the trouble with culture .

[Scott DeFillipis - "Scott D"]

Wow I had no idea German Silva had passed

[marie]

The last generation ''died''.... is a metaphore. Nobody is coming behind those great marathoners. Silva and Cerón, both lives. There is in youtube an interesting interview (Spanish) from Cerón regarding the lack of young following their path. It's certainly true, you do not become great sitting under the sun or in front of the TV. Silva comes from the ''campo,'' and works carrying orange as a kid.

[Scott DeFillipis - "Scott D"]

Douughhh SHould have read that more carefully.  Anyway I can remember watching him NYC Marathon back when I was just getting into running.  Look out for Leo Manzano, Mexican American Miler...If he ever moves up to the marathon he could do great things with his size and speed!!

[BrianShea]

Scott,

Not to take this thread in a totally different direction, but Silva actually raced IM Cozumel last yr:

http://www.asdeporte.com/resultadoseventos/detallep01.asp?evento=2461&id=10602599&criterio=ID_INSCRIPCION

He's always been an athlete I've followed since the infamous wrong turn in NYC '94 & when he won it the following yr as well (my 1st marathon).

[marie]

This is precisely the point to make. Doc knows that the new generation of Brazilians is not there, and we do not see somebody (mentioned this someplace in the forum) like Karla Moreno or Fernanda Keller in the horizon.  Silva worked with Kenyans in Mexico after retiring from running. He also worked as commentator for Televisa when needed; he also tried to get involved with the Federation but they were afraid of him and did not allow him in. His coach Rodolfo Gómez, who was twice second place in the New York Marathon himself, mentioned that the reason why he was sixth place in Barcelona probably was the fact that he missed training practice for a week three weeks before the Olympic Marathon.  Rodolfo Gómez was trained by Kempka, from Poland, that came to Mexico for the 1968 Olympics. Kempka stayed in Mexico and still tries to train runners at the age of 70 something.  This kind of chain is needed to continue with the sport culture or any culture.  The Zapotecs in Oaxaca hardly know what their culture was after the cultural chain broke 500 hundred years ago.

[Keegan Williams - "kiwiman"]

I am going to harp on about Lydiard again 

In his first book "Run to the top" he mentions the time he spent in Mexico in 1966 and there are some photos

Talks about a runner called Alfredo Penaloza who he descirbes as "potentially the greatest" while training him to a 2.25 marathon after 3 months
And there is another photo of the marathon champion Luis Buendea training at 7000 feet

[doc]

you cant harp  on liddiyard  here
doc  in awe
we bow to the gods of performance
yre he was contracted to mexican federation
he left a broken man
" if only the people with the politics would but out
i have found a nation of great distance runners"
but its not to be .
i will die of frustration working here

[marie]

Alfredo Peñaloza (born 1947), 21 years old in 1968 Mexico City games finished the marathon in 2:29:48 placing 13th. Pablo Garrito, 30 years old at the times finished with 2:35:47. Four years later, Peñaloza finished the Munich Olympic Marathon in 2:25:51, placing 45th. His personal best was in 1972 in Boston Marathon with 2:18:46.
Rodolfo Gomez (born 1950) was certainly the one who made the bridge between the next generations. In 1980, he was 6th in Moscow Olympic marathon in 2:12:39, leading the race until the 35th km. His personal best was 2:09:33 in the New York marathon in 1982.  Then he began to coach a number of athletes, as I said, Silva (born 68), 6th in 2:14:29 in Atlanta Olympic marathon, with a personal best of 2:08:66 in 1998.
Then a long silence arrives. 
or how not to die of frustration

Peñaloza and Gómez were about the same age but ended up with different accomplishments.  Gómez stopped competing at the age of 37.  I remember having a skinny girl from the age of 5 in my team. She was brilliant before the culture and the family ate her. At 9 years old she was running 3:40 1km. She had an incredible cadence when running and a personal drive. But the culture inside the family just shaded her and finally she became looking and acting like her family. She left the team at the age of 12, before going to Middle School.  How to create a culture where success is inevitable is maybe the main point.