In April 1996, German runner Uta Pippig won the 100th running of the Boston Marathon, under extraordinarily difficult personal conditions. I celebrate her achievement in the metre of Longfellow's Hiawatha.
A Valiant Athlete (1996)
See the runner Uta Pippig,
Run the hundredth Boston Marathon,
Battling cramps and diarrhoea,
Surging past the Kenyan, Tegla.
See the well-trained Uta Pippig,
Turn from Hereford onto Boylston.
Not a soul is close behind her!
Hear the crowd shout, "Uta! Uta!"
Can she sense her third straight victory?
See Ms. Pippig at the finish,
Bravest, swiftest Uta Pippig,
Crowned in laurel by the governor.
Dehydration, menstruation,
Diarrhoea couldn't stop her!
Now she speaks to packed reporters,
Gladly faces camera lenses,
Sets at naught her gastric trouble:
"Little problem with my stomach."
Yes, the runner Uta Pippig
(May her name be always honoured!)
Had the runs, but didn't lose it,
Finished first and kept on smiling,
Earned the praise of all and sundry.
Poetry by Uncle Meridian
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Written on 2023-12-24 at 18:34
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