Running In The 70s

Matthew Kleinosky
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Running
  • Updated Weekly

Interviews with Cross Country Runners, Track Athletes, and Road Racers who ran in the 1970s

  1. 5d ago

    4.33 Jack "Dog" Welch

    Episode 433: When Running Was Young with Jack D. Welch In this episode of Running in the '70s, host Matthew Kleinosky sits down with Jack D. Welch—author of When Running Was Young and So Were We, co-founder of Running Magazine, former senior road racing editor for Track & Field News, and self-proclaimed "world's slowest professional runner". From 100-mile training weeks and grassroots newsletters to media trucks and the early days inside Nike corporate headquarters, Jack delivers an irreverent, poetic, and unfiltered inside view of the first American running boom. Origins & The 100-Mile T-Shirt: How a former basketball player in Danbury, Connecticut, took to circling a gym floor for 125 laps on Groundhog's Day 1972 to earn a promotional T-shirt, discovering road running just months before Frank Shorter’s Munich gold. The Birth and Evolution of Running Magazine: Starting on a mimeograph machine with Dr. E.C. "Ned" Frederick, Welch sought to create the "Esquire of running magazines" by blending sport, philosophy, and poetry. He details the transition to an IBM Selectric typewriter, early ad mockups from Wieden & Kennedy, and the subsequent buyout by Nike. Inside Early Nike & Athletics West: Welch shares behind-the-scenes memories of Nike’s raw, pre-IPO days: debating whether a shoe could ever sell for an astronomical $50 to house Frank Rudy's air sole, working out of a makeshift broom closet at Athletics West alongside Bill Bowerman, and the cultural clash between freewheeling track purists and buttoned-up corporate management. Running 100-Mile Weeks as a Sub-Elite: Living out of a sleeping bag on a mountaineering store floor, juggling 24 credit hours of college classes, and pounding out double days to run a 2:46 marathon while training alongside legends like Joan Benoit Samuelson, Bill Rodgers, and Mary Decker. The Ghost of Pre & Alternate Histories: Arriving in Eugene just months after Steve Prefontaine's fatal car crash, Welch reflects on the raw grief that permeated Hayward Field, his friendship with Pre’s parents, and his famous speculative "what-if" about how Pre might have shaped the boom and stood up to both Phil Knight and race promoters. The 1980 Boycott, Doping, and "Where's Don's Bronze?": The profound sense of grief and futility surrounding the 1980 Moscow Olympic boycott, coupled with Welch’s persistent crusade for justice regarding state-sponsored East German doping and Waldemar Cierpinski's contested marathon medals. The Evolution of the Running Tribe: Contrasting the spartan, mileage-driven camaraderie of the 1970s running subculture with modern internet-driven running culture, while exploring the lifelong psychological identity of being a runner long after the legs give way to power walking and pool workouts. "I am the slowest thing you've ever seen, but it just somehow found my core... You don't run 100 miles a week 'cause you're interested in money and sex. You're interested in some self-fulfillment." — Jack Welch "We were all victims... Imagine getting to the Olympics and earning a medal and not getting it... That's who I write for—the people that look at that and go, 'Ouch.'" — Jack Welch https://www.amazon.com/When-Running-Was-Young-Were/dp/B013ILHXIO Book: When Running Was Young and So Were We: Collected Works of a Sportswriter from the Golden Age of American Running by Jack Welch https://www.amazon.com/When-Running-Was-Young-Were/dp/B013ILHXIO Articles & Columns: Read Jack Welch's latest reflections and archival pieces at jackdogwelch.com

    4.33 Jack "Dog" Welch

  2. Sep 19

    4.32 1977 IUP Mens XC Hall of Fame team

    In this special reunion episode, members of the historic 1977 Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) Men's cross country team gather to celebrate their upcoming induction into the IUP Sports Hall of Fame. Matthew joins with 5 teammates of the 8 who ran at NAIA and NCAA D2 nationals: Andrew Pheiff, Jacob Hepp, Ken Trilli, Dan Cunkleman, and Richard Wolf ... to reflect on the historic season that brought home the state title and put IUP on the national map. The panel revisits the grit and camaraderie that defined their collegiate careers, from 138-mile summer training weeks and the fierce battle for a top-seven varsity spot to the unique culture of the cross country house. They share vivid memories of navigating brutal championship conditions—including the frigid Chicago Nationals, running road-course alternates in the rain, and turning to blue pantyhose to stay warm on race day. The group also explores their relationships with Coach Ed Fry and Head coach / recruiter Coach Sutton, analyzing how Fry’s coaching philosophy developed overlooked high school runners into All-Americans and national championship contenders. Looking back across the decades, they trace the enduring impact of those years on their lives, from careers in Olympic athletics, officiating, and the 1984 Marathon Trials to the lifelong bond forged through distance running. With the induction weekend approaching, this conversation captures the humor, history, and unmatched depth of the squad that set the championship standard for IUP cross country.

