Long run to glory : the story of the greatest marathon in Olympic history and the women who made it happen / Stephen Lane.
Material type:
TextPublisher: Essex, Connecticut : Lyons Press, [2023]Copyright date: ©2023Description: viii, 274 pages : illustrations ; 23 cmContent type: - text
- still image
- unmediated
- volume
- 9781493073023
- 1493073028
| Item type | Home library | Collection | Shelving location | Call number | Materials specified | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adult Book
|
Main Library | NonFiction | Adult Display - Second Floor | 796.4208 L266 | Olympics - July 2024 | Available | 33111011319619 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
On the morning of August 5, 1984, four of the greatest marathoners of all time lined up for one of the most important and long-awaited races in history. By then, they had dominated their competition for at least five years, upending a century's worth of preconceived notions of what marathoners could do. By decade's end, they had lowered the world record a total of 13 minutes, won 27 major marathon titles, and swept every Olympic and World Championship held in the 1980s. And, in their careers, only once did all four--American Joan Benoit, Norwegians Grete Waitz and Ingrid Kristiansen, and Portugal's Rosa Mota--square off in the same race: at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, in the first-ever Women's Olympic Marathon.
Such was their talent that Benoit, the world record holder, entered the race as the underdog. She'd had knee surgery in April, and no one, least of all Benoit herself, was certain she could hold up for 26 miles against her three rivals. Waitz, the former world record holder, was the favorite--she had destroyed the field at the 1983 World Championships and had never lost a marathon she had finished. Kristiansen, who had beaten Waitz twice in the summer of 1984 (albeit at shorter distances), was considered the fastest woman in the race: she held world records at 5,000m and 10,000m, and would break Benoit's marathon record in 1985. Mota had beaten Kristiansen at the 1982 European marathon championships, and was already earning a reputation for raising her level in the biggest races.
This is their story, and the story of the first women's Olympic Marathon.
"At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, four of the greatest marathoners of all time lined up for one of the most important and long-awaited races in history. They were American Joan Benoit, Norwegians Grete Waitz and Ingrid Kristiansen, and Portugal's Rosa Mota. This is their story, and the story of the first ever women's Olympic marathon"-- Provided by publisher.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 249-255) and index.
Introduction. Prelude -- Amsterdam, August 2, 1928 -- Part 1. Kicking Down the Door: The Pioneer Era, 1966-1972 -- Proof of Concept: Crazylegs, New York, 1972 -- Interlude -- Party in the USA! America, the 1970s -- A Star is Born: Grete Waitz, New York 1978 -- Hat or Beer: Joan Benoit, Boston 1979 -- Interlude -- A World of (Limited) Opportunity: Waitz and Benoit, 1978-1979 -- Victory: Hansen, Switzer, and the Alphabet Soup, 1980-81 -- Part 2. Interlude -- The Enemy Within: Waitz and Benoit, 1980-1981 -- For Love and Money: Roe and Waitz, 1981 -- Interlude -- Out with the Old? Benoit and Waitz, 1981-1982 -- Don't Call it a Comeback: Benoit and Waitz, 1982-1983 -- Interlude -- Part 3. Groundwork: Olympia and the World, 1983-1984 -- The Trials Before the Trials: Benoit, Spring 1984 -- The Trials: America's Best, May 12, 1984 -- The Games: Los Angeles, 1984 -- The Race: Los Angeles, August 5, 1984 -- Interlude -- Part 4. The Day After -- Twilight -- Dusk -- Postlude -- Cambridge, MA, August 12, 2019.