One of my favorite runners of all-time is Frank Shorter…now, I’ll be honest, he’s not my favorite runner…but is in a shortlist of guys that I would consider running-heroes.
One of my favorite running stories was in the book “Best Efforts” when Kenny Moore relays a conversation that he and Frank had after the 1972 Olympic Marathon…
“You know,” I said. “all this time I thought the Olympic champion was somebody incredibly special.”
Frank gave me a consoling look, as though he would have liked to protect me from this final disillusionment. “And then you found out,” he said, “that it was only me.”
That story gives me chills. Was Frank a great runner? Yes! Was he an all-time talent? Yes!
But he was incredibly relate-able to the every day runner that went out and pounded the pavement!
The thing that I learned from reading about and hearing stories about Frank was how consistent he was. Week after week he did nearly the same training…but week after week he got it in and didn’t skip a beat.
To be GREAT in this sport, you have to be CONSISTENT. Frank showed us this throughout his career, one that won a Gold Medal in the 1972 Olympic Marathon.
Thanks, Frank.
Phillips Running 