Keep on Running

A little bit of an odd week with little to blog about today as I attend a family funeral out of town. However on my return I find that my blogging activities and general making a nuisance of myself on the internet have attracted the attentions of a famous athlete. Basically, a few days ago I was looking for a video of the 1972 800m Final from the Munich Olympics as I want to show a friend the greatest piece of middle distance running I have ever seen. Here it is if you are interested http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LHid-nC45k . The Gold medal winner was an American guy called Dave Wottle who always ran from the back and invariably wore a baseball cap when he raced. I am not much of a person for sporting heroes but he was mine when I was a kid and probably explains why I still run wearing a baseball cap! He was the first long haired athlete who looked like a college drop out which also appealed to me.

In the Olympic 800m Final, Wottle was written off when he immediately dropped to the rear of the field, and stayed there for the first 500 m, at which point he started to pass runner after runner up the final straight, finally grabbing the lead in the final metres to win by just 0.03 seconds. This gained him the nickname of "The Head Waiter". At the victory ceremony, Wottle unconsciously forgot to remove his baseball cap. This was interpreted by some as a form of protest, but Wottle later apologised. His signature cap was used for practical purposes. He sported long hair at the peak of his career, so the hat kept his hair out of his face. After realizing the cap was part of his identity, he wore it for the remainder of his career.

Anyway, when we do the google search to see the video I discover that Dave Wottle is now an admissions tutor for an American University and lists his personal e-mail address. My friend who I am doing this with says that Mr Wottle would be really pleased to know that his 1972 exploits were still being remembered today and before we know where we are I am composing an e-mail. I talk about the race and my running for charity and the blog. To my surprise I get a lovely encouraging reply from the man himself which was really nice. Here is an extract:-

"I really appreciate your kind note. It’s always great to hear that the Munich 800 meter race has value beyond the race itself. I’m also glad to hear that you are still running…with or without a cap."

So good on you Dave for what you did in '72 and for being polite enough to respond. Perhaps he will be reading this too. Anyway our lyric today comes, of course, from the Spencer Davis Group and sings us out for the weekend. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLPUmkJoarY&mode=related&search=