By Sal Citarella
Remember how it used to be? That is, of course, a relative question but for those of us who started running in the ’50s or ’60s (1958 for me) a lot has changed. Not just that you were younger and faster but that the running environment is profoundly different now.
This was brought home recently when I went back into my archives to review a long trail race I had run in 1984, hardly prehistoric times, with my son’s recent experience at that distance. While 1984 was clearly post Running Boom, things have always been somewhat more traditional on the trails and slower to change. I was surprised by the conditions that seemed the norm then but would be considered intolerable today.
Some wise man once remarked that progress might have been a good thing, but it has gone on too long. In that vein, perhaps the homogenization of our running and the dumbing down of much of it to meet the needs of the many is behind the increasing popularity of such extreme events as 100 milers, Badwater, and The Barkley Marathons.
Was it ever as it used to be? Regardless of your longevity in the sport or the nature of your running, some of the following may have applied to you. Hope your memories are as satisfying as mine.
Do you remember when:
There were no female runners in sight.
Many of us ran in high school.
Fewer of us ran after high school and/or in college.
Only you and I still ran after college and/or during our working lives.
You renewed your AAU card each year (or provided a phony number at race registration).
Road running was so singular, it needed its own organization to help it legitimize, hence the RRCA was born in 1958.
Road races were measured by odometer.
The RD might have a cooler of water or any runner might bring his own in a screw-top soda bottle.
The turnaround point was unmanned.
Prizes were donated by local businesses and runners got to select in order of finish.
Flyers for upcoming events were distributed at each race and left with sporting-goods stores.
A SASE was required if you wanted mailed results. (That’s the only “mail” there was.)
Initially, the only aid on a course was from your wife or kid and you could theoretically be disqualified for taking “illegal aid.”
When water stops were finally introduced, they were frequently manned by kids and non-runners who smiled and either released the cup just as you were reaching for it, or refused to let it go at all. Wet shoes, in either event.
There were no porta-potties, only the gas station on the corner.
There were bushes too and you were sometimes surprised by finding a woman behind one.
Sweats and car keys could be thrown in the open trunk of the RD’s car.
Running Tees were white, and you went home in the same sort of undershirt you had come in.
Traffic control consisted of looking where you were going as you ran.
Being handed a tongue depressor with your finish number on it.
Times being called out at the Finish Line and recorded by hand if there was anyone available to do it.
No age groups. No numbers. No chips. No feed trough, afterward.
Being a “Finisher” earned you satisfaction or dissatisfaction commensurate with the effort you had put in, not a medal.
Marathons were known to exist, but were never run by anyone except foreigners and Americans named Kelly or some variation thereof.
The New York City Marathon was run in Central Park.
Runner’s World published the names of all sub-three hour marathoners in the country. There were 2,450 in 1974.
Fundraisers stood on street corners or rang bells. They didn’t run.
The quarter-mile track was 440 yards long (that’s 7 feet 7- 3/16 inches longer than today’s 400- meter track).
Outdoor tracks were called “cinder tracks” and made of clay or fine gravel, potholes and mud. Most people thought the purpose of a track was to define the football field.
The “indoor” track was outdoors or if it was indoors, it had no bank.
Drinking water was discouraged, it gave you cramps.
Beer was the first sports drink, defizzed Coke, for some.
ERG was the first scientific sports drink commercially available. It stood for Electrolytic Replacement with Glucose and tasted like it sounds.
Energy bar? Think honey or left over Halloween candy.
Shoes had no insole or heel lift, only a single flat rubber surface from toe to heel. Cushioning? Forget about it!
Shoe Goo.
Glue guns.
Mailing your shoes off to get resoled.
Shoes came in only one width.
Sweats were gray.
Cotton was the miracle fabric.
Shorts were short, regardless of your sport.
“Jock” had two meanings; a third if your name was actually Jock.
The first men’s lined running shorts, weren’t necessarily men’s. They were unisex. Kinky.
Runner’s World was the source of all knowledge.
George Sheehan responded by mail to individual requests for help.
Nike was still a Winged Goddess.
President Carter made headlines when he took a spill running trails at Camp David.
Dogs and drivers were baffled by the sight of a man running on the road and both reacted badly.
If any relic of our mutual history has been overlooked or you have a unique experience you’d like to share, send it in via RG’s website. Or send it to: rgeditor@ptd.net.
We’ll try to pass it on to our readers.
Categories: Features
Runner's Gazette 
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