Running thieves? …  Arturo Barrios, Mexico’s former 10,000 meter world record holder, commenting on what it was like when he began running in 1978 in Mexico City: “If people saw you running in the streets back then, they were likely to think you had stolen something.” 
–“Talk Test,” Runner’s World, Unable to validate article date

A what? … When vaulters carry their poles around in public, they are forever being asked what they’re doing.  “John Pennel (first man over 17 feet) and I used to tell people we were in a circus and the poles were balancing rods we used in a high-wire act. I told one guy that my pole was a salami. I said, ‘I get very hungry when I’m traveling.’ ”
–Bob Seagren, Mt.SAC alumnus; USC NCAA Champion; 1968 Olympic Champion; former world record-holder
–“Soaring with Seagren” by Charles Maher, Sport, 1966

A Legend Born: 20 years ago (July 22, 1987)…Said Aouita of Morocco broke the 13-minute barrier in Rome when he ran 5000 meters in 12:58.39. By the end of the decade Aouita held the 1500, 2000, 3000 and 5000 world records.
-LA84 Library, Los Angeles