A Flashback to Munich FRANK SHORTER Once Shorter started running he never really stopped.
Even 40 years after Olympic gold Shorter’s routine includes two workouts a day with one of those being a one-hour run. He remains the same weight as he was in 1972 and has actually gained muscle.
Shorter is unclear as to how many miles he has run in his lifetime, but it certainly is no small number. He has, however, determined through his training logs that he averaged 17 miles per day between 1970 and 1980, which adds up to more than 62,000 miles for a 10-year stretch. It’s clear to see dedication was at the forefront of his success.
As they have been for years, Shorter lives in Boulder, Colo., with his wife Paddy. His family includes three children and one grandchild.
In 1979 Shorter co-founded the Bolder Boulder, which is an annual 10-kilometer race and attracts more than 50,000 participants, making it one of the largest road races in the world. Shorter is a past champion of the race himself winning in 1981.
A law degree from the University of Florida, Shorter has been known as a legal voice in the sport. He helped to found the United States Anti-Doping Agency and served as chairman from 2000 until 2003. He sold his sportswear company, but has been involved with promoting the Rock n’ Roll Marathon since its inception.
It has been a lifetime surrounding the sport that began with marathon gold.
A SPECIAL DAY IN MUNICH Shorter still recalls his gold medal marathon run very well.
“I remember I was fortunate it was one of those days an athlete can have that you can count on one hand,” Shorter recalls. “You
wake up and you feel good. The gun goes off and you feel good. I was very lucky to be on a high. I remember things were going just as I planned and I trained to be the one who initiated the move. That was the risk I took. I never thought of it in terms of passive.”
Shorter made a bold move to separate him from the rest of the field. Considering the number of turns and switchbacks in the Munich course, he used the strategy that if he could get far enough ahead, competitors would lose sight of him. He stretched his lead to a full minute with six miles remaining.
“That’s when I figured out that if anyone was going to catch me they were going to have to run 10 seconds per mile faster than I was,” he recalled.
Shorter didn’t relinquish his lead and burst into the Olympic stadium much to the surprise of many in the venue to see an American in the lead.
“The big memory is of the finish on the track,” he said. “I was just outside the tunnel and when I got out on the track it was silent. I was thinking ‘I know I’m an American but give me a break.’ It was a surprise because I wasn’t from those places where people knew of endurance runners. Coming up on the backstretch people started whistling. But I knew unless I fall down I am going to win. I was done before anyone else entered the stadium.”
And the memories of the iconic Olympic Games remain fresh for Shorter.
“It doesn’t seem like it has been 40 years,” he said. “I attribute that to continuing to stay in the sport and still working out. I’m one of those lucky people that were able to reach their goals and win two Olympic medals. When you are focused on what you are doing anything is possible.”