RIP Pat Porter

Two-time Olympian Pat Porter (1984 and 1988) died in a plane crash yesterday along with his son and one of his son's friends. He leaves behind his wife Trish (a former Olympian in the high jump) and his daughter. While Porter's forte on the track was the 10,000 meters, his real niche was cross country where he was a consistent top-10 performer in the World Cross Country Championships and won 8 consecutive US titles. Porter was one of my favorite runners. He was a fearless front runner -- I vividly remember him leading the World XC race in 1984 (back when network television would show sports like cross country) before fading to fourth behind legends Carlos Lopes, Tim Hutchings and Steve Jones. Tomorrow I will hammer 8 or 9 miles in his memory. RIP.