Frank Shorter was a helluva runner. He was born on October 31, 1947. He reached his peak in 1972 when he won the Olympic Marathon. He was the first American to do so in 64 years.
His secret to success was training for an early surge. At mile 9, very early in the race, the pack had tightened up and started to slow a little. Then he surged for a minute, and put the rest 30 meters behind him. It was all down hill from there. After mile 20, he was a minute ahead of the next runners, and in the twisting streets of Munich he was out of sight, out of mind. He ended up winning by over 2 minutes.
Today, Frank Shorter still runs, and heads a small company that makes running clothing and other products. He is still seen as an American icon in the running scene. I had the privilege of running a race with him, and he managed to run a 40-minute 10k with a bad achilles tendon. Not bad for a former olympic champion.