Credit: Kevin R. Wexler, sportingnews.com
Shortly after the 1908 London Olympics, gold medalist Johnny Hayes and would-be gold medalist (he collapsed and was disqualified for receiving assistance) Dorando Pietri engaged in a match race to settle the score. Just two men. Racing neck and neck for an entire marathon.
Inside Madison Square Garden.
That's 262 laps around an indoor track. A capacity crowd consisting mainly of Irish and Italians cheered them on. It was a scene of singing, drinking, and tobacco smoke choking the air. Pietri won and police had to be called in to prevent fighting once the great race ended. What a time that must have been.
I thought of that yesterday at the Millrose Games. I flew to New York for the track meet and a few meetings. The cold is intense but I remind myself I will soon fly back to 80 degree weather. Millrose is the greatest of all track meets. Once conducted in Madison Square Garden, it is now held far uptown at the Armory. The setting is not as large but the racing is amazing in its intensity. The fan experience may be more exciting in this smaller venue, though I don't know. I never got to attend Millrose at the Garden. Springsteen was pretty exciting there. Billy Joel, too. But I just can't picture an indoor track meet in such a large venue.
I think this speaks to the demise of track in America. More people call themselves runners now than ever before. One million people applied to run the London Marathon this April. But track has become the weak sister, which is a shame. Sunday was pretty spectacular. I had the luxury of sitting trackside. There was food and cold Armory Ale. Millrose is run like a Swiss watch, the hurdles and blocks moving on and off the track in an instant to make way for the next event. A race that is supposed to start at 3:36 starts at precisely 3:36. I don't know why track has fallen off the public radar in that four year gap between Olympics. It is a timeless sport but is also of another time, like baseball, where you have to wait in anticipation of the next thrilling moment. Football is better on TV but baseball is better in the stadium. which also goes for track.
I saw some amazing racing yesterday. So fast and so thrilling. I hope track makes a comeback. Nobody deserves anything in this life but track is such a personal and gutsy sport that it should at least claw its way back into the mainstream.
That's my jeremiad for today. Now I'm off for a long walk in the canyons of Manhattan, head lowered against the Arctic wind. I'll be home Tuesday just in time for track practice.