A letter we received;

'Final Comment' about the Chicago Marathon and how the announcers represented the winning athletes.

Steve: Larry and Eliot, who must certainly by now be comparable in wit, if
not wisdom, to the old Bob and Ray, need to get their act, if not their
prejudices, in order.

I'm sure that Khalid Khannouchi does not mind being identified as a
"Moroccan", even though he has applied for American citizenship, and is
married to a "native" (?) American (read: white) woman. And perhaps David
Morris (the Alaskan) is, indeed, of Aleut or other native American origin.
If I win the race (which isn't likely in this life) will I be the "Swiss
Champion" ? What about Cesar Smith ? Is he still an African ? Perhaps
Larry and Eliot can trace their lineage back to Leif Ericson or Christopher
Columbus, so they're possibly either Norwegian or Italian. But they're most
certainly idiots.

Quite frankly, I'm sick of this prejudice, and the writers (including Joe
Henderson and his infamous editorial "The Kenyan Question" RW) who continue
to foment it.

Maybe it matters in the Olympics, where other issues of integrity seem to be
taken so lightly, but it ought not matter in the running world, and
especially not in marathons.

Feel free to share this diatribe with whomever you wish.

Thank you so much for all you've done for Iowa running, but is Jim Smedema
really an Iowan ? How about his grandfather ?

Thanks for listening.

Tom Bachmann

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