Jack D. Welch was the cofounder of Running magazine, former director of public relations for Nike, senior editor of road racing for Track & Field News, and part-owner of the Oregon Runner specialty shop. He has trained at altitude for years, logged many hundred-mile weeks, and finished 93rd in the national marathon championships. He has run with, and become friends with, many of the great names of marathon running, including Alberto Salazar, Don Kardong, Joan Benoit Samuelson, and Bill Rodgers. Having covered the sport for almost three decades, he was on the press truck, at the parties, behind the scenes, track-side for some of the best performances by some of the greatest runners in history.