the same as the Newton Hills to kind of get mentally prepared,” noted Sell, whose other top-10 performances include a third-place 2:11:40 at the

2005 IAAF World Marathon Championships in Helsinki, and a 10th-place 2:13:22 at the 2004 Chicago. “It was very beneficial. It was more or less to get the mental picture of what you’re going to expect. They had the hills set up right at about 16 to 20K, where the hills would be [in miles in Boston]; they even had the Citgo sign at 25K [to match the 25-mile point in Boston]. You know, when you’re half out of it at about 22 miles, hopefully something clicks.”

The mental markers, Verran said, are key to knowing what to expect on race day. And he also does additional research on his own.

“I study the course quite extensively, especially a point-to-point course like Boston,” he said. “The hills out there are real. The crowds at certain points are real things.

“| study the course quite extensively, especially

a point-to-point course like Boston. The hills

out there are real. The crowds at certain points are real things. You need to have a mental picture in your brain going

You need to have a mental picture in your brain going through the training and going into the race so you can be prepared for what lies ahead of you. Some of the flatter courses, it might not be as important—a right-hand turn at mile 20 might not be

meaningful. But Heartbreak Hill is definitely meaningful. So, spent an extensive amount of time studying the course and preparing for the course.”

As not all marathons demand the same investment of time due to the fact that not

through the training and going into the race so you can be prepared for what lies ahead of you.” — CLINT VERRAN

all courses possess extremely challenging terrain, it is always preached to train for what you’re going to run.

“For a flat course, you just want to be on a track for a faster start,” Keflezighi commented. “[In Boston], you have to be patient. You have to go uphill, lean forward when you run down the hill, short strides up the hill. Things like that.”

Sell added, “If we think it’s going to be windy or something like that, we’ ll do workouts in the wind.”

Culpepper, whose 2:09:41 at the 2002 Chicago at the time tied Alberto Salazar as the fastest U.S. debut, recognizes the differences as well and devotes time accordingly. His experience at having run certain marathons more than once has also provided him with a base of knowledge obtainable only through competition.

“T’ve had the benefit of running most of the races, so I kind of know what to expect, and I know the different aspects of it so I can kind of incorporate that into my training. When you run on it, it’s just different than driving it. Driving it, you don’t get that same feel. Running on it, you definitely just get a sense of the different undulations and just how things look from that perspective,” he said.

As far as researching various courses, Culpepper notes, “Just the ones where the course is a big element. Having run Chicago a couple of times, the course really isn’t the factor. It’s the weather and how you feel and pacemaking, and those things. It’s not, ‘Well, in this part of the course there’s this big thing.’ Those races, it’s not really a key. But [in Boston] and New York, that’d be something you’d need to factor into your training for sure.”

With Italian Bruna Genovese’s vast knowledge of marathons—first at the 2004 Tokyo International Women’s Marathon (2:26:34), second at the 2004 Rome Marathon (2:29:04), and third at the 2005 Boston (2:29:51), 2001 Tokyo (2:25:35), and 1999 Venice Marathon (2:31:06)—her training is unique in that she favors not incorporating road races with her mileage.

“Usually I don’t run a race. For [the 2006 Boston] marathon, I run no race because I prefer preparation to run my race,” said Genovese, who resides in Volpago Del Montello in northern Italy. “Because usually the day before the race, I run short [distance] and you cannot run many kilometers, so I prefer to run the race.”

RUNNING STRATEGY

By marathon day, all the prerace training, dieting, and preparing are over. The mental and physical tanks are full. It is time to execute.

A game plan heading into a race can take many forms. One variable is the competition. If a lone elite toes the line of a smaller marathon, one that doesn’t field many top runners, that elite may not be too concerned about the other athletes.

But in a major marathon, one that attracts the best competitors with the best times, that can certainly figure in the game plan. But again, that can change with every runner.

