I should be sitting here with an Olympic Gold Medal around my neck, 10 million dollars in my bank account, and a view of the ocean from the comfort of my 360-degree balcony. Obviously, I am not (as of writing :-) but if my wild wishes and dreams from...
Where Are the Medals?
Written by Mark Tucker - Runner's Tribe
In the 51 years since the Mexico Olympics in 1968, Australia has won a total of four medals, from the 800m upwards, in a World Athletics Championship or Olympic Games. That’s male and female combined competing in all of the...
Written by Mark Tucker - Runner's Tribe
“All I want to do is drink beer and train like an animal.”
So said the champion New Zealand distance runner, Rod Dixon; And many runners agree. He is a fine example of the ideal marriage between running and beer. Dixon trained hard, enjoyed...
A column by Mark Tucker - Runner's Tribe
When mentioning Roger Bannister most people immediately think of the mile. When mentioning the mile most people immediately think of the almost mythical four-minute barrier and Roger Bannister being the first man to break it. However, there was a lot more to...
In Praise of Shelley - A column by Mark Tucker - Runner's Tribe
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is...
Training Diaries: to write or not to write? - A column by Mark Tucker
“I would consider my diary serves the same purpose as going for a walk or a run. They are all physical ways of clearing a mental landscape.” (Chet Faker)
I recently visited the house I grew up...
Steve Prefontaine: A runners’ runner
A Column By Mark Tucker
Steve Roland "Pre" Prefontaine (January 25, 1951 – May 30, 1975)
“A lot of people run a race to see who is fastest. I run to see who has the most guts, who can punish himself into exhausting pace, and then at...
By Mark Tucker - Runner's Tribe
“I've always envied people who sleep easily. Their brains must be cleaner, the floorboards of the skull well swept, all the little monsters closed up in a steamer trunk at the foot of the bed.” (David Benioff, City of Thieves)
Most of us have had it...
By Mark Tucker - Runner's Tribe
“It ain’t over ‘till it’s over”. “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch”. Nearly everyone has heard these words before. However, putting them into practice when it counts is the hard part. Just ask the runners who have celebrated victory, or a major medal,...