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ASICS Corporation chairman Kihachiro Onitsuka died on Saturday September 29 of heart failure in a hospital in Kobe, Japan. He was 89.
Mr. Onitsuka was born on May 29, 1918, in Tottori Prefecture in western Japan. Concerned at the sight of the nation’s youth after World War II, he made it his mission to […]

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Four-time Olympic gold medalist, former world record holder and National Track & Field Hall of Famer Al Oerter died Monday of heart failure in Fort Myers Beach, Fla. He was 71.
The greatest athlete ever to compete in the discus, Oerter participated in four Olympics, always as the underdog, and always came out the winner. With […]

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Under the warm Southern California sun, which no doubt had influenced his sunny disposition, hundreds of family, friends and running industry colleagues gathered at Mission Point Park to remember Elite Racing’s legendary elite athletes coordinator, Mike Long, who died unexpectedly last week at 65.
Tears flowed freely as more than a dozen people came to the […]

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One of America’s greatest long distance running enthusiasts and the face of San Diego’s Elite Racing, Mike Long, died Wednesday at his home in Mission Beach, Calif. Long, who friends and family believe died of a heart attack, was 65.
Well known for traveling the world to recruit professional runners to compete in the Rock ‘n’ […]

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Two runners who participated in the 82nd Comrades Marathon died on Sunday, one during the race and one afterwards. The ultramarathon, which had more than 12,000 entrants, was run over 89.3 km between Pietermaritzburg and Durban.
Michael Gordon (34) died shortly after being helped across the finish line by fellow runners. He apparently suffered a heart […]

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Jim Fortner is a weekly, guest contributor to TheFinalSprint.com. Make sure to also check out his own personal running and advice site: “Jim2’s Running Page”.
I was angry….and hurt. But, mostly, I was tired. Drained. The events of the day had exhausted me, both physically and emotionally..
Although it was a nice day for a run […]

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Looks can be deceiving. One quick glimpse at runner Sydney Wooderson would likely cause comparisons to Woody Allen rather than a world-class athlete. Despite his small stature and wiry frame, Wooderson was one of the most impressive personalities in amateur running history.
Living to the age of 92, an impressive feat in-and-of itself, he […]

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