Bowerman..--finished

I just finished off Bowerman and the Men of Oregon tonight. I really enjoyed it. Other than what I saw about him in one of the Prefontaine movies, I didn't know much more about his life. I also knew that Oregon is a kind of Mecca for US track & field so with him being a long time coach I knew he had to have played a major part. From the movie I knew he was associated with Nike, but had no idea the major role/co-founder that he was.

Bowerman can really be classified as a type of Renaissance man. He raised cattle & chickens on this home ranch, but undertook breeding of both in great detail. He also worked on developing the rubberized tracks. His shoe developments extended far beyond just for track athletes--not that many of these were put into production though. He was a major fundraiser as a coach. He was an Olympic coach. He had a decorated stint in the Army during WWII. He helped get the whole town/state behind his track program and supporting it in money & attendance. He helped one of his sons fight a '70's type Hindu leader who was in the process of starting a large commune next to one of his son's ranches. I am sure there is more as well.

The other striking thing is the impression he left on the people that were around him. He wasn't just a track or running coach, he prepared people for life. The number of success stories of his athletes that are outside of running is pretty amazing. He was not afraid to teach talented college students the lessons of hard work outside of athletes. I am sure these lessons helped develop these men into the successes they were later in life.

My only real criticism is that Bowerman almost seems too good to be true in the book. Some faults are kind of hinted at but not really mentioned. Of course the author was a Man of Oregon so it does seem like a little hero worship could have been included in the book. Since I don't know anything about Bowerman except what I just finished reading, I could be wrong on this criticism as well. Of course it could also be that whatever faults he had were simply over shadowed by his positives and the tough love lessons he taught.

I would certainly recommend this book especially if someone has an interest in running, Prefontaine or Nike. I am glad that I read this book and now know a little more about some interesting topics.

By the way I did get a run in yesterday. I ran 3 miles. First mile was around 14:15, 2nd mile around 13:05 and 3rd mile around 13:00 even. Slow but happy I got it in. Wife and 2 oldest kids going to Six Flags tomorrow so I will be picking up the youngest after work. Most likely no run tomorrow then.