Don't Organize A Marathon In Iran If You Are Going To Allow Women To Run Bare-Headed Two Marathon Organizers Arrested for Not Enforcing Hijab to Be Worn by Women Runners  :link This story appeared in today's The Guardian about a low key marathon event run on the island of Kish off the south coast of Iran.  Some photos of women running and not wearing a hijab led to the arrest of two of the race organizers.   Before I get going on this I want to say that I think that the name of the country 'Iran" is the absolutely coolest name for a nation participating in our sport.  When you finish a long run, a race, or a time trial  what might be the most common thing that comes into your brain but the words.  "I ran.  I ran"   In the US we often even pronounce the name 'Iran' as if it were spelled as two words,  "I ran".   Okay I know that's not the acceptable way in the King's English, that's sort of the Appalachian or West Te...

  In my previous post about the old photo in New York City,  my long time correspondent John Perry sent a photo in from the 1968 Olympic trials in which he names one of the runners, Ray Arrington.  That name rang a bell in the dust covered cells of my cerebral cortex.  Ray Arrington,  Ray Arrington,  where did I hear that name?  Didn't I do an article about Ray Arrrington?   I looked through the archives of Once Upon a Time in the Vest and there was no mention of Ray Arrington.  Then another cell vibrated and the name Vanderbilt came up.  Not Vanderbilt the wealthy American family but Vanderbilt the university.  So I put Vanderbilt in the search engine and up came the article and the name Fred Abington.  There was the connection.  Abington was the runner from Vanderbilt, and he has an incredibly interesting life story.  I'm not sure if he is still alive, but those cortexian cells say he is not.  But his stor...