Letters to the Editor

Well this is what we semi-retired people do--we write letters to the editor. (Who else has time?!?) So here is my first letter to the editor in a long time--a letter on marathon running to the Santa Fean magazine. Unfortunately they don't allow online links to the letters section (at least not that I could find), but here is the text which appeared in the October issue on p. 16.

the long run

I enjoyed your profile of Frank Shorter ["Enduring Athlete," July]. However, there was one error. The author states that Shorter's victory in the 1972 Olympic marathon was the "first and last for an American marathoner since 1908." It should actually read "first and last for an American male marathoner." American runner Joan Benoit won the inaugural women's marathon at the Los Angeles Olympics 12 years later, in 1984.

I actually had more in my original letter about seeing Shorter and Benoit {Samuelson) run in the Boston marathon, but that seems to have been edited out. So it's a good thing I didn't elaborate on more of my marathon viewing history!