Our previous post on the 50th anniversary of the very first Olympic Trials Marathon got a tremendous response from all over. The post centered on Joe Head, a Nittany Lion who managed to find his way into the field. It took great courage and persistence, and even the help of one of my running idols, Buddy Edelen, to make it happen.
Joe ran that race with minimal preparation, but great enthusiasm. The kind of attributes that our very own Coach Groves would have admired. This was just as Coach began his tenure at PSU. Joe was surprised at how easily the Officers of Our Group accepted him into our fold. At first Joe thought he was just a token member of our Facebook Group, but I corrected him that he is a full member of the Penn State Track and Field Alumni (Golf) Group. This is in keeping with the tradition that Coach Groves himself brought to Penn State. Anyone with Joe's fortitude would have been afforded full team membership by Coach. All of us can attest to that. Coach had the patience of a Saint for anyone willing to put in the work to become better. He even gave liberally of his time for walk-ons. I can attest to that with a personal breakfast meeting each of my years at PSU. One of them allowed me to have breakfast with Arthur Lydiard and Coach!
In turn, all of Coach Groves' athletes became better people (look at the excellence of everyone in our group!). Eventually, all of us live up to Coach's quote at the 2009 Alumni Reunion, "Athletics is for education and recreation, nothing else. Winning is important only in that you learn more." Turns out that Coach Groves was one of Penn State's greatest educators in its history.
So welcome, Joe Head, into full acceptance into the (soon to be, with everyone's help) largest and most active Track and Field Alumni group in the world. And come golf with us in May, 2019!
Joe may have some further info on the 50th Anniversary celebration upcoming. But it must be pointed out that he improved over those 50 years, and finished in the middle of the pack in the 50th Anniversary 8K! Ahead of Frank Shorter!
MALE AGE GROUP RESULTS 60 - UP
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Place No. Name Age Time
===== ===== ================= === === ==========
1 56 Rich Hadley 62 35:16
2 36 Benji Durden 66 36:15
3 81 Bruce Kirschner 64 37:12
4 209 Michael Sandrock 60 39:02
5 192 Art Kitze 61 39:17
6 153 Pablo Vigil 66 39:41
7 73 Jim Johnson 61 41:07
8 11 Greg Birk 62 43:32
9 191 Chris Trunk 63 44:09
10 141 Kevin St.Croix 62 44:23
11 28 Robert Davis 61 44:57
12 108 Scott McMillen 61 44:57
13 196 Jan Frisby 74 46:01
14 195 Amby Burfoot 71 46:32
15 200 Gary Muhrcke 77 46:41
16 143 Darrell Sterns 67 46:44
17 199 Rick Moisio 63 46:49
18 208 Steve Jones 62 47:04
19 180 Joe Lowrey 61 48:11
20 185 Doug Ouren 62 48:40
21 213 Bob Deines 70 49:04
22 142 Will Steinberg 64 54:38
23 60 Joe Head 70 55:10
24 207 Tom Heinonen 73 55:10
25 72 Alan Johnson 70 55:13
26 206 Tim Cronin 68 55:52
27 93 Frederick Maas 73 57:11
28 138 Ron Shepherd 65 57:54
30 214 Frank Shorter 72 1:01:42 31 4 Dana Anstey 70 1:10:41 32 83 Kirk Kritner 64 1:12:50 33 202 Bill Clark 74 1:19:31
Joe, finishing the first Olympic Trials Marathon, 1968. |
Joe and Pablo Vigil being photobombed by Frank Shorter. |
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