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Who is Frank Shorter?
Frank Shorter, a co-founder of the Bolder Boulder, is a former long-distance runner. Similarly, he was the chairperson of the United States Anti-Doping Agency. Furthermore, at the Pan American Games in 1971, the runner won both the marathon and the 10,000-meter race.
Frank Shorter became the first American to win a gold medal in the Olympic marathon at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
He also won silver at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.
And the list of his accomplishments continues on; this is why he is regarded as a legend in the history of long-distant running.
Frank Shorter: Childhood and Education
On October 31, 1947, Frank Charles Shorter was born.
He was the second child of Samuel Sanford Shorter (father) and Katherine Chappell Shorter (mother).
Frank was born and raised in a large household; his parents had 10 children in addition to him.
Shorter, like his father, was born in Munich, Germany, where his father worked as an army doctor in postwar Germany.
The entire Shorter family moved to the United States in 1994.
After a long search, they found a home in Middletown, New York, in 1951.
Frank’s childhood was spent traveling and experiencing new locations.
Frank’s family relocated to New Mexico in 1965 after he became a missionary doctor there.
When Shorter relocated to New Mexico, he had the advantage of being able to practice running in oxygen-depleted air at an altitude of 7,000 feet.
Furthermore, Frank Shorter disclosed in one of his interviews that his father tormented him physically and psychologically while he was participating in a charity run for others who had endured child abuse.
Aside from that, Frank Shorter attended Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts, where he completed his primary education.
Frank also attended Yale College in New Haven to obtain his bachelor’s degree.
He graduated from university with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
The shorter valued study above all else; even after receiving his degree, he enrolled in medical school in 1969.
But he couldn’t finish his medical studies since he didn’t have enough money to pay his tuition, so he dropped out.
But he didn’t give up; in 1974, Frank received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Florida, completing his dream of becoming a doctor.
Frank Shorter: Body Dimensions
Frank, who is now seventy-four years old, celebrates his birthday on the last day of October, right after Halloween.
Shorter is also 5ft. 10 inches tall and weighs roughly 61 lbs.
Even at this age, he takes extraordinary care of his body and maintains it through a specific diet.
Career of Frank Shorter
As previously said, Frank was always interested in sports, particularly running.
He was an unbeaten cross-country champion in his senior year of high school.
Frank was trained at Yale by Bob Giegengack.
Similarly, he qualified alongside Jack Bachelor as a member of Jimmy Carnes’ Florida Track Club (FTC).
Frank earned his spot in the 1972 Olympics via devotion and hard work.
Shorter rose to prominence as a runner after winning the 1969 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) six-mile event during his final year at Yale.
In addition, in 1970, Frank won his first American national titles in the three-mile and six-mile distances.
In addition, the athlete won the American national cross-country title four times (1970- 1973).
Shorter won the Fukuoka Marathon four times, the world’s most prestigious event (1971- 1974).
Similarly, the Olympic runner won the prestigious 70-mile Falmouth Road Race on Cape Cod in 1975 and 1976.
He won the 10-kilometer Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta in 1977.
Olympics and Pan American Games
In 1972 and 1976, the Olympic runner won both the marathon and the 10,000-meter event in the United States Olympic Trials.
Shorter finished sixth in the 10,000-meter final.
He won the gold medal in the marathon at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
He also became the first American to win the Olympic marathon gold medal in 64 years.
Similarly, the runner dropped out of the 10,000-meter event at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.
Furthermore, the athlete finished second in the marathon.
Shorter won the marathon and 10,000-meter races in the 1971 Pan American Games in this manner.
The marathon winner also took bronze in the 1979 Pan American Games.
Best of Personality
The long-distance runner raced the Fukuoka Marathon on December 3, 1972, and set a new personal best time of 2:10.30.
Shorter reached his aim of posting a career-best 10,000-meter time of 27:45:91 in 1975 in this manner.
Other personal bests include a 3-mile time of 12:50.0 in 1974 and a 5000-meter time of 13:26.60 in 1977.
Retirement
The world-class marathon competitor retired at the age of 35.
However, he continued to compete in the master’s series far into his forties and fifties.
In 1979, the seasoned athlete also assisted in the organization of the Bolder Boulder, an annual 10-kilometer race in Boulder, Colorado.
After retiring from competitive long-distance racing, Shorter helped to establish the US Anti-Doping Agency.
In addition, the division is in charge of conducting Olympic drug testing.
In addition, the former runner led the US Anti-Doping Agency from 2000 to 2003.
Shorter even began speaking out against the use of illegal drugs in sports as a result of this.
Films & Books by Frank Shorter
Frank Shorter is a phenomenal athlete who also played a seasoned player in the 1998 film Without Limits.
Furthermore, the film focuses on Steve Prefontaine, Steve Shorter’s contemporaneous training partner, Olympic comrade, and occasional adversary.
The seasoned runner has also delivered track and field analysis on television.
Books
Frank’s book Olympic Gold: A Runner’s Life and Times (1984).
Similarly, he wrote “My Marathon: Reflections on Gold Medal Life.”
“Through a Child’s Eyes” and “Runner’s World with John Meyer” are further works inspired by Shorter’s life.
The book “Run For The Ages: Shorter’s Golden Moment in Munich Touched Millions” is likewise based on Frank’s biography.
Some of his publications also include autographs.
Honors and distinctions
Shorter is the only American athlete to have won two Olympic marathon medals.
Shorter was also elected into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame in 1984.
He was also inducted into the USA National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1989, as well as the National Distance Running Hall of Fame in 1998.
In addition, the James E. Sullivan Award was granted to the American amateur athlete who won the marathon.
Outside the Bolder, Boulder stadium is a life-size bronze monument of Shorter.
Every year, the Frank Shorter Track Classic honors many Olympians from Boulder and recalls Frank’s accomplishments as a runner throughout his career.
Similarly, Frank Shorter received The Frank Shorter Track Classic in 2018.
The Frank Shorter Track Classic honored Frank Shorter as the best distance athlete in American history in 2018.
Shorter’s physical conditioning improves as a result of the occasion.
Personal Life of Frank Shorter
There is little information available concerning Frank Shorter’s personal life.
Frank prefers to keep his personal life private and away from public scrutiny.
Frank has been married twice in his life, but neither marriage has lasted long.
Frank Shorter married his first wife, Louise Gilliland, in 1970.
However, after fifteen years of marriage, this couple divorced in 1985, and no one knows why.
On the other side, the runner married Patricia Walford for the second time on May 23, 1986, but the marriage ended in 2000.
In addition, Shorter is the father of seven children.
Aside from that, if we discover any information regarding his personal life, we will notify you as soon as possible.
Frank Shorter’s Salary
Frank Shorter’s principal source of income is as a long-distance runner.
But, regrettably, no one knows how much money Frank has amassed.
Frank Shorter’s net worth is believed to be between $1 million and $5 million.
He also made money as a co-founder of Bolder Boulder and as the head of the US Anti-Doping Agency.
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Presence on Social Media
Frank Shorter is not currently available on any social media platforms.
However, if you want to learn more about Frank, you can do so by searching the internet.
