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The Ed Stabler Syracuse Chargers National Long distance Running Collection

In December 1997, the Board of Directors of the Syracuse Chargers Track Club (the Chargers) authorized the creation of a running library in honor of Dr. Ed Stabler, to consist of books of historical significance, biographies, literary works, training books, medical and nutrition books, and bound volumes of running periodicals. The Ed Stabler Running Library was established through the Chargers mission to promote running and fitness education, and a desire to preserve the rich heritage of running. This library was recognized as the first public running collection in the world, re-creating the history of running through the stories of people and places. In the initial phase of collecting materials, the running library (the Collection) was housed at a private location. The initial holdings of the running library came from donations of more than 250 items, divided into six broad categories: biographies, history, literature, medical, training and multimedia. The mission of the Collection is to preserve the rich heritage of distance running through the stories of runners and races. The Collection features the world's largest public collection of biographies and publications of historical significance to distance running. The Collection resides in Bird Library at Syracuse University. It is open to the public and is accessible through Inter-Library Loan.

1.	Designation

An agreement between the Syracuse Chargers Track Club and Syracuse University provided a permanent home for the library, and with it came the official designation of Ed Stabler Syracuse Chargers National Distance Running Collection at Syracuse University Library. The Running Collection was dedicated on 9 June 1998. Arguably one of the most prolific local runners, Ed Stabler graciously accepted the honor, surrounded by family and friends from Syracuse University and the Central New York running community in celebration of his lifelong contribution to running. As he approached his eighth decade of running, Ed had just retired from Syracuse University where he taught electrical and computer engineering for 35 years.

2.	History

2.1	Overview

In her 1998 book “The American Marathon,” Pamela Cooper referred to the Collection as “probably the world’s most extensive collection for research on running.” The initial holdings were divided loosely into six overlapping categories: biographies, history, literature, medical, training and multimedia. The biographies of Evelyn Ashford, Roger Bannister, Joan Benoit, Sebastian Coe, Ron Daws, Clarence DeMar, Gil Dodds, Jim Fixx, Johnny Kelly, Michael Johnson, Eric Liddell, Carl Lewis, Marty Liquori, Liz McColgan, Jesse Owens, Steve Prefontaine, Bill Rodgers, Jim Ryun, Steve Scott, Frank Shorter and Dave Wottle had already been acquired. A wishlist of out-of-print books included the biographies of Zola Budd, Mary Decker Slaney, Rob DeCastella, Marlene Ottey, Steve Ovett, Anna Quirot, Grete Waitz and John Walker.

Books of historical significance included Louise Tricard's "History of American Women's Track and Field between 1895 and 1980," the histories of the Boston and New York City marathons, Kenneth Cooper's "Aerobics" that started the running boom, and Jim Fixx's "Complete Book of Running." George Orton's 1916 "Athletic Training for School Boys" and the United States Naval Institute 1943 "Track and Field Manual" led the category of rare books. Literary works on running included the complete writings of George Sheehan, and classic novels such as Alan Sillitoe's "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner" and John Parker's "Once A Runner."The medical portion of the library featured books on running physiology, injuries and nutrition. Included in this category are Tim Noakes' "Lore of Running," David Costill's "Inside Running," Joe Ellis' "Running Injury-Free," Nathan Pritikin's "Diet For Runners," and Nancy Clark's "New York City Marathon Cookbook."The training section started as the largest part of the library, consisting of selected books on running and racing. Classic works included Jeff Galloway's "Book of Running," Lawrence and Scheid's "Self-Coached Runner," Martin and Coe's "Training Distance Runners," and many books by Joe Henderson and Hal Higdon. In the early days of multimedia, the collection contained several VHS tapes with clippings from various Olympic Games, and movies such as "The Jericho Mile," "The Jesse Owens Story," "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner," "On the Edge" and "Wilma."

