by Larry Eder
The 2024 Cross Country season is over!
This is the second day of easy running in week 3.
Warm-up well,
30-40 minutes of easy running,
cool-down well,
Another holiday pick of the day is The Lonely Breed, by Ron Clarke with Norm Harris
One of my favorite books of all times, The Lonely Breed is a compilation of stories about some of Ron Clarke’s most admired.
The story that makes me cry each and every time that I read it is about Jim Hogan, the only Irishman to win the European marathon
championships. I met Jim about 2006 and enjoyed several wonderful gatherings with Jim, courtesy of David Bedford and Ian Stewart.
Jim passed away in 2015. The story is priceless.
Jim Hogan won the 1966 European Athletics Championships in the marathon, after dropping out of the 10,000m and marathon in Rome 1964. In Rome,
Hogan was last guy following Abebe Bikila, who was defending his Tokyo Marathon from 1960. At 23 miles, Hogan collapsed exhausted. His win at the
European Championships was classic marathon lore!
Jim Hogan wrote a wonderful book himself, The Irishman who Ran for England, by Jim Hogan .
Jim Hogan passed away at 81 in 2015.
We really like both of these this books!
To get this book, please check out: the Lonely Breed, by Ron Clarke
Other book suggestions: Self Made Olympian, by Ron Daws, , A Clean Pair of Heels by Murray Halberg, , Pre! by Tom Jordan.
On this cover photo, Ian Stewart, Bill Rodgers and Mariano Haro. All three were incredible cross country runners. Stewart won the World Cross Country in 1975, defended his European Indoor title at 3,000m, (1971 and 1975), won the European Championships in 1970 and Commonwealth Games in 1970 as well. Bill Rodgers came on the scene in 1975 by taking bronze at the World Cross Country, then, three weeks later, winning Boston and setting AR of 2:09.55. Mariano Haro was one of the finest distance runners ever from Spain, setting NRs from 3,000m to 30,000m. He was also 4th in the 10,000m in 1972!
