CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Kip Keino signed autographs at the Honolulu Marathon Expo yesterday.
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Legends go Shorter route
Honolulu Marathon participants run with their idols in fun 5K
Frank Shorter won his Olympic Gold medal 34 years ago, but he's still a major celebrity in the running world, and Honolulu Marathon participants can't get enough of him.
Shorter signed autographs and posed for photographs with fans for a couple of hours following the Legends 5K event in Kapiolani Park yesterday morning, where approximately 500 people showed up to run alongside their idols.
"My goal is to not look as old as I am," joked the 59-year-old Shorter, who still bikes, lifts weights and runs 60 miles per week, and has come to Honolulu for the marathon -- to run or make celebrity appearances -- for 30 years.
Shorter, who also won a silver medal in the 1976 Olympics, is in town with several other running legends. They signed autographs yesterday at the Marathon Expo, and will be available from 10 a.m. to noon again today at the Hawaii Convention Center.
The reason marathon executives invite these legends is because "we like to honor the history of running," said Honolulu Marathon race director Jon Cross. "When Jim (Barahal) and I were young and running, our heroes were Kip Keino and Frank Shorter."
He said that former Olympic gold medalist Keino is "bigger than Michael Jordan" in his home country. Years ago, Keino used his prize money to buy a farm, which he and his wife converted into a school that has educated many children, including some who were abandoned.
"His heroics did not stop when he crossed the finish line in Munich," Cross said.
Cross said Keino canceled a visit with the president of Kenya to come to Honolulu, where he's taken time to speak to students in several different schools.
Greg Meyer, the last American man to win the Boston Marathon in 1983, also participated in the Legends 5K run. He talked about his difficult transition from world-class athlete to an average guy in pursuit of fitness.
"I got really lazy for a few years," said the University of Michigan development officer. "You go through this whole thing, 'If I'm not competing, why do it?' And your mind still remembers what your body used to be able to do, and you just get frustrated. It just slips away."
Before he knew it, he had gained 30 pounds.
And he soon realized that he didn't want to live his life that way.
"It's a whole different mentality now. You get enjoyment out of feeling good, not out of racing other people."
Back to his competition weight, he said he looks forward to returning to Honolulu every year, where he signs autographs and provides commentary during the marathon.
"What's neat about coming back to Hawaii is it feels like family," he said. "It's a friendly marathon."
Shorter added that the Honolulu Marathon has evolved, but it "never loses contact with where it came from." He is part of that past, as the second-place finisher in the 1976 Honolulu Marathon. He's also a factor in its evolution, as one of the first to organize a tour group from Japan for the 1982 race through his clothing company Frank Shorter Running Gear, a division of Asics.
His other significant contributions to the sport include playing a role in making it possible for athletes in an amateur sport to earn a living, and initiating international drug testing for athletes by founding USADA, the United States Anti-Doping Agency.
Mark Shorter (no relation to Frank), a Vancouver resident who has completed the Honolulu Marathon 19 times, said he enjoyed the Legends 5K.
"You get to run with people who have done it all in this business," he said. "You're right there with them. You can't do that with car racing or golf or anything else."
Honolulu Marathon president Jim Barahal agreed.
"It's not a competitive event; we don't give any awards," he said. "It's a chance to get on part of the marathon course and start to feel some of the excitement for the marathon on Sunday. Not only can fans walk up and take pictures (with the running legends), they can beat them in the race."