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Lead Stories: Friday, December 5, 2008

Olympic Medalist John Woodruff Passes Away

Posted November 1st, 2007 at 6:48 PM by Martha Jones

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

According to The New York Times, National Track & Field Hall of Famer John Woodruff died Tuesday in Fountain Hills, Ariz. He was 92.

Best known for his amazing come-from-behind victory in the 800 meters at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany, Woodruff died of atrial fibrillation and chronic renal failure.

Of the 12 American men who won gold medals at the 1936 Olympics, Woodruff was the last survivor.

While only a freshman at the University of Pittsburgh in 1936, Woodruff took the track world by storm by finishing second in the 800 meters at the National AAU meet, then winning the Olympic Trials.

Despite his inexperience, he was quickly established as the favorite at the Berlin Olympics. He didn’t disappoint, though he had an anxious moment in the final when he found himself boxed in. He pulled a tactical coup, virtually slowing to a stop and waiting until the entire field passed him, then moving into the third lane and sprinting from last to first. His winning time was 1:52.9.
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“Boston Marathon in Iraq” to be held on Saturday, April 14.

Posted April 13th, 2007 at 1:00 PM by Allyson Rosen

Section: News & Results, Marathons

For the third consecutive year, coalition forces will trade in their combat boots for running shoes to participate in the “Boston Marathon in Iraq” to be held at the Tallil Air Base on Saturday, April 14. Last year’s race attracted close to 600 runners who circled the base before sunrise to escape the heat.

The race is organized by Army Cpt. Andrew Heymann and Cpt. Tom Tolman, a past Boston Marathon runner. The Boston Athletic Association – organizer of the Boston Marathon – along with several of its sponsors has provided official bib numbers, finisher’s medals, Patriots’ Day commemorative pins, official finisher’s certificates, olive wreaths for the winners, trophies for the top finishers, participant t-shirts, water bottles, and race program publications. Over the last three years, the Iraq/Boston Marathon has become a welcome diversion and morale boost for deployed soldiers stationed in Iraq.

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