09/03/2026
The Road to 50
What was it like to run in the early day? The fields were smaller, but the competition and mindsets were right on!
JUNE 18, 1972
WALLY RODRIQUEZ, 2:27:06 | ROSE THOMAS, 3:35
This year the marathon gods smiled upon the race and the temperatures were unseasonably cool. Two hundred and two runners started and 179 finished. This marked the beginning of local phenom Wally Rodriquez’s domination of road racing in these parts. Wally cruised home in 2:27:06 finishing 6 seconds ahead of Dan Price from Tiffin. After the race, Wally, who ran for the People’s Track Club, a sixties icon if there ever was one, said “I just ran in a meet yesterday and I didn’t know how I would do!” At that meet Wally ran a 4:11 mile. Rich Lachowski confirmed it, “Yeah, he really did!” Heading the field of four women was Rose Thomas of Sharon, PA in 3:35.
Runners of note: Rich Lachowski, 2:38; Mark Lohman, now approaching puberty at age 14 ran a 3:14; Sy Mah, 3:18; Dick Bowers, 3:31; Lou Wagner, 2:47; and Rick Syre, 2:48.
The race results listed all the men by their normal first and last names, while every woman was identified with a Mrs. or a Miss designation. A pre-race story appeared in The Blade describing a Dr. Douglas Austin who was blind and attempting to run the race guided by a bicycle guide. He did not appear among the finishers.
JUNE 17, 1973
SID SINK, 2:32 | SIGRID NADON, 3:18
The race continued to be on Father’s Day. One hundred eighty-six of 230 (80%) runners managed to finish on a typically hot June day. Sid Sink, an All-American from Bowling Green, won the race in 2:32. Sigrid Nadon was the women’s winner in 3:18, twenty-five minutes faster than her time the previous year.
“Running marathons is just a sidelight for me right now”, said Sink. Sid went on to describe his diet before the race. Some of our veteran runners will recognize it as the old carbohydrate depletion diet. “On Monday and Tuesday my diet was 90% protein. On Friday and Saturday it was 90% carbohydrate. The idea is to super pack your body with carbohydrates.”
The third edition of the GCM was the eighth largest race in the United States and the second largest of the 30 midwest marathons!
