Thursday, May 30, 2013

Love Them/Hate Them But Don't Doubt Their Influence

Nike has made an impact on our sport like no other single company.  I personally have run more than 99% of my miles in Nikes and prefer them far beyond any other shoes I have dabbled with.  And PSU has had a big influence on Nike, from its current leadership (Mark Parker) to JoePa's influence on Phil Knight.  There are plenty of detractors too, which is their right.

The AlSal I ran "with" in 1975.
But one thing I did not know, was that at the beginning of Alberto Salazar's Nike Project, a lunch with Tom Clarke PhD (PSU Biomechanics) and some scribbled notes on a napkin led to AlSal's Coaching tenure.



I always thank Tom for being one of two people who realized I had run my best time at PSU in the 10K despite being lapped by Greg Fredericks twice.  The other was Don Ziter.  Thanks again to both of you!
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4 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 30, 2013 at 10:14 PM

    Great post for a number of reasons. 1)Nike, for good or bad, is writ large upon our sport. 2)PSU grads are part of the fabric of Nike (Clarke and Parker). 3) It will supremely irritate a follicly challenged, portly old barrier buster.

    That'll do blog. That'll do.

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  2. skwilliMay 31, 2013 at 8:23 AM

    As always, everyone is welcome in our group. The only way to be excluded is to exclude yourself! My biggest gripe for years concerning Nike was their shoelaces always came untied. They have finally solved that one. And the Love/Hate thing some have with Nike is the same for me with Google and Microsoft.

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  3. AnonymousMay 31, 2013 at 10:36 AM

    What is so impressive about Tom and Mark is how they grew with the company and contributed big time in areas outside their academic training.
    GmcW

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  4. skwilliSeptember 5, 2013 at 11:17 AM

    My first long run at PSU was tagging along with Mark Parker as an "easy 10" morphed into a brisk 12 through the Pine Barrens. This prepared me for the onslaught of Bruce Baden's masochistic year of training!

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