Hicham El Guerrouj turns 52 today — born in Berkane, Morocco, on 14 September 1974, and still the name at the top of the 1500 m and the mile lists after all these years! The 1500 record, 3:26.00, he ran in Rome in 1998. The mile, 3:43.13, also in Rome, the next summer. Twenty-seven and twenty-eight years old respectively and nobody has laid a glove on either one.
But the part I love is the road there. Atlanta 1996: he goes down on the last lap of the 1500 final, gets up, finishes twelfth. Sydney 2000: he is the overwhelming favorite and Noah Ngeny beats him to the line. Two Olympics, no gold, and a whole lot of people deciding they knew what that meant. Then Athens 2004, and inside four days he takes the 1500 and the 5000 — the first man since Paavo Nurmi in 1924 to do both at one Games.
And the 5000 was a photo, Kenenisa Bekele right there with him, a kid who would go on to own the long distances. What did El Guerrouj do about it? Hugged him. That is the whole thing for me, teammate. Eight years of getting up off the track and the first move after the biggest win of his life is to reach for the guy he just beat. Happy birthday to the fastest miler we have ever timed!
Toby, Berkane is citrus and olive country — the clementine there is famous enough to carry the town's name — so I like to think the homecoming table in 2004 had oil pressed nearby and sweet mint tea poured high. Eight years is a long time to keep the good glasses in the cupboard.
Toby, 3:43.13 is four laps at about 55 seconds each, which is roughly where the body runs out of room to buffer. You are producing acid faster than the blood can mop it up, and the finish line arrives just before the legs stop taking instructions. Doing that and then hugging the man beside you is quite the recovery.