The Greatest Track Events I’ve Seen

The greatest track & field event I’ve ever witnessed in person was the 1984 Women’s Olympic Marathon. We were in the Los Angeles Coliseum that morning, watching the race televised in real time on the big screen. This was the first Olympic Marathon for women. Joan Benoit of the U.S. broke away from the pack at the mile 10 water stop. The broadcast announcers said this was a mistake – she couldn’t possibly hold the lead. She had recently recovered from knee surgery, and her fitness was in question.
 
She did keep the lead. The big screen showed her entering the tunnel that led to the Coliseum track. When she entered the Coliseum, the roar of 70,000 fans was incredible. It’s something I’ll never forget.
 
I’ve witnessed other races that weren’t as momentous but still memorable. At a masters race in Illinois, I saw an 80-something gentleman using a cane hobble up to the starting line of a 1500-meter race. Before the start, he threw the cane into the infield and then ran the race. He wasn’t fast, but he did finish. After the finish he went back to the infield, picked up his cane and walked away with a smile on his face.
 
Then there was the 4x100m relay for men age 90 to 99 at the 1995 World Masters track and field championship in Buffalo NY. Two teams ran the race: eight guys, all in their 90s. The race was close the whole way. The anchor runners ran the home stretch side by side, their faces and necks straining with the effort to be the first to cross the finish line. It was too close to see who won the race. They apparently didn’t notice where the finish line was as they kept running, straining to pull ahead. They kept going. Finally, about 40 meters past the finish line, an official ran over to them, grabbed their shirts and told them the race was over. They got the biggest cheer of the meet. To paraphrase Yoda: The competitive spirit is strong with these two.
 
No matter how old you are, how fast you used to be or that you were never a world-class athlete, you can still enjoy that competitive spirit on the track or in the field.
 
--Tom Rewolinski