Who I Have Run (With?)

In answer to the previous poll, I never had the pleasure of running with Clark Haley. I think he has said I wouldn't have been able to keep up with him in his PSU days. By the time I could have run with him, doctors had rendered him an ex-runner, except when lubricated with that evil rum. I think he once ran a marathon on NO training!


Uta Pippig was running a few miles on the day before the 100th Boston Marathon, and me and my friends from podiatry school tagged along for a while. She was gracious and nice the whole time, (despite my spelling her name wrong in the poll!).

Alberto Salazar came to the same running camp as I did in 1975. He had just beaten the Soviets in the 5000 at the US/USSR Junior Meet and came to the Blue Ridge Running Camp in Emmitsburg, MD at Mount Saint Marys College. We took several ten milers together, and I could tell then that he wasn't just good, but intense also. Before one ten-miler the coaches convinced me to drink milk for breakfast. Only Alberto came back along the route to find me in the woods. He didn't mind running extra. This was before they made Lact-Aid milk. He moved on to better things in Oregon after that. (I think I gave up milk and singing at the same time in third grade for good reasons!)

Bill Rodgers ran both Maryland Marathons I did in 1976 and 1977. He won one of them. I remember talking to him after the finish. He was ashamed that he only drank one beer and that Ron Hill had already drank 4. He actually went to run a "warm-down" after that. (I have always thought that a marathon encompasses a warm-down on its own!)

And of course, Rob Whiteside and I took many runs together. One of my favorite running partners. Some of my favorites were the runs we tried to create new legacy routes. Probably none of them remain, but we did try.