Frank Shorter

Frank Shorter

Frank Shorter in 2002
Personal information
Full name	Frank Charles Shorter
Nationality	United States
Born	(1947-10-31) October 31, 1947 (age 69) Munich, Germany
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight	134 lb (61 kg)
Sport
Sport	Long-distance running
Event(s)	Marathon, 10,000 meters
College team	Yale
Club	Florida Track Club
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	3000 meters: 7:51.4 5000 meters: 13:26.62 10,000 meters: 27:45.91 Marathon: 2:10:30
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  United States Olympic Games 1972 Munich Marathon 1976 Montréal Marathon Pan American Games 1971 Cali Marathon 1971 Cali 10,000 m 1979 San Juan 10,000 m

Frank Charles Shorter (born October 31, 1947) is an American former long-distance runner who won the gold medal in the marathon at the 1972 Summer Olympics and the silver medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics. His Olympic successes, along with the achievements of other American runners, are credited with igniting the running boom in the United States during the 1970s.

Frank Shorter was born in Munich, Germany, where his father, physician Samuel Shorter, served in the U.S. Army. He grew up in Middletown, New York, where a street was named in his honor (Frank Shorter Way). Frank Shorter Way was formerly part of the Orange Classic 10K course route, which Shorter won in its inaugural race in 1981. After earning his high school diploma from the Mount Hermon School in Gill, Massachusetts in 1965, Shorter graduated from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut with a Bachelor of Arts degree (B.A.) in 1969, and the University of Florida College of Law in Gainesville, Florida with a Juris Doctor degree (J.D.) in 1974.

In the October 2011 issue of Runner's World, an article by John Brant detailed the traumatic household life Frank and his siblings suffered at the hands of his father and the buckle end of his belt. While his father enjoyed great prominence in his community, his behavior may have reflected, "a profound narcissistic personality disorder" according to Barbara duPlessis, Frank's sister. With the publication of the Runner's World article, Mr. Shorter will begin to elaborate on stopping similar cycles of violence in more detail and in public.