This Day in Track & Field, October 22, Emil Zatopek regains WR at 10,000m (1949), Grete Waitz wins her debut marathon at NYC (1978), by Walt Murphy News & Results Services

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by Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service (wmurphy25@aol.com), used with permission

This Day in Track & Field–October 22

1949—Czech Emil Zátopek regained the World Record in the 10,000-meters, running 29:21.2 in Ostrava, the site of his 1^st World Record that was set in June.

WR Progression: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10,000_metres_world_record_progression

29:28.2  Emil Zátopek   Ostrava, Czechoslavakia     6-11-1949

29:27.2  Viljo Heino  Finland  Kouvala, Finland   9-1-49

29:21.2      Zátopek  Ostrava  10-22-49

29:02.6     Zátopek  Turku, Finland  8-4-50

29:01.6     Zátopek    Stará Boleslav, Czechoslavakia  11-1-53

28:54.2     Zátopek    Brussels, Belgium  6-1-54

28:42.8   Sándor Iharos  Hungary  Budapest, Hungary 7-15-56

http://www.runningpast.com/emil_zatopek.htm

1966—Marty Liquori, a senior at Essex Catholic H.S.(NJ), won the Eastern States X-Country title at NY’s Van Cortland Park, setting a Course Record of 12:23.2 (2-1/2 Miles).

VCP

1978—Running the distance for the first time, Norway’s Grete Waitz won the  NY City  Marathon in 2:32:29.8, more than two minutes faster than the World Record of 2:34:47.5, which had been set in 1977 by Germany’s Christa Vahlensieck, who had dropped out of the NY race.

Swearing she would never run another marathon because of the pain involved, Waitz soon had a change of heart and would become a favorite of NY City fans after winning the race an additional 8 times! She would also win the marathon at the inaugural World Championships in Helsinki in 1983 and finished 2nd to Joan Benoit in the first women’s Olympic marathon in 1984.

Waitz, who lost her battle with cancer in 2011, had already established herself as one of the world’s best female distance runners, setting two World Records in the 3000-meters and winning the first of her five World X-Country titles in early 1978.

After finishing a disappointing 3rd in the 3000 at the…