# #734 - Martin Dugard - The Long Run: Steve Prefontaine, Frank Shorter, Joan Benoit, Grete Waitz, and the Decade That Made the Marathon Cool Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-rambling-runner-podcast-743308/734-martin-dugard-the-long-run-steve-prefontaine-frank-shorter-joan-benoit-grete-waitz-and-the-decade-that-made-the-marathon-cool Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-rambling-runner-podcast-743308/734-martin-dugard-the-long-run-steve-prefontaine-frank-shorter-joan-benoit-grete-waitz-and-the-decade-that-made-the-marathon-cool.md Podcast: [The Rambling Runner Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-rambling-runner-podcast-743308) Published: 2026-04-14T12:24:00+00:00 Episode link: https://pdst.fm/e/chrt.fm/track/317BBD/traffic.megaphone.fm/TNM2123049937.mp3 Audio file: https://pdst.fm/e/chrt.fm/track/317BBD/traffic.megaphone.fm/TNM2123049937.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-rambling-runner-podcast-743308/episodes/734-martin-dugard-the-long-run-steve-prefontaine-frank-shorter-joan-benoit-grete-waitz-and-the-decade-that-made-the-marathon-cool Duration seconds: 2641 ## Resource In his newest book, The Long Run: Steve Prefontaine, Frank Shorter, Joan Benoit, Grete Waitz, and the Decade That Made the Marathon Cool, U.S. Track & Field Foundation board member, life-long runner, high school track coach, and bestselling author Martin Dugard takes us through the historical moments that sparked the running boom across America, including Frank Shorter’s Olympic marathon win in 1972, Steve Prefontaine’s career that ended too soon—and not to mention Greta Waitz and Joan Benoit, both with their own historic marathon wins that inspired women all over. Along the way, Dugard shares the history of the sport—from the myth that originated the modern marathon, to how it became 26.2 miles (and how the British Royal family had a hand in it), how the sport saved NYC from bankruptcy, and more! Martin's perspective and research into the race we love is awe inspiring and worth a read (or listen if you're an Audible fan like me). Sponsors Mount to Coast - Explore the H1, one the most critically acclaimed running shoes of the past year, and all of its road or trail glory, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.mounttocoast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use code RAMBLING to save 10% on your order. Amazfit - The GPS running watch I trust is Amazfit. It is loaded with features, top tier GPS technology, and is incredibly well-priced. Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://bit.ly/47AOxzW⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more and use code RAMBLING to save 10%. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-rambling-runner-podcast-743308/episodes/734-martin-dugard-the-long-run-steve-prefontaine-frank-shorter-joan-benoit-grete-waitz-and-the-decade-that-made-the-marathon-cool/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-rambling-runner-podcast-743308/734-martin-dugard-the-long-run-steve-prefontaine-frank-shorter-joan-benoit-grete-waitz-and-the-decade-that-made-the-marathon-cool.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.