A RUNNING START: An Athlete, A Woman

The story of a female sprinter who never became more than an also-ran. Her mediocre success as runner and coach can't sustain interest the way the careers of the winners do; and her exposes of under-the-table payments and equipment to amateur athletes are by now old hat. There is some negative feminist interest however as the author time and again throws over discipline and training sessions to chase some man. She may have been friendly with San Jose's ""Speed City Gang"" (which included Tommie Smith, Lee Evans and John Carlos) but she doesn't seem to have absorbed their dedication. Most surprising and disappointing is her failure to tell us anything about the art of running a race: no strategy, no opinions on the difference between indoor and outdoor tracks or short or long-distance races. Minimal.