THE REAL RUNNER
In the 1972 Olympics at Munich, Germany, the climax of the marathon race was marked by confusion and deception. Frank Shorter was the U.S. bet to win the gold and having led for much of the race, he was expected to enter the stadium for the final lap of the grueling run. As the time drew near, a runner entered the stadium much to the delight of the crowd. As 50,000 applauded and cheered someone they thought was Frank Shorter striding to an Olympic gold medal, at least one person caught the deception. Erich Segal, author by profession and marathoner by choice, knew instantly the man on the track was an imposter. How did he reach that quick conclusion? He didn’t know the imposter, but he knew Frank Shorter. He had met Frank, spoken with him, built a relationship, and followed his career for several years. While he had not a clue about the imposter, television audiences in America heard Erich…
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