by Jeff BenjaminThe late John Jerome, way back in 1977, in a Summer issue of Mariah magazine (now Outside) said it best, ” by putting 26 miles together at five minute per mile pace, Frank Shorter invented running, ” .
Frank Shorter may not have invented it, but he sure demystified running.
Frank Shorter takes Fukuoka Marathon in 1971, his first of four wins in Fukuoka (in a row), photo by Asahi Shimbun/ Fukuoka Marathon, courtesy of Getty Images
His 1971 Fukuoka Marathon win, which happened on 5 December 1971, was one of his finest races. Jeff Benjamin (whose birthday is January 15, the day we are publishing this piece) caught up with the 1972 Olympic gold medalist and 1976 Olympic silver medalist, to discuss this amazing race. Fukuoka Marathon had its last competition this past December 2021. A quiet end for an iconic race.
Jeff Benjamin, Jenny Simpson, Frank Shorter, photo courtesy of Jeff Benjamin
“Running Under the Olympic Radar!”
December 5th, 1971
The 50th Anniversary Of Frank Shorter’s 1971 Fukuoka Marathon Victory!
By Jeff Benjamin
In 2022 Athletes, Coaches, Aficionados and Fans will no doubt be commemorating the 50th anniversary of Frank Shorter’s Olympic Marathon win which launched “The Running Boom!”
Shorter, who had already set the American record twice (!) in the 10K on the track a few days earlier in the Munich Olympic stadium, surged midway in the marathon field and totally dominated a world class field, seemingly coming out of nowhere to the millions watching the race unfold on ABC live, that memorable day.
Yet Shorter was NOT coming out of nowhere.
Followers of the Sport must have known that prior to his Olympic Gold medal, Shorter had already stacked up quite a Championship resume’, notably his victory in the running world-acclaimed Fukuoka Marathon the previous December.
Yet, in the pre-internet world of tough to find and equally tough to galvanize results, Shorter was still somewhat of an unknown in Munich despite winning what those hardcore followers acknowledged as the “Annual De Facto Marathon World Championship Race ” in Japan.
Here are Shorter’s reminisces of that great & fateful race!
1)When did you learn of the magnitude of the Fukuoka Race?
Kenny Moore follows Akio Usami, Fukuoka 1970, photo courtesy of Getty Images/Asahi Shimbun/ Fukuoka Marathon
“At the 1971 Pan American Games in Cali, Kenny Moore told me about Fukuoka. He had finished second to Akio Usami there the previous December.He said it was the only time, other than the Olympic Games, when the Soviet Bloc marathoners ventured out into the west to run a marathon. To me that meant it was an annual de facto World Championship.”
2) Would you say you laid the foundation of your training 12 months or earlier/later for the race?
Frank Shorter, photo courtesy of Getty Images
“After graduation from Yale I trained like a 5,000 m runner and added a 20 mile run every Sunday (even after racing on Saturday). I ran my first marathon, the 1971 Pan Am marathon trial race, based on Kenny”s recommendation. I guess I never altered my training to focus on the marathon distance because my success was pretty much immediate. I won the Pan Am marathon that summer and trained the same way for Fukuoka the following December. In a way I was a 5000/10,000 m runner who happened to run the marathon.”
3) What was your physical/ mental training in preparation?
Frank Shorter leading a cross country race, photo courtesy of Getty Images
“So, the mental and physical preparation stayed the same, but, I now had confidence that I could run the marathon more like a surging track race.”
4) What races did you incorporate into your training leading up to the marathon?
Akio Usami (6) leads, Kenny Moore (4), Frank Shorter (Florida), photo courtesy of Fukuoka Marathon
“I mostly ran the 2 mile on the indoor circuit and rarely backed off my training when competing. I only backed off my training for the Olympic Trials, Olympic Games and Fukuoka races.”
5) A week (?) earlier you won the AAU XC – was that a last sharpening kind of race for you?
