Former Champs Discuss U.S. Title Drought In Boston
- By Duncan Larkin
- Published Apr. 12, 2011
- Updated Apr. 12, 2011 at 11:19 AM UTC
They say Americans need to make the race a priority again.
When the last American man and woman won the Boston Marathon, President Reagan was in the White House. Why has there been a U.S. title drought for so long?
Greg Meyer and Lisa Rainsberger who won the race in 1983 and 1985 respectively, recently sat down with Denver Post reporter John Meyer to give their thoughts on the matter. Greg Meyer thinks that the top Americans such as Ryan Hall, Dathan Ritzenhein, and, were he to move up in distance, Chris Solinsky, need to make a Boston win their priority.
“It can’t be, ‘Oh, that’s my next marathon,’ ” Meyer said. “It’s [got to be], ‘That’s the marathon I want to win.’ That’s what it’s going to take for one of those guys to do it,” he said.
Both Rainsberger and Meyer grew up in Michigan and Rainsberger wonders if it’s the “blue-collar” work ethic both runners put forth to win in Boston.
“I think there’s a lot to that,” she said. “When an athlete is given nothing, and they have to make it happen, there are steppingstones that happen along the way.”
For More: Denver Post
FILED UNDER: Boston Marathon / Boston Marathon News / News TAGS: Boston / Chris Solinsky / Dathan Ritzenhein / Greg Meyer / Lisa Rainsberger / President Ronald Reagan / Ryan Hall / U.S. Distance Running / White House
Duncan Larkin
Duncan Larkin is the news editor at Competitor.com and a freelance journalist who’s been covering the sport of running for over five years. He’s run 2:32 in the marathon and won the Himalayan 100-Mile Stage Race in 2007. His first running book, RUN SIMPLE, was released last July.