Stan Druckrey, Part 3: Racing at the Olympic Trials

Third in a three-part series by Stan Druckrey of The Villages Track and Field Club
 
In March 1972, Stan and his wife, Nancy, took a whirlwind tour of Australia as Stan competed with an elite U.S. track squad from the national Amateur Athletic Union. When they returned to Wisconsin, Stan resumed his hurdle training for the U.S. Olympic Trials, scheduled for June 29 to July 9 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
 
Once we got back to South Milwaukee, I continued to train for the Olympic Trials. I trained on the cinder track at South Milwaukee Middle School, running all my workouts fast, with spikes on. Always ran with the wind. (Details on Stan’s workouts during these months, and his recollections of what it took to train and compete back in the early 1970s, appear at the end of this article.)
 
I ran hurdles twice a week. For those workouts, Nancy would give me starts and I would tell her to watch a specific body part (lead arm, trail or lead leg) and tell me what was happening. She got to be a really good hurdle coach.
 
Once every two weeks I went to Madison to run hurdles on a synthetic surface under the eye of my coach, Bill Kurtz, from the Kegonsa Track Club. Coach Kurtz would do the same thing that Nancy did at practices.
 
Getting into peak shape
 
I competed almost every week from April until the Olympic Trials. If the meet was close enough to drive, Nancy and I would go. I would fly by myself to meets that were further away; Nancy was working, and we could not afford her airfare.
 
I do remember a meet I ran at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin, a few weeks before the Trials. Besides the high hurdles, I ran the 200 meters. There were trials and finals in the 200. For the trial I ran the turn hard and then coasted to the finish line. I believe I ran a time of 21.5. It just felt great. For the finals, I ran all out and finished in 20.6. I couldn’t believe I ran that fast, but they had three watches on me, so the time was accurate.
 
This is it: the Olympic Trials
 
Finally the Trials were here. I flew out to Eugene several days ahead of time. Nancy drove out with my parents and grandparents.
 
All of the athletes were pretty friendly. I got in some good workouts with the other hurdlers. That gave me confidence going into the races.
 
These Trials are not like they are today; there wasn’t the media blitz we see now. It was just another meet but with all the big names competing. I was pretty nervous, even though I had raced against most of the hurdlers earlier that summer.
 
The meet was well-run. The big difference was that the stands were packed with real track fans. There was cheering after every race. It was very cool, and getting the first race under my belt was another boost for my confidence.
 
Runners, take your mark…
 
Then came the semi-final. I ran in the first heat and finished 7th. Runners who placed 3rd thru 7th were given the same time of 13.7, since back then there was no Fully Automatic Timing. I thought I finished higher, but I was picked 7th.
 
The second semi was much slower: 2nd place was 13.7, with 3rd and 4th running 13.9. It would have been nice being in that heat, but I wasn’t.
 
Overall, it was a great experience. I showed I could run with the big guys. I felt really good about what I had done and made up my mind that weekend to come back in 1976.
 
Stan’s running continues after the ’72 Olympic Trials
 
In 1975 I competed in the Pan American Games Trials in Eugene. Made it to the finals but finished 6th (I believe). 
 
I did go to the U.S. Olympic Trials in ‘76. I hit a hurdle in the quarter-finals and did not make the semis.
 
After the Trials I changed to distance training full-time. I did Al’s Run (a hugely popular 5-mile charity benefit race in Milwaukee) several times and some half-marathons. I also did a full marathon on the Sugar River Trail southwest of Madison with one of my former athletes.
 
In 1980 I got back to hurdling. Did a meet at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and ran pretty well, so I had thoughts of getting back to the U.S. Olympic Trials. I was working hard, and I overtrained. My legs gave out in the middle of June. Went back to distance running, and in 1987 I started my masters track career.
 
 
Specifics of Stan’s training for the 1972 U.S. Olympic Trials
 
Once I was able to get outside for workouts (usually around the middle of April), it was all speed in spikes. Typical week:
Monday: 4 x 200m all-out with spikes, about 8-10 minutes rest, usually done after playing golf once school was out. Would usually do some light hurdle drills first.  
Tuesday: racing over four high hurdles. Starts out of blocks, five times. 2-3 x 150m with no hurdles.
Wednesday: 8 x 100m (the in-and-out workout I learned in Australia)
Thursday: same as Tuesday.
Friday: meet prep – light work.
Saturday: race somewhere.
 
If I did not have a meet, I would do a 400/300/200m on Monday, 4 x 200m on Wednesday, and the 8 x 100m on Friday. Saturday would be just some easy running in a park, and Sunday was my day off.
 
Recollections of training in Wisconsin in the early 1970s
 
I started my coaching career in the fall of ‘72. I was the head cross-country coach in the fall and assistant track coach in the spring. Then I started working out in the morning before school. I would do longer runs and hills in the fall. When the weather turned bad, I worked out in the high school – running the halls. Also, I could set up three hurdles in the gym. I still hurdle two days a week.
 
During the summer I had a job with a local lawn and garden company, and I did my typical training after work. Sometimes, when my work took me down to Racine and Kenosha, my crew dropped me off at UW-Parkside and I would get my workout in. Nancy and our daughter Amy (who was born in June of ‘73) would meet me down there to give me starts. Then we would go to Nancy’s parents’ home for supper.
 
--Stan Druckrey