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Tuesday, August 14, 2012

down olympics memory lane; remembering the inspirational Tanzanian marathoner Tanzanian runner John Stephen Ahkwari

from: http://speedendurance.com

How to Finish a Marathon – 1968 Olympics in Mexico City

In the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Tanzanian runner John Stephen Ahkwari was the last runner in the marathon.
He came in about an hour and a half after the winner, practically carrying his leg, as it was so bloodied and bandaged.
Film Director Bud Greenspan asked him, “Why did you keep going?” He said, “You don’t understand. My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start a race, they sent me to finish it.”
Here is the video (duration 2min:19sec)

Video thumbnail. Click to play
Tanzania’s John Stephen Ahkwari – Click To Play

Comments

  1. 10K Training says:
    August 19, 2009 at 9:16 pm
    Ohh, that runner was great. But what was actual reason he completed race where there was no hope for winning anything?
    Reply
  2. 10k Training says:
    January 26, 2011 at 5:42 am
    “Pushing yourself to another level, beyond what you thought was posible”.
    “When you want to give in, success is just around the corner”.
    These are the words my father told me when I was a little boy. I take it with me to this day.
    RIP Dad.
    Reply
  3. Ben says:
    February 20, 2011 at 9:39 pm
    The real hero of hearts is Ahkwari.
    But the real hero of logic is: Mamo Wolde
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamo_Wolde
    Reply
  4. Arnulfo says:
    July 26, 2011 at 11:45 pm
    Jimson. It is an excellent idea to remember this case, but the Film Director was not Bud Greenspan. It was the mexican Alberto Isaac. This video comes from the original movie, named “Olimpiada en Mexico”. After its exhibtion, the movie was loosed and Filmoteca Nacional (an institution from Mexico) looked for the original negatives to make a restoration (I am not sure about the word in English). It was necessary 1 million dollars to get it again. This work was finished between 2005 and 2006.
    Thanks
    Reply

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  4. Getting started Monday! - Page 35 - Transformation Forum says:
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  6. Running the race « a life review says:
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