 |
| Jeff Galloway, Steve Prefontaine, and Jack Bachelor |
Jeff Galloway was a Florida Track Club teammate of Frank Shorter and Jack Bachelor who all made the 1972 Olympic 10000m team. Frank would also run run and win the Marathon Gold medal in those same Olympic Games. Jeff then turned from being an Olympian to becoming a successful writerand running coach who advocates taking walking breaks "Gallowalking" during training and races, something that serious marathon racers often scoff at. See the bottom of this page for an interesting recap of the 1972USA Olympic Trials 10000 race and Marathon.
Unfortunately, I have adjusted my expectations for a full recovery and pushed the time back to when I hope to be running strong. I had hoped to be racing this summer, but I see nothing but the Mine Falls Trail series as a goal for some simple faster tempo running this summer. I need to keep healing and getting everything right. I believe it will happen, but I have a lot of muscle tissue that need to work properly and with a body in alignment. Next summer, it will be! I do miss track workouts, but I am no way ready for faster paced running and if I were, I wouldn't be running with the proper form that I am working on.
I am thrilled to see that last week Tyson Gay made his return to sprinting after having the same labral tear surgery that I had. He ran a 10.0 100m race and looked real strong while doing so. The announcers mentioned that he had two hip surgeries. The first was last July weeks before mine, and I heard he had a second one in March, probably for some cleanup work. Here he is in full stride.
Here is part of an exchange that took place on Facebook just today concerning the 1972 Olympic Trials and this picture of the 10000m race:
 |
| left to right: Jon Anderson, Jack Bachelor, Charlie Maguire, Greg Fredricks, Tom Laris, Gerry Lindren, and Frank Shorter |
This was in Eugene, Oregon ... Tom Laris, who made the team in 1964, was training in Palo Alto, CA and was one of the favorites to make the team ... Frank Shorter and Tom Laris broke away from the pack and it was the two of them and the rest of the others for most of the race ... It was a hot day ... And Tom, who later told me that he had trouble running in the heat, began to fade ... He was eventually overtaken by Jack Bachelor and Jon Anderson ... Jon, whose father was the mayor of Eugene, was a conscienous objector ... He was doing hospital work in Burlingame, California ... He kind of came out of no where to make the team ... I met him while he doing some running on the Hillsborough Golf and Country Club golf course ... He is a good guy
Jon Anderson Must have been in the first few laps... it was about 95. Shorter, Lindgren, Laris, Fredericks, C McGuire, Bachelor, me! I lived a dream that day you guys ... damned lucky!
Jack Fultz-1976 Boston Marathon Champion wrote:
Belated reply here - this race was only part of the amazing story of the '72 trials. Jeff Galloway gradually moved through the field and got close to his Florida Track Club teammates, Shorter and Bachelor and the three looked to be the team. Jon, being a local favorite to make the team and buoyed by the relentless cheering was closing each lap of the final mile on Bachelor as he was fading in the heat - Galloway having had to leave him behind. Jon caught Bachelor on the final straight away, the crowd going crazy, and tried to pass on the clear inside lane with 50 meters to go. Jack, in a moment of ultimate desperation, threw an elbow (likely unconsciously) and knocked Jon off the track, and edged him out to the finish line. Jack was summarily DQed and Jon was on the Olympic Team
Chapter Two of the story: Bachelor hadn't qualified for the marathon - held on the final day of the Trials back then - but he petitioned for entry into the marathon - with Shorter's, et. al. support and rightly was granted entry. Shorter, Bachelor, Kenny Moore and Galloway brilliantly "conspired" to get Bachelor onto the team by controlling the race throughout. Shorter and Moore burned everyone off who dared run with them and Galloway paced Bachelor through an evenly paced race - they came onto the track for the final 400 meters together and Galloway slowed near the very spot Bachelor had DQed himself in the 10K, allowing Jack to finish 3rd and make the team - so all three Florida Track Club guys made the team...as originally planned.
Footnote: Shorter had already won the 10K, burning off Greg Fredericks devastating kick (which he used to beat Shorter a few weeks earlier in the national championships and break the American Record) by surging relentlessly through the hot race. Brilliant tactic - and too bad for Fredericks....who likely could have kicked with Viren, et. al. and possibly won a medal in Munich. Shorter still finished 5th in Munich - then took that confidence of speed into the marathon on the final day at Munich.
One of the many great "untold" stories of that era. I saw it all.....the 10K from the stands and the marathon finish from the infield (only my second year of marathoning and sick as a dog the week before the race so I dropped out at 24 to get back for the 5K final between Pre and George Young - another fantastic race...and that's another story:)
Chapter Two of the story: Bachelor hadn't qualified for the marathon - held on the final day of the Trials back then - but he petitioned for entry into the marathon - with Shorter's, et. al. support and rightly was granted entry. Shorter, Bachelor, Kenny Moore and Galloway brilliantly "conspired" to get Bachelor onto the team by controlling the race throughout. Shorter and Moore burned everyone off who dared run with them and Galloway paced Bachelor through an evenly paced race - they came onto the track for the final 400 meters together and Galloway slowed near the very spot Bachelor had DQed himself in the 10K, allowing Jack to finish 3rd and make the team - so all three Florida Track Club guys made the team...as originally planned.
Footnote: Shorter had already won the 10K, burning off Greg Fredericks devastating kick (which he used to beat Shorter a few weeks earlier in the national championships and break the American Record) by surging relentlessly through the hot race. Brilliant tactic - and too bad for Fredericks....who likely could have kicked with Viren, et. al. and possibly won a medal in Munich. Shorter still finished 5th in Munich - then took that confidence of speed into the marathon on the final day at Munich.
One of the many great "untold" stories of that era. I saw it all.....the 10K from the stands and the marathon finish from the infield (only my second year of marathoning and sick as a dog the week before the race so I dropped out at 24 to get back for the 5K final between Pre and George Young - another fantastic race...and that's another story:)
- Jon Anderson 1973 Boston Marathon champion Someone wrote a long account of this race that is wrong regarding how I finished and how things developed with Jack B. I was third ... prior to
the DQ. There was a disqualification of Jack due to the arm he threw
across me, but prior to the DQ I was third and Jack was 4th, plain and
simple. I had a clear path on the inside because 1) Jack ran in the
middle of the lane all the time as a habit, and 2) he was dying in the
heat and was almost on the white line between lanes 1 and 2.
3 hours ago · · 1
Jack Fultz
T'was me Jon who posted it - I indicated that you had clear passage in lane 1 (because Jack was in lane 2 or 3, nearly zig-zagging due to fatigue). After knocking you off the track to the inside, I though you jumped back on but ran out of race and finished right behind him - but obviously only because he fouled you (I suspect out of desperation as that's not in his character). Those of us watching knew Jack would be DQed immediately - and they made the announcement I believe within 5 minutes of the finish.
No question that you were fairly passing him when he hit you. Must be a great memory - that whole race.
3 comments:
Now 7 months post arthroscopic hip surgery (very similar to yours) I to am having the hip 'tightness' you describe. It is like the doctor installed some sort of governor into my hip that limits me to 3-5 miles of running. But if I walk (with some running) I can go much further. I've finished 50 miles easy in a 24-hour run. I've done one marathon and another this Saturday. Walking is better than nothing for sure but in my mind I feel like a second-class runner!
Wow, you are doing amazing with the walking. Walking is more uncomfortable (imbalanced) for me then running is, so you are really doing some incredible things. Maybe I need to just push the walking. Congratulations on that. I am glad you confirmed the thing about the hip tightness. The running will come. We have to be patient and confident!
Post a Comment