Talk:Detroit Free Press Marathon

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Results links

These can be used as references for a winner's table. KyuuA4 (Talk:キュウ) 04:53, 5 December 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Conflicting story of origin of Detroit Free Press International Marathon in 1978

The Detroit Free Press International marathon (which crosses between Detroit, MI and Windsor, ON) began in 1978. The existing references from the DFP website and DFP Marathon website state that Neal Shine, managing editor of the DFP, and Ladd Newman, sports editor, organized the 1978 international marathon.

However, there is a conflicting story that has been inserted in the Wikipedia article a couple times, that Major General Stan Connelly and Jerry Coyle organized the 1978 international marathon. This has been removed each time - most recently by me - due to the above conflict, and for lack of references.

With a little googling, I found at least two websites with the latter story: [1] and [2].

So I started searching the DFP archives to try to resolve the conflict.

I found that Stan Connelly did run in the DFP International Marathon in 1978 and following years. He is mentioned in the DFP newspaper dated 23 October, 1978, the day after the marathon: '...Stan Connelly, 65, a retired Army major general, wore radio earphones "just to pass the time." Connelly, running in his 10th marathon, finished the race and remarked, "I'm getting slower."' -- with no mention of him being involved in organizing the marathon he just ran.

He is also mentioned in 1979, but again, as a participant, not an organizer.

I did finally find in the DFP of 17 September, 1982: '"Connelly deserves special attention in his own books. Though he was 68 last year and the third-oldest runner in a field of 4,912, he ran a 4:40 and beat nearly 400 runners. That alone doesn't make him interesting. There's also his extensive volunteer work for Focus:HOPE; ..." And an inset paragraph: "Marathon deadline: Tonight -- To join Stan Connelly in this year's Free Press International Marathon Oct. 3, your registration must be postmarked by tonight. ... If you were in last year's marathon and would like a copy of Connelly's latest book, send a money order or check for $5 to: We're All Winners, Focus:HOPE ... '

From this, it appears to me that Stan Connelly started a fundraising program for Focus:HOPE in the 1978 DFP International Marathon, where he and his daughter would gather the finish times of all finishers and prepare a book ("We're All Winners") which could be purchased, to raise funds for Focus:HOPE. I.E. he organized a fundraiser in conjunction with the 1978 DFP International Marathon; he did not organize the marathon itself.

The last paragraph above is my hypothesis of how the alternate story may have originated. I don't plan to add the "Stan Connelly story" to the article unless I find a more definitive explanation. Harris7 (talk) 22:21, 3 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]