Germany – Disney Employee Engagement Speaker

Prefontaine 1972 Munich Olympics

Steve Prefontaine. The son of an Oregon logger man.

Too small for football. Too slow for track. Not a sprinter. Also not fast enough to be a great miler.

But, he could endure more pain than anyone else.

He set the the National High School two-mile record. Bill Bowerman, the University of Oregon head Track Coach, recruited “Pre” and the two of them forever changed American running.

Steve Prefontaine is the only athlete, ever, which Nike has immortalized with a bronze statue. Are ya with me? The only one.

This You Tube video is the final five minutes (of a 13-minute race) of the 1972 Munich Olympics 5,000 meter final. It’s breathtaking, and awe inspiring to watch a man run the best race of his life, and finish fourth.

America thought the best was still to come and the world knew that Steve Prefontaine would return in four years, with a vengence and determination to win the Olympic Gold medal and set a new World Record.

But a tragic, late night car crash changed all that.

Carpe diem.

Wait There’s More

What do Guido Mueller and Roger Bannister have in common?

Most people know Roger Bannister was the first person (1956) to run one mile in less than four-minutes.

So what did Guido Muller do? By the way, this is the same Guido as in yesterday’s post.

People who know, claim that what Guido Muller did in August at the 2009 Master’s Track & Field World Championships in Finland, is equivalent to what Roger Bannister did – humanly impossible.

I was there when it happened. In fact, I was filming all the 400 meter final races. And then this happened:

Impossible is nothing. Carpe diem.

You Can Observe A Lot

“You can observe a lot by watching.” – Yogi Berra

What did you learn from watching Germany’s Guido Mueller, age 70, break that world record?

I learned age is a state of mind. And the longer you wait to believe this, the harder it must be to do something about it.

I also learned it’s better late than never – otherwise, my wife and I wouldn’t be parents.

What are you waiting for? For the people around you, will you be an example, or a warning? Carpe diem.

Lane 8 – The Results

Lane 8 – The Results. Folks want to know, “How’d ya do at the WMA Masters World Championships in Lahti, Finland”?

I did really, really well. Superfantastic actually. Beyond what I thought was possible this year.

However, I must start with the top line results:

BMI, Triglycerides, Cholesterol, and Blood Pressure – the big four.

All have been tracking at very good to excellent levels.

Do you know your big four?

I never used to, but the health experts say these are the top, overall health metrics we should discuss with our personal physicians.

Not long ago, I decided to get a handle on what these mean and why they are important.

How’s your handle on your big four?

Carpe diem, jeff noel 🙂

PS. Guido Muller, in the photo, set the M70 400 meters World Record, just minutes before the photo was taken. His achievement has been compared to the equivalent of Roger Bannister breaking the 4-minute mile barrier back in 1954.

Lane 8 World Record 400 Meters

Lane 8 world record at 400 meters being set as I video the men’s 70-74 age group.

Germany’s Guido Muller is the oldest man ever (repeat, ever) to run 400 meters under one minute.

It’s sort of like Roger Bannister breaking the four-minute mile barrier in 1954.

There is so much I have to share from the WMA Master’s World Championships. Each day, you can expect more from the week-long trip to Lahti, Finland.

Watch him do it here in front of my very eyes two days ago:

Click here to see Forbes list of the top 20 athletic achievements from the past 150 years. Forbes voted Roger Bannister’s feat number one. Lance Armstrong was voted second.