“At this point in time,” Connelly said of her career, “I’m not vying for a first-place finish. I’m looking to be top 10, so I don’t really pay attention to what other people are doing because I’m just not going to be in the mix in the top three. If I felt like I was in a position, that it was a race to a [top] finish, I probably would research that a bit more. But for me, you can’t control what other people do. They could have a bad day, too, regardless of whether they’re Olympic champions. They could still have a bad day. For me, I try not to worry about what the other people are doing, and judge my own feelings on what other people are doing because they could be having an extremely good day or an extremely bad day, and you can’t predict

“In the beginning, you’re constantly trying to remind yourself, ‘It’s along race, don’t get excited,’ because in the beginning you’re really fresh, you’ve tapered, you feel really good. Even a fast pace will seem easy, and you have to keep reminding yourself to back off, to back off, because it’s a long race—be patient.”

what’s going to happen. It’s easiest for me not to worry about all that other stuff, and just worry about myself.

“In the beginning, you’re constantly trying to remind yourself, ‘It’s a long race, don’t get excited,’ because in the beginning you’re really fresh, you’ve tapered, you feel really good,” she continued. “Even a fast pace will seem easy, and you have to keep reminding yourself to back off, to back off, because it’s a long race—be patient. In the middle, you’re just trying to focus on getting to the 20-mile mark comfortably. And then, I guess, from 20 miles on, you’re just trying to hang on and trying to race to the finish.”

Surrounded by dozens of elite runners at a press conference for the 2006 Boston Marathon, Verran commented, “Any one of these elite athletes in this room could probably win 95 percent of the marathons out there—easily. So how much fun is that? You want to come and be tested and be pushed to your breaking point. And I’m pretty sure with this elite field and the course here in Boston that I’m going to be pushed to that breaking point.”

It’s that approach to the competition that heightens elite runners’ awareness of their fellow competitors. But how best to proceed is a vital element.

There is a delicate balance between running your own race and running someone else’s based on what other elite athletes do on the course.

“T run my race,” noted Genovese of Italy. “I concentrate and I decide how I feel and decided I know how many kilometers I have to run, and I decide if these people is too fast or if it good for me. It’s not easy to decide before what kind of strategy because it depends on the other athletes. But I like [to] run the second

—TINnaA CONNELLY

part a little faster, so I keep the other athletes in front of me. And this feeling [makes] me stronger and I can run faster.”

Culpepper has excelled in the marathon, winning the 2004 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials (2:11:42); on the track, winning the 2003 U.S. championship at 10,000 meters (27:55.36) and the 2002 U.S. championship at 5,000 meters (13:27.52); and in cross-country, winning the 2003 U.S. Cross-Country 12K championship (38:22). He knows how to deal with the competition on many levels.

“You can’t respond to everything, and you never really know who’s going to have their bad day. [The 2005 Boston is] a good example with Hailu Negussie,” he said, describing that year’s winner. “No one was really picking him to be the guy, and he runs some 4:32 miles or something. I don’t think it’s really necessary [to know about every elite marathoner]. Maybe on the track you need to be more conscious of that if you’re trying to win a national title or something. At this level, everyone has the opportunity and the ability to win, so it’s more [a matter of] of just knowing yourself and just gauging the race as it unfolds.”

BATTLING THE COURSE

Some marathoners concentrate on racing against everything but the runners. Verran, for example, maintains his focus on the course itself.

“To tell you the truth, I don’t spend a lot of time studying the competition. I think the toughest competitor in the race is the 26.2 miles,” he noted. ““There’re some tough guys I’ve run against, but I’ve never met anyone that’s tougher than the actual race itself. A lot of times, you take care of yourself, you run the best race for you, and things just work out in the end the way they’re supposed to. I’m not worried about world record-holders or former champions. You still gotta step up and perform on that given day. I’m more concerned about taking care of myself and running the best race that I can, personally.”

