Short Races: A Column by Len Johnson

Had Randy Newman been a runner, he may well have penned the lines

                Well, I don’t want no short races

Actually, for all I know Randy Newman is a runner, as well as a singer-songwriter with a wonderful touch for biting satire. The lyrics of the controversial Short People (quoted above) are a litany of politically incorrect references to the vertically challenged, who among other ‘short’ comings have . . . little baby legs / that stand so low / you got to pick ‘em up / just to say hello / They got little cars / that go beep, beep, beep / They got little voices / goin’ peep, peep, peep / They got grubby little fingers / and dirty little minds . . .

On the other hand, had Randy Newman been a race director, his attitude on being informed his course was short may well have been, “It’s only a fun run.” This, unbelievably, was the initial reaction of Melbourne marathon organisers to the news that their 10km and 5km courses were very short indeed (between 500 and 800 metres for the 10k).

To be fair, the comment was pretty well instantly retracted and an apology offered to those who had paid $60-plus in the mistaken belief they were signing up for races that were the advertised distances. Many runners would not have found it “fun” that what they imagined for a few seconds, minutes or hours to be a personal best was in fact recorded over a short course.

The other reassurance was that the marathon and half-marathon courses were certified by an IAAF-approved course measurer (who also observed they were run as measured). Thankfully, that means Lisa Flint’s break-through win in 2:34:10 in the women’s race remains what it appeared to be, a Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games qualifying time.

Short people may be the imaginary and satirical bane of Randy Newman’s song, but short races are a very real curse of the running class. Melbourne marathon joins a long list of races that were famously, or infamously, not quite the right distance.

Some were found to be long _ marathoners at the 1920 Antwerp Olympics ran an extra 500 metres; the 1932 Olympic steeplechase finalists were directed to run an extra lap _ but mostly it is short courses which have attracted the most notoriety.

Most infamous in my memory is the 1977 Choysa Auckland marathon.  Organisers had secured big sponsorship from the Choysa Tea company enabling them to assemble a field worthy of an Olympic marathon. Australia’s Dave Chettle won a dramatic race by one second from Italy’s Franco Fava, 2:02:24 to 2:02:25, with the next 10 finishers also under Derek Clayton’s recognised world best of 2:08:33.

Fava had finished eighth in the 1976 Olympics; third-placed Ian Thompson of Britain was the Commonwealth champion and second-fastest ever at the time; New Zealand’s Kevin Ryan and Jack Foster, silver medallist behind Thompson, were next; 1976 Boston marathon winner Jack Fultz was ninth.

Almost immediately it was recognised the course had to be short. Some, including race organisers, were originally in denial, but as Fultz commented: “It’s a shame if the course is off _ and it has to be with those times. It’s a beautiful course and conditions were perfect.”

A police motor-cyclist rode back over the course, finding it at least 600 metres short. Eventually, it was found to be just short of 40km.

Another infamous ‘shorty’, was the 1975 Victorian 10k road championship. Now it’s hard to muck up a course which is five kilometres out on a straight road from the start and five back, and officials were waiting at the official turnaround point. But a second group of officials _ subsequently described as “inexperienced club officials”! _ went to a minor road intersection just under 4k from the start and turned the runners there.

Brendan Layh won the race in 23:05, nearly four-and-a-half minutes faster than Dave Bedford’s then track world record of 27:30.5. Robert de Castella was third, and never would run faster for ‘10k’ than his 23:30 that day!

Actually, Werribee must have been a bit of a Bermuda Triangle for course measurement. A couple of years later, a pack of club runners were startled to hear they were on world record pace a few miles into the Victorian marathon championship. A short out-and-back section just after the start had been missed, putting the mile markers out by a ridiculous distance. Fortunately for official red faces, the ‘lost’ distance was added on at the end but it was not fun for runners approaching what they thought to be the course’s final turn to be directed instead another mile or so up the road and back!

‘Deek’ was again the victim of a short course in 1981, only this time he did not run it. That year’s New York marathon was just under 150 metres short and Alberto Salazar and Alison Roe set ‘world records’ on it. Salazar’s 2:08:13 bettered Derek Clatyon’s mark which had stood since 1967 and he got considerable acclaim for it. A few weeks later, de Castella won Fukuoka in 2:08:18 which should have been the record-breaker but was not recognised as such until years later.

In Melbourne, Sarah Jamieson was the obvious ‘loser’, the Commonwealth 1500 silver medallist possibly losing a sub-32 minute time.

Nobody wins when courses are found to be short. Just ask Dave Chettle and Alberto Salazar, whose best ‘marathon’ performances were consigned to the scrap-heap instead of the scrap-book.

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