Some Old Pictures
These pictures are from the collection of Dan Dillon, a former professional racer. He loaned them to me related to a project I am working on. The first step is to get some help in identifying who is in the pictures and when and where they were taken.
Here's what I know so far:
Photos were taken at a golf course in the Atlanta area. The event was what would, I guess, be called the trials for the U.S. cross-country team. This was apparently the second year that the races. This was apparently the second year that the trials were held at this venue.
Can you help place the year and date?
Can you help identify any of the racers?
Here are the pictures:
This is the picture from among this group that I like the best. It shows mostly the Greater Boston Track Club team. If I am correct, the little guy on the far left with his hand on his bib is Bob Hodge. Behind him is a guy in a Colorado? singlet. The tall bearded guy in the NYAC? winged foot singlet, wearing bib #23, is Tom Fleming. Then, we have bib 16, and a guy wearing green behind him. Next, is bib #25, looking to our left and wearing glasses. We then have a runner whose head is all we can see. Beside him, wearing bib #1 is Dan Dillon (he'd won the previous year). Next is a Greater Boston guy in profile. Finally, we have a guy in a red singlet, wearing bib #54.
I am guessing that this shot was taken near the finish. In it, Dillon trails a NYAC runner (bib #14). Bib #21, who appears in the fourth picture is on the far left of the shot.
This is the start (Yes, a very insightful statement!) I'm assuming that most runners can't be easily identified, though it may be possible with some in the foreground.
I am guessing this shot was taken near the middle of the race. I'd like to try to find out who #21 in the middle is.
Please post comments if you can help answer these questions. Thanks!
Here's what I know so far:
Photos were taken at a golf course in the Atlanta area. The event was what would, I guess, be called the trials for the U.S. cross-country team. This was apparently the second year that the races. This was apparently the second year that the trials were held at this venue.
Can you help place the year and date?
Can you help identify any of the racers?
Here are the pictures:
This is the picture from among this group that I like the best. It shows mostly the Greater Boston Track Club team. If I am correct, the little guy on the far left with his hand on his bib is Bob Hodge. Behind him is a guy in a Colorado? singlet. The tall bearded guy in the NYAC? winged foot singlet, wearing bib #23, is Tom Fleming. Then, we have bib 16, and a guy wearing green behind him. Next, is bib #25, looking to our left and wearing glasses. We then have a runner whose head is all we can see. Beside him, wearing bib #1 is Dan Dillon (he'd won the previous year). Next is a Greater Boston guy in profile. Finally, we have a guy in a red singlet, wearing bib #54.
I am guessing that this shot was taken near the finish. In it, Dillon trails a NYAC runner (bib #14). Bib #21, who appears in the fourth picture is on the far left of the shot.
This is the start (Yes, a very insightful statement!) I'm assuming that most runners can't be easily identified, though it may be possible with some in the foreground.
I am guessing this shot was taken near the middle of the race. I'd like to try to find out who #21 in the middle is.
Please post comments if you can help answer these questions. Thanks!
posted by Scooter at 11:43 AM
4 Comments:
The guy in the middle had a very short running career because of his extreme heel-striking which led to chronic foot, leg, knee, and lower back injuries. He gained a lot of weight over the years, but kept his beard, and now has a seasonal job. Here is his photo:
http://www.santa-to-the-stars.com/images/bra-10a2.jpg
Dan Dillon had provided me with a bunch of info to help flesh out my descriptions, it follows below:
Let's see, The year would be 1979, I think the site was Atlanta's Snapfinger Woods Golf Course or something like that. We were trying for a spot to go to IAAF XC Championships in Limerick, Ireland which ended up being one of the muddiest XC races I've run in my life. My Providence College teammate and buddy John Treacy successfully defended his title there on home soil. It was amazing to see the rabid Irish fans pour out of the stands onto the course in an attempt to swarm Treacy with congratulations. The fans nearly broke down the finish chutes which would have caused a huge scoring disaster. Treacy had to be thrown into an ambulance and driven away from the crowds for his own safety if I remember right. I think Virgin was the first American and the only one of us in the top 10, and I was back around the mid thirties.
You got Hodgie San, I can't tell who the Colorado guy is, TF Flyer, Fred Doyle is the next GBTC guy, can't tell who the guy in green is either, I think that's Bill Gillen looking toward Fred, can't recall the guy between me and Gillen, me, Mark Duggan is between me and Randy Thomas.
The guy running away from me (NYAC) toward the finish is Bill Donakowski. He was a Michigan teammate of Greg Meyer. He did the same thing in the Penn Relays 10K a few weeks later if I recall. I think his younger brother Gerard was an olympian at 10K.
The guy in green between Randy and me in the last picture is Steve Flanagan, father of Shalene Flanagan. He was running for Colorado TC back then too. Lots of tough XC guys in Michigan, Colorado and Boston in those days!
Limerick, Guy Arboghast 4th I believe.
Workout cancer, you have your years mixed up. Arbogast was 5th in the 1978 WXC in Glascow. Virgin was the top US finisher (13th) in the 1979 event.
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