byLarry EderThe likes of Khalid Khannouchi, Steve Jones, Catherine Ndereba and Paula Radcliffe make me smile. As a member of the media, I have been fortunate to witness the world records of Khannouchi, Ndereba and Radcliffe in Chicago. I watched Steve Jones on TV.
World records are ephemeral. They are the unique moments when fitness, weather, competitiveness all come together and for once, perhaps twice, the athlete put the limits of the human body and spirit behind them. These athletes, for a second, like Icarus, have tried to touch the sun. In the case of the four record holders, in their world records, they touched the sun.
These are momentous occasions in the life of an athlete. They are also fleeting moments, part of the memories that give structure and meaning to an athletic life.