2.2	Board of Trustees

The agreement between Syracuse University and the Syracuse Chargers Track Club established a Board of Trustees to provide strategic direction to the Collection. The initial Board of Trustees consisted of: Dr. Kamal Jabbour, Dr. Marla A. Bennett, and Ms. Elizabeth Stabler.

2.3	Donations and Endowment On 15 June 1999, the Trustees of the Ed Stabler Syracuse Chargers National Distance Running Collection at Syracuse University Library approved the creation of an endowment to ensure the availability of the Collection to future generations. Private and corporate donations of money and books jump-started the collection. The initial list of donors included: •	Dr. Marla A. Bennett, Pompey NY •	Ron & Pat Bennett, Victor NY •	David Black, Dallas TX •	Marie Christopher, Liverpol NY •	Prof. Sam Clemence, Syracuse NY •	Richard Coleman, Delhi NY •	Joseph Connelly, Syracuse NY •	Karen Connelly, Syracuse NY •	Bob Domachowski, E Syracuse NY •	Dr. Mark Driscoll, Syracuse NY •	Randy Ericson •	Patti Ford, Pompey NY •	Prof. E. Bruce Fredrikson •	Dr. Sam Graceffo, Syracuse NY •	Prof. Miklos Gratzer, Syracuse NY •	Prof. Roger Hahn, Syracuse NY •	Ron Herrgessell •	Bill Hughes, in memoriam, East Syracuse NY •	Dr Kamal Jabbour, Pompey NY •	Randa Jabbour, Pompey NY •	Bill Kessler, Oswego NY •	Don Lakey, San Diego CA •	Kurt Krauss, Middletown NY •	Douglas Mayer, Baldwinsville NY •	Prof. Terry McConnell, Pompey NY •	Wally McRae •	Charlie Miller, Syracuse NY •	Larry Naukam, Fairport NY •	Wayne and Sally Nicoll, Augusta GA •	Bill O'Brian, in memoriam, Oswego NY •	Dave & Linda Oja, Syracuse NY •	Dave Patruno, Syracuse NY •	Anne Perfield, Cato NY •	Karl Pfefferle, Cheyenne WY •	Jack Pfeifer, New York NY •	Mark Powell •	Joe Reynolds •	Seymour "Joe" Ribyat, Dewitt NY •	Dr. Roger Robinson, New Zealand •	Howard Rubin, New Hartford NY •	Sr. Joan Sauro •	Diane Scherrer •	Melanie Scherenzel •	Prof. Ed Stabler, North Syracuse NY •	Griffin and Lois Stabler •	Coreen Steinbach, Pompey NY •	Katherine Switzer, New York, NY •	Irene Thompson, Syracuse NY •	Marsha Tillson, Shortsville NY •	Jackie Tompkins, New Hartford, NY •	Lennie Tucker, Baldwinsville NY •	Steve Vaitones, Boston MA •	John View, Syracuse NY •	Nick Wetter •	Nate & Evelyn White, Fayetteville NY •	Baoqing Ye, Beijing China •	Marathon and Beyond •	Runner's World Magazine •	Running Times Magazine •	Syracuse Chargers Track Club •	Syracuse University •	Syracuse University Press •	National Distance Running Hall of Fame, Utica, NY •	National Track & Field Hall of Fame Historic Library, Indianapolis IN •	USATF New England •	USATF Road Running Information Center In 2016, the Syracuse Chargers Board of Directors approved an additional donation to the endowment, permitting the recurring acquisition of books and monographs.

2.4	Pioneering Internet Streaming Media

On 24 June 2000, The Ed Stabler Syracuse Chargers National Distance Running Collection and TrackMeets.com reached an agreement by which TrackMeets.com would host the online streaming video archives of the Collection. This pioneering venture into Internet video streaming preceded the creation of YouTube by almost 5 years. Trackmeets.com transitioned to i2sports.com but discontinued production following the events of 911.

