Gerry Lindgren on Sportscenter

[Walt Murphy]

For those of you in other timezones--just caught the tailend of a dramatic piece on Gerry Lindgren on ESPN's Sportscenter. It ended at about 9:04am Eastern, but I don't know when it started.

[HawaiiFiveO]

Walt,
I don't know how much of the segment you have since been able to catch so I'll briefly summarize for you. The first half of the segment began by informing the viewers of young Gerry's running career with a focus on his political effect during the Cold War that referrenced the 1964 LA race in which he defeated Ivanov and Dutov. The second half of the show focused on his non relationship with his wife and children. Gerry left them inexplicably in 1980. Apparently he has zero or minimal communication with them and his son would like to have a relationship. His wife stated that she would like to hear an apology. The show ends asking the question "When will Gerry stop running." It was extremely dramatic.

[Walt Murphy]

The second half of the show focused on his non relationship with his wife and children. Gerry left them inexplicably in 1980. Apparently he has zero or minimal communication with them and his son would like to have a relationship. His wife stated that she would like to hear an apology. The show ends asking the question "When will Gerry stop running." It was extremely dramatic.

That's the part I saw--it was tough to watch.

[mcgato]

I caught the end of it around 10:30 am eastern, so it should magically appear again around noon eastern.

[twittering debutante]

Well that was certainly a disappointing seven minutes!

[marknhj]

Just saw it. What a sad and pathetic story. Btw - I'd never heard of him before I came on this board - did his 10k win over the Russians really have such a national impact? Was also interested to hear he'd, ".... been inducted into the International Hall of Fame, alongside JJK and Michael Johnson".

[tandfman]

did his 10k win over the Russians really have such a national impact?

Yes.

[Trackspikes77]

Gerry Lindgren

That was a sad pathetic story on Sportscenter last night. Gerry has some extremely serious issues. He was seen as a compassionate coach with his cross country team, yet he could care less about his kids. What a truly weird guy. He needs to go away again.

[DrJay]

"Anyone can do anything if they hold the right card
So I'm thinking about my life now
I'm thinking very hard
Deal me another hand Lord, this one's very hard
Deal me another hand Lord, this one's very hard"

-Pete Townshend "It's Hard"

It sounds like Gerry was dealt a terrible hand by his alcoholic, physically abusive father. Teenagers don't do 200 mile weeks for fun. If he hasn't done therapy, he obviously needs to. If he has, well, some stuff is just too God-awful hard to overcome.

[ndamix]

I caught the last 20 minutes of the broadcast. While I'm familiar with Lundgren's track exploits, I was extremely interested in whether or not he was going to re-establish a relationship with the family he left behind...apparently not (which is really sad).

[kevinsdad]

Lindgren's impact

Take it from a contemporary-the Russia-U.S. duels were big time sports events and Lindgren's 1964 10k victory was huge. Those were the good old days when track was still a major sport in the U.S. :cry:

[Dutra]

Well that was certainly a disappointing seven minutes!

How so?

[Strunk]

"

-Pete Townshend "It's Hard"

The situation is a little closer to "Hungry Heart"-Springsteen

Got a wife and kids in Baltimore, Jack
I went out for a ride and I never went back
Like a river that don't know where it's flowing
I took a wrong turn and I just kept going

Everybody's got a hungry heart
Everybody's got a hungry heart
Lay down your money and you play your part
Everybody's got a hungry heart

[twittering debutante]

Well that was certainly a disappointing seven minutes!

How so?

a brief rehash of the Kenny Moore story from awhile ago.

[utkvol80]

Re: Lindgren's impact

Take it from a contemporary-the Russia-U.S. duels were big time sports events and Lindgren's 1964 10k victory was huge. Those were the good old days when track was still a major sport in the U.S. :cry:

I saw the entire segment on Gerry Lindgren and thought it was pretty good, as other's have stated in this thread, GL is troubled man, and feel very sorry for him, but what I want to get at here is the assertion made by kevinsdad that Lindgren's 10K victory over the USSR was "huge;" it was huge, and it came at time when political tensions were high between the USSR and the US, and it gave the USA a boost in international prestige.

Kevinsdad states: "Those were the good old days when track was still a major sport in the U.S." I want to place emphasis on "major sport." I believe that the dual US-USSR dual meets fueled interest in track and field form the late 1950s to the early-mid 1970s; runs like Lindgren's inspired patriotism and each meet had such a race.

I put this thesis out on the "Does Track Have a Public Face" thread: that the demise of the US-USSR dual meets contributed to the decline in interest in track and field in the USA, because the US no longer has a direct competitor for international prestige. "Ajp" replied that the US-USSR meets were not significant and that they were contrived by the media. I think "kevinsdad's" remarks undermine "ajp's" assertion: these were not media contrived events; performaces such as that by Lindgren are not media inspired, they come from the heart of athletes who for what ever reason wish to excel to their limits, and in Lindgren's case, this performance came while wearing a USA uniform against two men wearing that of the old CCCP.

The USA does not have that kind of rivalry anymore, and that is one reason why I think most Americans are basically not interested in track and field.