Akio Usami (6), Jack Foster (3), Frank Shorter (Florida), 1971 Fukuoka, photo courtesy of Getty Images/ Asahi Shimbun/ Fukukoka Marathon
“The AAU XC championships fit right in because it was always the weekend before Fukuoka and when I backed off I started two weeks out from the most important races. So, at the AAU meet I was a week rested and it provided a good indication of my fitness. After the race I traveled to Japan the next day and rested more than usual. It worked four years in a row so why change it?”
6) What are some of your recollections mapping out the other competitors in the race?
Frank Shorter drinking his defizzed Coke during the Fukuoka marathon, photo by Asahi Shimbun/Fukuoka Marathon, courtesy of Getty Images
“Usami had won the race the year before and was the obvious favorite. I also thought Kenny, who had not been far behind in second would also run well. I just planned to start out running with and watching both of them.”
7) Any recollections about the early, middle and later stages of the race and when did you make a decisive move?
Frank Shorter, checking his lead, 1971 Fukuoka Marathon, photo courtesy of Asahi Shimbun/Fukuoka Marathon
“We ran as a group and the pace was slow so, at about 18 miles we made hair pin turn and I surged. No one went with me and I built about a 30 sec lead on Usami.
My guess is he was not that worried when I took off because my PR at that moment after two marathons was 2:17+, run in the Pan Am trial race. Cali was at altitude so my winning time there was 2:24+.
I maintained that lead for the rest of the race.
I settled into a perceived effort that when I looked back seemed to preserve my lead. I ran to find a way to win, not for time and that never changed.”
8) Can you describe the support – devotion of the Japanese people?
Frank Shorter wins 1971 Fukuoka Marathon, photo by Asahi Shimbun/Fukuoka Marathon, courtesy of Getty Images
“The streets were lined with Japanese people. Young and old were waving Japanese flags. They would cheer for me and it really did appear to be genuine, but since Usami was right behind me. one or two would quickly look backs to see how far behind he was. Even then I thought “of course they would”. It solidified my impression in that first visit that the Japanese truly love the marathon. They were truly appreciating my performance but also rooting for one of their own.”
Shorter greets Usami, photo by Asahi Shimbun/Fukuoka Marathon, courtesy of Getty Images
9) You can argue that although you had been on the cover of Sports Illustrated with stories written about your performances both prior and at Fukuoka 1971 you still may have “flown under the radar” to many Americans in your upcoming 1972 Olympic Marathon – do you agree?
Frank Shorter with Akio Usami (he had won the Pre-Olympic marathon as well), photo by Asahi Shimbun/Fukuoka Marathon, courtesy of Getty Images
“In retrospect, I was under the radar even among Track and Field aficionados (ie: track nuts) but I never thought about it at the time. I was simply trying to see how much more competitive I could be, and this involved more than just trying to get faster. In the USA-USSR meet in 1970 in Leningrad I ran the first 5K of the 10k in 13:55. At that time only Ron Clarke, who held the world record record for 10k at the time, had gone out under 14:00.The strategy worked and I think I cruised home in about 14:20 and won. A post race picture became the Sports Illustrated cover to which you refer.
So in Fukuoka the next year I decided to make what had traditionally been an endurance contest a modified track race earlier than other runners might expect: I trained to surge, recover more quickly and then cruise with a lead that can be maintained until the finish. The finishing time did not matter.”
Frank Shorter, 1971 Fukuoka Marathon, photo by Asahi Shimbun/ Fukuoka Marathon, courtesy of Getty Images
10) Was your first Fukuoka marathon victory the one you value the most?
Frank Shorter won 4 Fukuoka Marathons in a row, this is his 1971 win, photo by Asah Shimbun/Fukuoka Marathon, courtesy of Getty Images
“My first Fukuoka is the win I appreciate the most and Munich is the win I value the most. Fukuoka had shown me my strength was in my surge and quick recovery. It reinforced my gut feeling and so I tried to hone my interval speed training with that in mind. I brought this focus to the starting line in Munich. The weather was ideal, the course suited my race strategy with all its turns and short straightaways, I realized right after the gun went off that I was having “one of those days” where you just feel good and maybe because my PR quite a bit slower than others in the race I was still under the radar.”
