The Perfect Distance: Ovett And Coe: The Record Breaking Rivalry

Rating:
Summary: On the mark ... get set, go
Review:

The Perfect Distance is an extremely fascinating look at one of the most intriguing athletic rivalries of the last generation. In the early 1980s, the drama represented by the races -- both real and virtual -- between Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett were on par with the more or less contemporary rivalries between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, between Mohammed Ali and Joe Frazier, between Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe.

As author Pat Butcher -- a fair middle distance runner in his own right -- points out, as with all great rivalries, the battles between Mr. Coe and Mr. Ovett attracted attention as much because of the athletes' personalities as because of their prodigious talents. Mr. Coe -- now Lord Coe -- was the refined and cultured middle class boy, compared to Mr. Ovett, the muscular and brash son of market trader.

Based on his world record for 800 meters that lasted for an amazing 16 years and his successful defense of his 1500-meter title at the Los Angeles Olympics, Mr. Coe was probably the most successful of the two. But such comparisons are really not relevant with a rivalry like this one. These two men traded world records -- some of which stood for mere hours before the other crushed them half a continent away -- in a way that entranced any sports fan in the early 1980s. Each won the other's specialty at the Moscow Olympics in 1980, and Mr. Ovett once won 45 races in a row over nearly three years, a record unlikely to ever be duplicated at the highest level.

As a high school and university-level middle distance runner at that time, the battles between these two great athletes had no small influence on me, which is why I decided to buy this book the moment I saw it. But the thing that pushes this volume over the top is the way Mr. Butcher interprets the men's dominance.

Why has the drama of the middle distance never approached the pitch it had during Mr. Coe and Mr. Ovett's best years? Mr. Butcher points the finger at the two champions themselves.

As someone who closely followed the sport 20 or more years ago, I was amazed to find that Messrs. Coe and Ovett raced each other only seven times in the 15-year span during which they were both active, and four of those were in Olympic finals. In addition to avoiding serious competition outside the biggest of races, they pioneered the use of professional pacemakers in world record attempts, a still-used strategy that harvested them a combined 17 world records but also turned the middle distances into a mechanical and predictable exercise that has virtually eliminated serious competition outside of the world championships and the Olympics.

In the end, The Perfect Distance forced me to reconsider my romanticized view of the careers of these two great champions, which is in itself significant. It is an original effort, compellingly written, with an insider's understanding of the sport. And yet it remains accessible to the casual sports fan looking for some insights into what might be the most thrilling era in track and field since Roger Bannister and John Landy chased the magical four-minute-mile a generation earlier. Very nice.