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Uta Pippig has a contagious condition. Her genuine, gleaming white smile spreads to everyone around her. I witnessed this a few weeks before this year's Boston Marathon, as she and her coach and companion Dieter Hogen addressed a group of runners in Boulder, Colorado. The crowd was restless when she arrived, having waited over a half-hour past the scheduled start time of the talk. Uta melted any edge to the group's temperament quickly with her soft, friendly voice and ready laugh.
If anyone had a right to be on edge, it was Uta. Unsure if she would be going back to Boston, her training not quite where she wanted it to be, a chance at another Boston victory was nonetheless dangling like a carrot before her nose.
Even without another Boston win, Uta has certainly made a place for herself in marathon history. A best of 2:21:45 makes her the third fastest marathoner of all time. She won the Boston and Berlin marathons three times each, and also managed a win at New York. As impressive as this list of accomplishments may be, many remember her best for the way she wins.
Uta normally blows kisses to the crowd as she approaches the finish. She celebrates her victory without the common, self-centered approach of so many athletes. Instead, she makes the crowd a part of the experience; she shares it with them and people love her as a result. |
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发表于 2009-3-2 19:31:23
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