    4.32 1977 IUP Mens XC Hall of Fame team

  3. Sep 12

    4.31 Dipsea Race Gang

    In episode 4.31 of Running in the '70s, host Matthew Kleinosky sits down with veteran runners Bill Scobey, Don McEwan, Vince Engel, Roy Kissin, and Mark Byers to share memories and lore surrounding Northern California’s legendary Dipsea Race. The Panel & Their Histories: The guests recount running the Dipsea across multiple decades starting from the mid-1960s onward. Highlights include Don placing 9th as a 16-year-old running from scratch in 1967, Bill finishing 7th in 1970, Mark first running at age 17 in 1965, Vince returning after a 41-year gap, and Roy earning 11 coveted top-25 black shirts across 23 finishes. Course Profile & Challenges: The group walks through the 7.1-mile trail course from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach over Mount Tamalpais, discussing notorious landmarks like the 672 stairs, Windy Gap, Suicide (and its detour, Rangers Trail), Dynamite, Hogsback, Cardiac Hill, The Swoop, Steep Ravine, and Insult. They highlight the sheer danger of the terrain, poison oak, steep descents, and how course features have evolved from open pastures and dirt paths into stepped and regulated trails to combat erosion. Race Traditions & Handicapping: The runners explain Dipsea's unique age- and gender-based staggered handicap system, the history of legendary handicapper "Birdman," early day-of-race registrations, and the strict tradition that runners may only wear their earned black finisher shirts on race day without committing a faux pas. Iconic Characters & Lore: The conversation covers memorable Dipsea figures, including the "Dipsea Demon" Jack Kirk (who lived off the grid and created "Kirk's Revenge" on Mount Diablo), colorful runner Pax Beal, record-holder Ron Elijah, 8-year-old race winner Mary Etta Boitano, and early ultrarunner Walt Stack (famous for starring in the original Nike "Just Do It" ad). Film and Other Races: Roy shares details about producing and co-starring in the 1986 Bruce Dern running movie On the Edge, recounting the grueling 35-day shoot on Mount Tamalpais. Vince discusses his involvement in the Humboldt documentary The Harriers. The panel closes by reminiscing about other memorable distance events, such as the Trinidad to Clam Beach Run, Italy's Cinque Mulini, and the Lassi Virén Finnish Invitational.

    4.31 Dipsea Race Gang

  4. Sep 5

    4.30 Charlie Duggan

    Episode 4.30: Charlie Duggan Charlie Duggan stumbled into distance running as a sophomore at Hartford Public High School, intending to spend only a week with the cross-country team before football practice began. Instead, he outran the experienced varsity runners in his first workout and discovered the sport that would shape his life. Coached by 1952 Olympic sprint champion Lindy Remigino, Duggan became one of the nation’s leading high-school two-milers before attending Springfield College. At Springfield, Duggan became a three-time All-American, won the IC4A cross-country championship, finished second at the NCAA Cross Country Championships and never lost a race on the college’s home course or track. He later trained in Gainesville with Marty Liquori and Barry Brown, learning the importance of recovery and the difference between running hard and training intelligently. Duggan qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials at 5,000 metres, ran 13:42, defeated Liquori in major races and earned a bronze medal in international competition in Israel. Duggan also recounts his remarkable relationship with Connecticut’s Manchester Road Race. After first running it as a teenager in 1968, he finished second several times before finally winning in 1980—and has continued returning every Thanksgiving despite a hip replacement, knee surgeries and even a ruptured ligament in his foot. He shares memorable stories about racing, coaching successful high-school teams in Florida and New York, and the mentors who influenced him, particularly Remigino, whose willingness to stand in a freezing downpour while timing a solitary workout taught Duggan what genuine coaching looks like.

