"I ran my PR and almost snagged a medal. My whole Olympic experience was a blast, and to top it off with a great performance made it especially memorable." - Don Kardong, 1976 Olympic marathoner
TRIGGER WARNING: What follows is CRT – Critical Running Theory. CRT is the highly insightful albeit often inexact academic study of the stinky part of the running onion, focusing on the systemic fecality of the sport’s seamy underbelly.
WHERE’S DON’S BRONZE??? is an unregistered trademark for a non-campaign to right one of the more egregious wrongs in the history OF USA Track & Field.*
Right up there with Jim Thorpe.
Wikipedia: Drug allegations
It is now well known that East Germany operated a state-sponsored system of providing performance-enhancing drugs to as many as 10,000 athletes from about 1968 to 1988. Cierpinski was implicated by East German track and field research files uncovered by Werner Franke at the Stasi headquarters in Leipzig in the late 1990s.
[“Now well known… in the late 1990s.” Checks calendar. 2024. Why the hold up?]
As a result, 1976 silver medalist Frank Shorter has advocated the belief that Cierpinski cheated and has supported official review of past performances, i.e. considering stripping medals from athletes who are found later on to have cheated, as a deterrent to drug-cheats. Fourth-place finisher Don Kardong has also written that he believed Cierpinski was involved in the East German doping program.
Shorter’s allegations are very similar to those of Shirley Babashoff, who accused the East German women of drug cheating during the swimming events in the same Olympic Games, which was later substantiated by investigators in the PBS documentary “Secrets of the Dead: Doping for Gold”.
Don’t know Ms. Babashoff, but I am acquainted with Mr. Shorter.
And Don Kardong.
Don,
Drove up to Gainesville to renew some friendships at the Florida Track Club’s 50th Reunion.
Marty Liquori wants to start a campaign to get Frank his ’76 Gold. Campaigning is not a good look, says Frank. Both spoke publicly. Marty was a tad disappointed.
Later, back at the house, I told Marty what I was doing. Respect what Frank said, so I have a solution. If Kardong gets his bronze as the third clean finisher, only stands to reason the first clean finisher gets the gold.
Marty seemed quizzical.
Nonetheless, Jack Dog’s campaign to get Don’s Bronze is unceasing.
True story – never entered my mind to get Frank the gold. Anyway, WHERE’S DON’S BRONZE??? and everything falls into place.
Be well.
Dog
Don’s response is measured. I get that a lot.
“Nice to have someone working on my behalf!”
Obviously, this is the go-ahead I’ve been hoping for.
I am so excited, I write a haiku.
A single drop of
water is but the first step
to a tsunami.
That was a year ago.
Often a stagnant puddle of procrastination here.
Gives new meaning to ‘unceasing’, I know.
Now looking for more drops, a spring perhaps.
Would you buy a used shoe from this man?
If Shorter was British, he’d be Sir Frank
Laura Muir Awarded Retrospective Bronze Medal
So It Can Be Done
“Missing out on that special moment, especially as I was not on the podium on the night, was very difficult. But looking back it made me more determined than ever to ensure the same outcome didn’t happen for future championships, which luckily has been the case,” said Ms. Muir.
To which she could have added – WHERE’S DON’S BRONZE???
WHERE’S DON’S BRONZE??? is a groundswell disorganization of patriotic Americans and probably Belgians, all lovers of honest athletics world-wide and is in no way – other than WTF! – connected to the official Olympic movement.
We is unofficial but we is many.
“For me, weeding out the cheats doesn’t make me feel good for exposing them, it’s more about protecting the clean athletes,” said Sir Seb.
Coe could start by answering one question – WHERE’S DON’S BRONZE???
Some say, this is serious CRT, it’s all about cumbersome Cold War politics, but I am too old to get that stinky.
