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Boston Marathon 2009 – At last click, riders born in the United States of Africa is a notch against the winners
Copyright © 2009 Ed Bagley
The American marketing nightmare that is the Boston Marathon is not going away, but at least two US-born athletes have given us a glimmer of hope that we can sometime in the 21st century to win the race that we belong.
Two world-class African athletes, an Ethiopian man and a woman from Kenya, once again swept the titles at the 2009 Boston Marathon on Monday (4-20-09). Their names, derives Merga (male) and Salina Kosgei, and ethnic background do not help their popularity or marketing in the United States despite their performances of world class.
It is difficult if not impossible, to achieve the potential market with world-class foreign athletes on American soil. No matter how much they earn or the number of records they set. No one in America seems to care.
Imagine a Nike ad that says: "Just Do It Like Kebede, Cheruiyot, Asfaw, Kiogora and Cherigat." Not exactly household names recognizable to millions Americans. Now they say: "Just Do It, like Bill Rodgers and Frank Shorter." A world of difference, and that's the point.
Bill and Shorter Frank Rodgers, literally, to walk the running boom in America in the 1970s. Shorter won the marathon at the Munich Olympics in 1972 and was runner-up in the Montreal Olympics in 1976. Bill Rodgers won the Boston Marathon and to the New York Marathon in April each between 1975 and 1980. Joan Benoit Samuelson won the marathon at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles 1984.
The marketing of Rodgers and Benoit led economic boom in the U.S. and runs billion in revenue while creating new markets and products along the road. Rodgers was born in Connecticut, Maine Benoit.
The disappearance of American States distance runners who can win events company has been horrible world in recent years. We do not even know that a long-distance running team the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. We only had one athlete, Shalane Flanagan, who thought she could win and came home with a bronze medal. America won exactly one of 32 possible medals in the events of the 800 meters to the marathon.
Increasing African domination in the Boston Marathon has been nothing short of meteoric, especially among men. Kenyans have won the Boston Marathon 16 times in the past 19 years shooting two Ethiopian winners and Africans have won the Boston Marathon 18 times in the past 19 years. The only other winner, non-Africans in the last 19 years? Korean Era South.
If you do not think this is a disaster for Latin feel, you know nothing about running or the history of race in America. It seems that the great running boom in America was hampered by too much success and money, in other words, we have gone soft.
We once dominated the Boston Marathon. Since its Created in 1897 through 1945, the American-born runners won the race 34 of 49 times (69%). During that time, Clarence DeMar won seven times and break the record field four times, and the Americans won 10 consecutive years from 1916 to 1925.
African runners who came to America to run road races in the last twenty years have been ravaged by poverty and hunger. They returned home as heroes and millionaires. " Still appear hungry and do not show signs of slowing, which means American runners do better than up or move all the races they want in their rear. There is a reason why every Husky in the Iditarod sled dog race dog wants to be the leader of the pack.
And now, the American-born runners Kara Goucher and Ryan Hall have finally begun believe they can win the Boston Marathon. We know this because Goucher finished 3rd in 113 women this year's Marathon in Boston, scoring 2:32.25, just 9 seconds behind the winner. If she could not find 10 seconds for 26 + miles, would have won this year's Boston Marathon.
Goucher Ran 5:09 miles in 24 and had led the race for a half hour, but was cut just at the end of a great dream. It was only his second marathon. She has arrived and now must train harder and harder to Boston to win. Goucher is coached by Alberto Salazar, who won the 1982 Boston Marathon course record in 2:08.52. God bless Kara Goucher, we are doing many winners in the United States recently.
Hall also finished third in his career. He scored 2:09.40, almost a minute (58 seconds) behind the winner, but is improving and definitely keeps sticking around long enough to be worrisome to some other runners.
Kenyan Robert Cheruiyot (say something like cherry-ott), who had won the race the last three years, finished fifth behind Hall, so there is some hope for Americans.
Maybe three Boston wins and pockets full of money involved Cheruiyot, who is considered beyond rich in Kenya. It can be much more money than Kenyan Cheruiyot, but not many could match his fame and popularity.
In a note, 45 years old Colleen De Reuck masters runner finished eighth among women. It was an amazing run of De Reuck. The bad news is that its world-class competitors were young enough to be their daughters, the good news is that they were not young enough to be his granddaughters. Greetings from Colleen De Reuck heart.
While things are looking Boston-born runners in the United States will not come until the Americans once again win both races. The last American man or woman, to win Boston Marathon was Lisa Larsen Weidenbach in 1985 and was its debut in Boston. I think it was in 1991 that began the prize money. The winner of this year took home a check for U.S. $ 150,000.
The Boston Marathon last saw the Americans win both races was 1983, when Greg Meyer won in 2:09.00 and Joan Benoit (sound familiar?) won in 2:22.43, setting a world record not only marathon, but a record. It was the second Boston victory after Benoit winning for the first time in 1979.
As they say in the Sahara in Africa, which covers 3.5 million square miles and ranks as the world's largest desert, is much time through the desert and has been a long time between rains.
About the Author
Read my articles on track and field, cross-country and distance running, including:
“Updated USA Prep Track & Field Records and the New Best 2008 Top Performers”
“2009 Simplot Games Showcase the Nation’s Top High School Track and Field Talent”
“National Indoor Middle Distance USA High School Track Records – What It Takes to Be the Best”
Find my Blog at:
http://www.edbagleyblog.com
Kenya – 28 Mar – United Kingdom BBC News