TH E FAST L AN E
50th Anniversary of the First U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials
PAST MARATHON TRIALS ATHLETES MET AT ADAMS STATE UNIVERSITY IN ALAMOSA, CO. BACK ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): ROBERT DEINES, DR. DAVID COSTILL, BILL CLARK, AMBY BURFOOT, ELLEN CLARK, HAL HIGDON, JOHN PETERSON, TOM HEINONEN, JAN FRISBY. FRONT ROW (L TO R): FRANK SHORTER, KENNY MOORE, GEORGE YOUNG, BILLY MILLS, COACH JOE VIGIL, STEVE GACHUPIN.
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unday, August 18, 1968 was a momentous day for Alamosa, the small rural south central Colorado city nestled in the San Luis Valley. But this day would also be a historic one for the nascent sport of American long distance running. On this day, Alamosa was the site of the first ever U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. Prior to 1968 a committee selected the U.S. Olympic marathon team after their review of performances. But this was the year that Mexico City would be hosting the Olympic Games at an altitude of 7,350’ above sea level.
Joe I. Vigil, coach of the cross country and track and field program at Alamosa’s Adams State College, saw an opportunity. Alamosa had a 7,544 foot elevation. So why not take advantage of this and bring America’s best long distance runners to town to train at altitude? Vigil teamed up with American marathon record holder Leonard “Buddy” Edelen, who was already on campus as a graduate assistant, and some Alamosa businessmen who were interested in bringing Olympic activity to the city. For two and a half years Vigil and Edelen traveled to wherever the American Athletic Union (AAU) had a meeting to promote their idea. At the AAU 1967 annual meeting in Chicago, Alamosa was chosen to host the first ever Olympic Marathon Trials. According to Vigil, “We wanted to make it fair with head-to-head competition. There were also other places in the U.S. that were at a high altitude and may have been interested in hosting the trials, but they weren’t as well organized as us.” 14 coloradorunnermag.com
Under the auspices of the AAU, individual long distance runners and teams from all over the country were invited to train in Alamosa and compete in the marathon trials. There would be no qualifying standards – anyone who believed they could go the distance could register. Entry fees were set at $2 for individuals and $5 for teams. First class housing would be available on campus for $3 a night. The AAU required that all participants undergo a medical examination. Physicians in the area refused Vigil’s request for pro bono services. Dr. David Costill, director of the Human Performance Laboratory at Ball State University, and a few of his friends, accepted Vigil’s invitation to perform physiological tests, including hydration, on the trials registrants. Vigil and Edelen brought in Ted Corbitt, a pioneer in the accurate calibration of racecourses, to measure and certify the route. The course would consist of five 5.2 mile loops on roads east of the campus. The start time was 3:00 p.m. to align with Mexico City’s Olympic Marathon race time. By race day afternoon, 113 runners registered. They included a number of individuals who would soon become icons in the burgeoning American sport of long distance running that would eventually ignite a worldwide boom: Amby Burfoot, Ron Daws, Hal Higdon, Kenny Moore, Billy Mills, Gary Muhrcke, Tom Osler, Frank Shorter, and George Young. When the event was over, only 63 runners had succeeded in crossing the finish line. The rest had dropped out for a variety of reasons, including dehydration. Olympic steeplechaser George Young had won. Young was immediately followed by Kenny Moore, and Minnesotan Ron Daws. These three men
went on to represent the U.S. in the Olympic Marathon in Mexico City. Vigil’s experience with the 1968 Olympic Marathon Trials had a deep and lasting impact. “I had never been to a coaching clinic or attended a coaching school. I already had a good education with a Masters degree, but being around guys like David Costill got me all fired up. I decided to pursue my Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology from the University of New Mexico, which I got in 1971. The rest is history. The Trials in 1968 motivated me to dedicate my life to coaching, teaching, and service to sharing information with other coaches. That’s what I am still doing today. I give clinics all over the world.” The 1968 Trials and Vigil’s leadership also transformed Adams State into a long distance running powerhouse that won 19 cross country and track and field national championships. More recently, Vigil was the driving force behind the organization of a weekend of events to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the trials as an epic historic event in the world of American distance running. Vigil invited all the 1968 trials participants to return to Alamosa’s Adams State University for a reunion, which included speech presentations by Olympic marathon medalist and American record holder Deena Kastor and husband Andrew, an 8 kilometer “Race With the Legends” using the original trials route, and a banquet. To honor Coach Vigil for bringing the trials to their city in 1968 the Alamosa City Council proclaimed July 28 to be “Joe I. Vigil Day.” Some of the trials veterans were asked to share their recollections of the 1968 event. This is what they had to say:
Amby Burfoot grew up in
Groton, Connecticut and won the Boston Marathon in 1968. Burfoot served as Executive Editor of Runner’s World magazine for many years. “In 1968 I was 21 years old and a senior at Wesleyan University. A month after winning the Boston Marathon I won the New England Championship three mile and 3000 meter steeplechase on the track, but pulled a butt muscle. I had no business running the race because it was not my event. I just wanted an adventure that I might not have again. A lot of us were obsessed about the upcoming marathon trials in Alamosa, so Photography By ADAMS STATE UNIVERSITY
