Oct 13, 2019
In this episode, we bring you part one of a two-part interview
with US marathon legend Frank Shorter. Frank Shorter is the only
American to win two Olympic medals for the marathon distance
earning gold in 1972 in Munich and silver in 1976 in Montreal.
Sadly, in 1976 he was robbed of a second gold medal moment when he
was beaten by East German runner Waldemar Cierpinski who would
later be directly linked to a state-sponsored doping program.
Frank's marathon successes sparked the marathon movement here
in the US as thousands of everyday runners flocked to cover
the 26.2 mile distance. Frank would go on to earn a law degree at
the University of Florida and become an integral part of the
professionalization of track and field including negotiation of
some of the very first sponsorship deals. Then in the late 1990's,
Frank helped develop the vision for and lead the formation of the
US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) where he served as Chairman from
2000-2003.
In this interview, Kara and Chris chat with Frank about his
beginnings as a marathoner and how training then differed
dramatically from training now. In addition, Frank shares stories
of his Olympic experiences including what it was like to get beat
in 1976 by a suspiciously unknown runner who just seemed to
effortlessly glide away. Finally, don't miss the conclusion of the
podcast where Frank shares an unbelievable story about the
formation of USADA and the near-perfect combination of events and
personalities (including President Bill Clinton) that made it
happen.
Stay tuned for part two of the interview that will be released
in several weeks.