[ARETE] Review of Catch me if you can

Thu Oct 20 09:57:51 CDT 2022

All,
Please find below and attached David Atkinson's review of Filbert Bayi's *Catch
me if you can.*
Thanks,
Duncan

Filbert Bayi. *Catch Me If You Can*.  Flagstaff: Soulstice Publishing, 2022.

Reviewed by David Atkinson, MacEwan University

By any standard, Filbert Bayi was an extraordinary athlete, one of a very
select few to hold the world record for both 1,500 meters and the mile at
the same time. The son of a cowherder in Karatu, a small village in
Tanganyika, who lost his father while very young, Bayi’s story is one of
courage and perseverance as he climbed to the highest level of athletic
achievement.

But Bayi’s new autobiography *Catch Me If You Can* begins and ends in an
unsettling way.  In the Preface, Bayi allows that while his world records
were “ground breaking at the time,” they are “rarely discussed now” (xv).
This sense of disappointment is repeated again when he notes how “I am not
in the World Athletics Hall of Fame” (193) because, as we learn, he does
not have the two Olympic or World Championship gold medals necessary for
this recognition.  And it remains a dream for him that he might be named a
member of the International Olympic Committee.

A candid assessment suggests there is some truth to what Bayi says although
he has no wish to sound like”an aggrieved, embittered old man” (194), and
he is grateful for having lived, in his words, “a blessed life” (194).
Bayi’s autobiography is a long overdue reminder of his contribution to
athletics and to how he transformed middle distance running from a wait and
sprint activity to one of running from the front.  Bayi broke the world
record for 1,500 meters having “run every step of the way in front” (63) in
what was characterized as the greatest 1,500 meters of all time.  He did it
again in what was called the “Dream Mile,” when, again leading “wire to
wire” (101), he broke Jim Ryun’s world mile record by a tenth of a second.

Whether Bayi was the first runner to set a brutal pace and lead from the
front—one might get disagreement from Prefontaine fans or even John Landy
fans—his autobiography has put in stark relief what some see as the
artificiality of the current Golden League where every race has a pacer.  Bayi
is candid in his criticism of pacers even if he appreciates the athletic
accomplishment of those who use them. If one calls an event a race, then,
in Bayi’s words, “the introduction of pacers went against the fundamental
rule that all athletes at the starting line must be trying to win” (132).

Regrettably, Bayi never got his Olympic Gold medal, not because he was not
fast enough, but because events transpired against him. He was an
inexperienced 19-year old in his first Olympics in Munich, did not run in
Montreal because of the African boycott, and in what might be considered a
questionable decision chose to run the 3,000 meter steeplechase rather than
the 1,500 meters in Moscow. Running from the front, Bayi, an inexperienced
steeplechaser, was caught by the Polish runner Malinowski on the final
water jump and ended up with the silver medal.  One cannot help sharing his
disappointment but Bayi accepts his defeat with grace as he observes how
“It’s easy to forget to breathe in all that life offers” (149)  and
to  “forget
to take in the joy when it comes to us” (151).  Indeed, grace is a good
word to describe Bayi who takes defeat with the same spirit of generosity
as he does victory.  Hoping to get the medal that eluded him in the 3,000
meter steeplechase, Bayi at the age 31, got as far as the Olympic Village
in Los Angeles before shin splints prevented him from running. Bayi
mentions his withdrawal from the Games without comment. While he thought it
was his best opportunity for a gold medal, he expresses neither
disappointment nor bitterness.

The book provides fascinating details of Bayi’s races with all the big
names of his time, especially Marty Liquori and Eamonn Coghlan.  Bayi did
not win every race, and he admits when he is not at his best. Running
against New Zealander John Walker, the gold medal winner in Montreal, takes
on special significance, and we come away with an appreciation of their
special relationship which has lasted a lifetime, We also learn something
of his relationship with Ron Davis who was for a time Bayi’s coach, someone
he calls “a brother” and on whom Bayi relied for guidance and support.

As Bayi got older, and recognized that his athletics career was coming to
an end, he made the conscious decision to return to school, first at
Eastern New Mexico University, and then at the University of Texas El Paso.
Bayi was one of a group of African runners recruited to UTEP, which between
1974 and 1982 under coach Ted Banks dominated college running in the United
States.  That this practice was controversial is well known, and the NCAA,
in a direct response to the Banks’ practice, changed its eligibility rules.
Bayi, having been there, might have commented more than he does although it
should not be overlooked how much Bayi valued his degree.

In many ways, Bayi’s running career was a prelude to his life after
running, as he and his wife Anna redirected their energies towards building
their country and supporting young people. In 1996, they started a school
that provided instruction in Swahili, which from a very modest beginning
grew to its current size of 1,200 students on two campuses.  It is obvious
that the school has provided immense satisfaction to Bayi, perhaps even
more than his running achievements. Bayi has not, moreover, given up
entirely on athletics. He remains passionate about building athletics in
Tanzania and he has worked tirelessly in many different roles although,
once again, there is a feeling that Bayi feels unappreciated.  As he
remarks, “With all due respect to the high-level administrators out there,
my duties on technical committees through the years gave me just as much
pride” (187).

As much as Bayi’s autobiography is a good read and one that tells us much
about an athlete who has perhaps been ignored, one would have liked to have
a little more than Bayi gives us.  While we learn much about his personal
life and on how running impacted his life and gave him immense satisfaction
and pleasure, he never really talks about running other than as an athletic
activity.  Rarely do we get underneath to appreciate how Bayi actually
feels about running. At the same time, Bayi is unequivocal in his assertion
that three things shaped his life both as an athlete and as a man:
“confidence, sacrifice, and commitment” (207).

It is, of course, unfortunate that every runner’s autobiography is
inevitably compared to Bannister’s *The First Four Minutes *(1955), and
later his *Twin Tracks* (2014), which possess an eloquence and lyricism few
other comparable books do. But putting this aside, we leave Bayi’s book
impressed with his honesty and gratitude for what life has offered him even
if we remain a little sad that the goal of an Olympic gold medal eluded him.
Perhaps this book will remind those that make these decisions that Bayi
does belong in the World Athletics Hall of Fame and maybe the rules should
be changed. And indeed, he should be considered for a seat on the IOC.

Remember to smell the roses as you recumber past

Duncan R. Jamieson, Ph. D.
Professor of History
Book Review Editor
*AETHLON: The Journal of Sport Literature*
Ashland University
Ashland, OH  44805
USAtkinson
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