2.5	Ed Stabler

In the Words of his friend Dr. Kamal Jabbour, published in the Syracuse Post Standard on 2 June in 1997: It was sunny spring day. We started down Comstock Avenue towards Drumlins. A strong westerly wind created a chill in the air. Ed kept us running at a respectable pace as he recalled his early runs.

Young Ed Stabler started running in quest of a hot lunch. His family lived two miles away from Larchmont Elementary School. On many school days, Ed ran home during lunch break, drank a cup of Mrs. Stabler's hot soup, and ran back to school. At Mamarineck High School, Ed tried cross country and track. However, his first athletic success came later at Swarthmore College. He ran varsity cross country in the fall, and played lacrosse in the spring. He was Swarthmore's top runner. When he became tired of traveling to away races, he ran in home meets only.

When we reached Skytop, Ed was warmed up and I was out of breath. He recalled quitting running after college in favor of handball. One day, while waiting for a court at the Syracuse YMCA, a friend talked him into running the Boston Marathon. On minimal preparation, Ed ran and walked to a 3hr31min finish time. At age 37, that was his first road race ever. He was hooked. Disappointed with his time, he trained harder the following year, only to run 10 minutes slower. In the following two years, he raced frequently on the roads, and lowered his Boston time to 2hr52min.

Past Skytop, we left the road and ran on the SU cross country course. Ed pushed the pace as he recalled his best performances. At 45, he ran the Schenectady 30K in 1hr45min. He gave up Marathons in his forties, and resumed running them at 50. He ran his best Boston in 2hr31min at age 51. At 60, he competed at the WAVA Masters World Championship in Eugene, Oregon. He won a silver medal in the Marathon in 2hr50min, and a mix of medals in the 10K races on the road, on the track, and on the trails. Following Eugene, Ed established a monopoly on the US National Marathon Championships for several years. At times, he beat his nearest age group competitors by over 18 minutes.

As we ran across the Drumlins, Ed shared with me his running philosophy. He lamented that he did not enjoy training hard. He ran for fun and did not follow any set schedule. He liked to run with friends and colleagues. He ran whenever and wherever he felt like running. He insisted on getting winded on every run. He did not stretch, although he thought it was a good idea that he should try someday. He raced sporadically, yet he competed intensely. He did not hesitate to drop out of a race if he was not happy with his pace.

We finished our run at Archbold Gymnasium with a wind sprint. Afterwards, we walked to Ed's office at Syracuse University. A computer engineering professor who ran in his free time, Ed had assembled an impressive array of national titles and records. He hid his championship patches and medals in the drawer of his file cabinet. Recently, the Syracuse Chargers Track Club honored Ed Stabler for his lifetime contributions to running.

Ed Stabler may be an exceptional runner, but he is not the exception. Like Ed, many athletes burn out by the end of high school or college. They spend their twenties and thirties starting family and career. Then suddenly, a mid-life crisis or just a few extra pounds send them back to the track. Under the cover of darkness and anonymity, they discover that they can still run. Their fluid stride, if not their speed, returns naturally. They remember coaches and races. They realize that they miss the competition. Soon, they start a running diary and a plan. Shortly after, they toe the start line of the first race of their new life.

These new born runners grace our track and roads. They enter local and international races. They compete in age groups against their peers. At forty, fifty, sixty and seventy, these veterans put younger runners to shame. The Ed Stablers of the running world finish in the top tier in open competition. On any given day, they can beat most high school athletes. These masters of running are living proof that running is more than just a sport. Running is a way of life.

As he settled in his chair, Ed lamented about the plight of our youths. Without role models, many go through life as spectators. They lack the motivation to run. In turn, running brings self-respect, desperately needed by teen agers. As I prepared to leave, Ed urged me to memorize this poem, which his grandfather taught him at age four:

I see trouble. I see it steady. When trouble comes, I am ready.

This poem is as true today, as it was during the depression. We see trouble in our children's eyes. It has become a steady part of our life. Through running, we prepare them better to face trouble when it comes.

3.	References

Pamela Cooper, “The American Marathon,” Syracuse University Press, 1998.