Sell, who won the 2005 Austin Half-Marathon (1:02:59) and was first at the 2006 U.S. Half-Marathon championships in Houston (1:02:39), follows Verran’s approach to a certain degree.

For the first 21K, the Woodbury, Pennsylvanian, will stay within himself and try not to allow other elite runners to lure him into a pace for which he would pay down the road. But he will also keep an eye on those in front during the second half.

“T don’t want to go out over my head. If I go out in 1:03, I’m probably going to come back in two days,” Sell laughed. “I’m going to try and go out in the first half under control and start racing the second half so that’Il play more of a part in the second half if I see somebody up ahead that I know that I have a better kick than or something like that; then maybe I’ll try to just run with him for a while. I would say that would play more a part later in the race. You never know

who’s going to have their day and who’s going to have a bad day. You can never really tell. If there’s a group of three guys ahead of me and one of them takes off up the hills and you know he’s a good hill runner, you’re probably going to try to stick with him because he’ll separate you from the other two guys. Stuff like that you can use.”

KNOWING THE COMPETITION

As Sell mentioned, knowledge of an opponent can come into play at some point along the race. Knowing if a runner is stronger on the hills or has a powerful final kick may be just the advantage an elite runner needs in order to know when to make a move.

“You have to know then, do you go after that guy or no? You cannot let one of them slip away a little bit because if he goes hard, you have to judge how fast he’s going and if he’s going to finish or not finish,” explained Keflezighi. “That’s the judgment I have to make. Coach [Bob Larsen] is not there to tell me. You have to be careful. It depends on how fast that person makes a move. If it’s a killer move, you know he’s not going to finish hard. He’s usually a sacrifice guy. Otherwise, he’s making up [ground] and is responding, especially after [a steep hill].”

Incorporated amongst Keflezighi’s strategy is also knowing some of his opponents’ strengths and history, which can also provide valuable assistance throughout the race. He feels he can better determine when someone can pull ahead, and even, to an extent, when someone may make a move.

As an example during the 2006 Boston Marathon weekend, Keflezighi talked about some of his competition.

“[Some of] those guys, we know how fast they have run. And it says Rotterdam or Chicago [in the bio], that’s a flat course. I ran 2:09:53 in [the 2004] New York, which is a very challenging course. But like John Korir, who’s doing his debut here, he’s the [2005 and 2003 Running Times] road runner of the year. He wasn’t a marathoner, but you know he’s good. He’s been on the road races that are flat, hilly—so he has it all. A lot of people don’t count him in, but if he’s there within 20 miles, he could be dangerous just because it’s his first marathon. And if he’s with us with the last two miles—and he’s got a look that’s very deceiving; it looks like he’s hurting from mile one, but I ran with him at Bix 7 and I thought he was done and he outkicked me at the end—I know he’s a finisher.

“See how many guys are racers, their track credibility,” he continued. “Like, Culpepper’s a good finisher. Myself—a good finisher. But the guys who have done marathons for the last six to seven years, they might not be. They have marathon experience but [they are] not a great finisher. And what they’ve done currently, the last five to seven weeks or in the last three to four months, because if they’ ve

done a half-marathon, you want to know. John Yuda ran a half-marathon, maybe, like, six “Don’t make a quick weeks ago, so he’s in good shape. And if he move up the hill. Be

makes a move, you’ve gotta respond.” . y 8 P efficient and conserve

energy. Don’t make all RESPONDING oy

of a sudden a major To have or not have information about other move. You know, with elite runners is obviously a matter of personal choice. But if an elite decides to get to know a competitor, those specifics must then be

marathon runners, why do we want to wait

wisely used. until the last mile if we

That knowledge can be beneficial when can do it beforehand? applied at the right time, in the right circum- That’s why you use the stances. Keflezighi, for instance, who makes hills, to say, let me give it a point to know himself, his competition, ita test.”

and the course, routinely mulls over different scenarios.

