Welcome to this season’s “new” Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden. You may ask what’s new about them. I would say you can expect a very different track & field experience when you come to the Garden, January 29th, 2010. It’s no secret that the presentation of this meet has declined in recent years.
A quiet lion in the history of American long distance running left us this past Wednesday in Texas. He had gone there from his home in New York City for his final battle with cancer. Ted was a pioneer, an explorer of the human depths of physical exertion long before anyone here in New York knew or appreciated this side of distance running. A dignified, reserved man Ted translated his college career as a 50 second quarter miler and later his Olympic Marathon experience in the 1952 Helsinki Games, into a life-long passion for the ultra distances.
by Norbert W. Sander, Jr, MD
Our sport lost one of its heroes this week. He first made his mark by winning the Olympic gold at Melbourne in 1956 in the discus. It was the summer before some of us first started coming to the Armory as high school freshman. The building was dark, smoky and loud but even then filled us with the spirit of the sport. Tom Courtney of Fordham had also won in Melbourne in the 800M. Bannister had broken through on the 4 minute mile two years before and Irishman Ron Delaney gained greatness forever, capturing the 1,500M in these same Australian Games. As a scrawny fourteen year old runner, these champions already had become household names and we all could only marvel at their feats.