Episode #64: Don Kardong, 4th Place in the 1976 Olympic Marathon

08/31/20 • 65 min

You've heard the story of Frank Shorter and how he was robbed of a second gold medal in the 1976 Olympic Marathon (discussed in episode 15). But, have you heard the story of the fourth place finisher that day - American Don Kardong. He finished just 3 seconds out of bronze on that day and should be the rightful holder of that medal after the winner Waldemar Cierpinski was later implicated in a state-sponsored doping program in East Germany.

Even though the International Olympic Committee has acknowledged that cheating occurred, they have yet to correct the record because the statute of limitations has expired. Now 71 years old, Don still waits for his rightly-deserved medal. In this episode, Chris and Kara catch up with Don to hear his side of the story.

We discuss his beginnings in the sport when he joined cross country to stay fit for the basketball team. We hear about his decorated career at Stanford racing rival Steve Prefontaine from Oregon. Post-collegiately, Don shares how he continued to train to make the Olympic team, running two-a-days while working full-time as a 6th grade teacher in Spokane. He talks about making the 1976 Olympic team with Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers but how no one expected him to perform well at the Games. He then gives all of the details of that bittersweet day in 1976 in Montreal including what he felt like during, immediately after, and of course nearly 2 decades later when he learned the news of Cierpinski's cheating.

Even though he was robbed on that day, Don has gone on to play so many important roles in our sport as a writer for Runner's World, President of the Road Runners Club of America, and founder and race director of the Lilac Bloomsday Run, one of the largest road races in the country. He also continues to give back to clean sport by helping race directors initiate drug testing programs through the Professional Road Running Organization (PRRO).

Because it is never too late to do the right thing, we want to see Don awarded his medal. He deserved it then, and he definitely deserves it now. Thank you to Don for sharing his story with us.

Because it is never too late to do the right thing, we want to see Don awarded his medal. He deserved it then, and he definitely deserves it now. Thank you to Don for sharing his story with us.

Previous Episode

Episode #63: Summer Sanders, Olympic Gold Medalist in Swimming and Sports Commentator

"I really need athletes and coaches and executives within national governing bodies to understand... there is no gray area." - Summer Sanders.

We agree. There is no gray area when it comes to clean sport. There is also no gray area when it comes to how much we loved this conversation with Summer Sanders. She is exactly the person you hope she would be - real, funny, relatable, and an absolute inspiration in sport and in life. She also happens to be a 4-time Olympic medalist (including 2 golds) and has an equally impressive career in sports commentating.

Kara and Shanna lead this conversation and cover many aspect's of Summer's story from her childhood growing up in California, splitting time between divorced parents who both shaped her as a person, to her meteoric rise to multiple Olympic gold medals by the age of 19 and to her extensive resume in sports broadcasting.

Summer shares so many great stories in this episode. She talks about how barely missing an Olympic team at the age of 15 was exactly the failure she needed at the time. She describes every detail of her final gold-medal winning race in Barcelona and what it was like standing on the podium while the Star Spangled Banner played.

She discusses her life-long dream of being on TV and how that led to her career in broadcasting after the 1992 Olympics. Summer gets emotional talking about her experiences as a runner including her first marathon in NYC and running Boston in 2013, where she left the finish line just 15 minutes before the first bomb went off on Boylston.

Of course, we also ask her about the clean sport culture in swimming, when she became aware of doping herself, and how she dealt with it during her career. Then, we close with her hopes for the future of sport which are as black and white as they can be when it comes to this very important topic.

Summer is a hero to many in the pool and in front of the camera. We were absolutely honored to have her join us.

Next Episode

Episode #65: Marla Runyan, Four-Time Olympian and Paralympian in Track and Field

She won 6 Paralympic medals including 5 golds. She competed in two Olympics in the 1500m and 5000m. She won 3 national titles in both the 1500m and 5000m on the track. She won US road championships at 4 different distances from the 5K up to the marathon. She finished 4th at the NYC Marathon, and she did it all as a legally blind athlete who never viewed her condition as a limitation or excuse.

In this fascinating conversation, Kara and Chris talk to Marla Runyan about her journey in sport from playing soccer as a kid to learning to high jump in her backyard after watching the 1984 Olympics to turning to the heptathlon in college and eventually to becoming one of the greatest distance runners in US history. Marla shares the heartbreaking story of losing her central vision at the age of 9, but she also talks about why and how it never held her back on her way to becoming a four-time Olympian and Paralympian and many-time national champion.

Through many injuries and setbacks, Marla never let anything get in the way of her dreams and seemed only to rise higher after every bump in the road. In addition, Marla shares what it was like to compete against several US and international athletes that would later be convicted of doping, including what it was like to beat one of them to win the US 5000m title in 2001.

Marla provides great perspective on what is needed to promote a culture of clean and safe sport in track and field. Marla Runyan is a living inspiration, and we are so excited and honored to share her story with you.