    4.30 Charlie Duggan

  5. Aug 30

    4.29 Coach Matt Centrowitz Sr. Part 2

    In the second half of his conversation, Matt Centrowitz Sr. traces his path from elite athlete to influential coach. He describes working with Frank Gagliano and the Reebok Enclave—one of America’s pioneering post-collegiate training groups—before building American University’s running program from a modest cross-country team into a successful Division I track program. Centrowitz also explains how a torn hamstring ended his pursuit of the 5,000-metre world record and shares the remarkable story of returning to a historic four-mile road race a year after finishing near the back of the field, 40 pounds lighter and ready to win. Centrowitz reflects on coaching as an exercise in understanding the person behind the athlete, arguing that confidence, relationships and life circumstances matter as much as workouts. He discusses the origins of Like Father, Like Son, which began as a training manual before his son’s Olympic victory transformed it into a family story, It previews a documentary celebrating the coaches and communities that shaped his life. He also speaks candidly about suffering a stroke shortly after Bill Dellinger’s death, having cancer discovered during his hospitalization and continuing to exercise through chemotherapy. Now in remission, Centrowitz looks ahead to returning to Division I coaching and helping build the program at Presbyterian College in South Carolina.

    4.29 Coach Matt Centrowitz Sr. Part 2

  6. Aug 22

    4.28 Coach Matt Centrowitz Sr Part 1

    Episode 4.28: Matt Centrowitz Sr., Part 1 Four-time U.S. 5,000-meter champion Matt Centrowitz Sr. takes us from a tough childhood in New York City to becoming one of America's best distance runners. Matt talks about how track "saved his life," transferring to Power Memorial, training in Central Park and Van Cortlandt Park, and his breakthrough high school summer when he raced Craig Virgin, ran 8:56 for two miles and eventually 4:02 for the mile. Centro tells how being rejected by legendary Villanova coach Jumbo Elliott ultimately led him to Oregon, where he learned from Bill Dellinger and Steve Prefontaine. He explains what he saw in Pre's training that others missed, why his first year at Oregon turned out to be a blessing, and how his experience in the 1976 Olympics convinced him that his future was in the 5,000 meters. We also get inside his American-record 5,000-meter race with Alberto Salazar, his four straight national championships, Oregon's one-point 1977 NCAA cross-country championship, and his reaction to losing the 1980 Moscow Olympics to the U.S. boycott—including a memorable White House story involving Jimmy Carter that came full circle 25 years later. Matt's book, Like Father, Like Son: My Story on Running, Coaching and Parenting, tells the much bigger story—from his childhood and his own running career to coaching and raising two outstanding runners, including his son Matthew Centrowitz, the 2016 Olympic 1500-meter champion. And Matt's story is now coming to the screen in the upcoming Like Father Like Son documentary.Watch the documentary trailer:⁠https://vimeo.com/1197181663/4b3d83eb86⁠

    4.28 Coach Matt Centrowitz Sr Part 1

  7. Aug 15

    4.27 Gertrude Betsy Peace

    Running in the 70s episode 4.27 Gertrude Peace Gertrude “Betsy” Jackson-Peace started 1975, is a former standout middle-distance runner whose career stretched from Albany, New York (Albany High School Hall of Fame), to Howard University, where she set an 800-meter school record of 2:09.55 in 1982 that stood for an extraordinary 43 years and was selected as "XC/Track Legend". A lifelong runner, coach and mentor, Peace went on to spend decades introducing young athletes to track and field. In this conversation, she looks back on discovering running in the 1970s, competing at Howard during a formative era for women’s track, the training behind her remarkable 800-meter record and going to the 1980 Olympic trials, and a lifetime spent passing her love of the sport to the next generation through many clubs, including Hummingbird Track Club, Potomac Valley Flyers, USA-JA Track Club, Archbishop Carroll HS

    4.27 Gertrude Betsy Peace

  8. Aug 8

    4.26 Brad Kron

    Running in the 70s episode 4.26 Brad Kron, start 1964, Brockton High school teammate with Ron Wayne, Mass. state and New England XC team champs (1966), Springfield College, Brockton MA Athletic Hall Of Fame, coaching, 4th place team NE College Championship Springfield College'68 2nd place team College Div. iC4As '68-'70 3x top 20 finisher College Div IC4A's'70 4th place finisher Albany Invitational Ran 709 plus road races 1965-2016 Overall 1st place finisher in races in 5 decades

    4.26 Brad Kron
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About

Interviews with Cross Country Runners, Track Athletes, and Road Racers who ran in the 1970s

Information

  • Creator
    Matthew Kleinosky
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    167
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Matthew Kleinosky
  • Show Website
    Running In The 70s

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