title: My Marathon: Reflections on a Gold Medal Life
author: Frank Shorter
description: All American marathoners owe Frank Shorter a debt of gratitude for everything he has done to promote and advance our sport. As a fellow Olympian, I am proud to carry on the tradition of excellence Frank established with his outstanding performances at the Munich and Montreal games. <i>My Marathon</i> is a remarkable book because it not only recounts Franks many accomplishments on the track and the road, but also because it reveals the enormous sacrifices and dedication it takes to compete at an elite level. This book, like its author, is an inspiration. <br />  <b>Meb Keflezighi, 4-time U.S. Olympian<br /></b><br />Frank Shorter is the most uncommon of athletes. His riveting, inspiring and blindingly honest story details the work ethic, discipline and torment that formed his character and made him a champion. It may have taken more courage to write this book than it did to become the world's best marathon runnerperhaps the best ever.<b><br /> George A. Hirsch, chairman, New York Road Runners, co-founder, New York City Marathon, and former worldwide publisher of <i>Runners World</i> magazine<br /></b><br />Frank Shorter is Americas first runner, not just for his pivotal win in the 1972 Olympic Marathon, but also for the intellect and candor he has brought to each of his missions. Whether fighting shamateurism, athlete doping, or terrorist strikes, Shorter acts with razor-sharp clarity. My Marathon gives us previously unavailable insight into the man, including the rampant abuse in his family, and the running boom he towered over.<b><br /> Amby Burfoot, editor-at-large, <i>Runners World</i> magazine &amp; 1968 Boston Marathon champion<br /><br /></b>This is a courageous book by a splendid human being whose life has personified the Japanese proverb: Fall seven times, get up eight. From rock bottom to Olympic champion, Frank Shorter has shown that the human spirit is indomitable. Cheated out of a second Olympic gold medal, Frank has waged a continuous campaignpublicly and privatelyto ensure that other athletes are not similarly victimized. All readers will learn a lot about Frank and, in the process, learn something about themselves.<b><br />  Richard W. Pound, former president of the World Anti-Doping Agency<br /><br /></b><i>My Marathon</i> is a heartfelt, illuminating and inspiring memoir that goes far beyond the 26.2 miles endured by most marathoners and travels over roads few would have had the strength to survive. Not only did Frank Shorter survive, he become both an Olympic champion and a champion for running from its infancy through the enormous growth and popularity our sport enjoys today. Instead of running away from the many challenges he has faced, Frank has run head on into advocating for what is right in sport and in life. <b><br />  Joan Benoit Samuelson, 1984 Olympic marathon champion<br /></b>
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  # Prologue
  
  
  In the Fiftieth State.
  
  
  Crisis_of_Blue_Ocean.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## 1
  
  
  (November 10 – Oahu – Press Conference Room – From footage taken by an EAC
  News relay camera)
  
  
  
  
  
  “Time is quite valuable, so let’s keep the greetings short. I’m sure the
  ladies, gentlemen, and cameramen lined up here don’t want to be buried in
  flowery speech and I know the viewers at home always want something a little
  more stimulating.”
  
  
  He was a man in his forties. His finely chiseled Latin features had a
  dreadfulness and wildness not found in a teenage delinquent. Muscles outdoing
  those of your average athlete were hidden below his tanned skin. The lack of
  an aura of intelligence was unfortunate, but the fault lay with the citizens
  who chose him.
  
  
  He was Roberto Ka