As he describes, “Don’t make a quick move up the hill. Be efficient and conserve energy. Don’t make all of a sudden a major move. You know, with marathon runners, why do we want to wait until the last mile if we can do it beforehand? That’s why you use the hills, to say, let me give it a test. First test—if he does, then you go. If he lets you go, then you go. So, potentially, up the hills test them out a little bit. And then you have the downhill part, and you move along fine if you’re efficient downhill. Some people are uphill runners and downhill runners. If you can have both, make a move. If you ask Coach Larsen, he’s seen me train for almost 12 years now and he knows what Ican do and what I cannot do, and I can make a move uphill and downhill.

“Like New York,” he added about the 2005 race. “It was the three of us [Keflezighi, Hendrick Ramaala, Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot] at 4:21 and 4:22 at mile 16 and [we] still finished in the top [four]. Not a lot of people can do that.”

—Mes KEFLEZIGHI

COMPETITORS BACK THEN

However, as Kelley pointed out, during his day only the occasional newspaper article or insight from a running buddy could provide information about another elite marathoner.

“We knew who we were up against in an international field like Boston. In those days in Boston, you had a field of maybe 200 runners, but there were 15 top runners from the various countries of the world,” he said. “For example, if you go back to the annals of Jerry Nason’s record of the Boston Marathon, I think that 1954 race, the year after Keizo Yamada won it [in 2:18:51], there were eight

national champions from various countries, including Delfo Cabrera, the [1948] Olympic champion from Argentina. It was just loaded.

“We knew if the Finns came over, they were well prepared. If the Japanese came over, they were more like worldbeaters. We knew what we were up against. People from Mexico, we weren’t sure, but we knew they wouldn’t come this far unless they were very good,” Kelley continued. “You didn’t know some runners as well as you knew others. For example, once Keizo Yamada won the race, if he came back, you’d say, ‘Oh, oh. Here comes trouble.’ People like Eino Oksanen from Finland—he won the race, like, three times (1959, 1961-1962). So you knew you had to be ready for him because he was a tough threat.”

FINAL STAGES

Another interesting aspect is how the runner’s strengths and weaknesses come into play over the final stages of a marathon. Those last few miles, and even yards, can be gut-wrenching.

After the runner has planned for months and months and then set into motion the race-day plan of attack, a thin line could make the difference between glory and defeat, as shown in those all-too-close finishes.

“At that point, especially at the marathon, it’s not like, ‘Oh, Ihave more speed so I’m just going to save it.’ It’s the marathon! You feel so bad and you’ re so depleted that a lot of that becomes irrelevant,” said Culpepper, who as an example points to the 2005 New York and winner Paul Tergat. “Look at New York with Hendrick Ramaala and Paul Tergat. Tergat’s one of the greatest runners of all time, and he was duking it out with Hendrick Ramaala, who, on the track has run nothing near what Tergat’s run. But after 26 miles, a lot of that becomes irrelevant, so it’s just who’s going to gut it out or who has just a little bit more reserves left.”

As a powerful internal guide kicks in throughout the race and is especially in tune with the elite runner as the closing miles approach, it can conflict with an equally controlling mental struggle that ensues.

Fultz points to famed pro football coach Vince Lombardi’s “winning isn’t everything” quote by adding the two-time Super Bowl champion’s clarification that “Winning isn’t everything, but [wanting] to win is.”

Noted Fultz, “If you talk to any athlete in any sport, after the fact, when they have a peak performance, they’ ll tell you their conscious mind is pretty much out of the action, it was out of the way, and they weren’t about trying to beat the other guy, necessarily, but simply purely executing. If you’re about winning the race and you’re struggling in the middle and think, ‘Oh, my god. No!,’ everything breaks loose on you and you start going backwards. You can get in your way. Whereas if you have other strategies to keep yourself in the race and you know that you’re still running well, somewhere irrespective of where you are in the field, even if