IT IS NOW many years since Mary Decker Slaney hung up her track spikes and these days her main sporting target of the year is the Elliptical Cycling World Championships, which is held every October just outside San Diego. Struggling with both arthritis and the after-effects of more than 30 surgical operations for injuries, she is unable to run freely or without pain. But riding an elliptical bicycle allows her to enjoy a similar feeling and movement to running, only minus the pounding. “It has,” says her husband Richard, “been a godsend to her.”
Mary turns 58 this week, but trains seriously for one or two hours a day on an elliptical bike at her home in Oregon and takes the Elliptical Cycling World Championships seriously. The event involves a never-ending climb of almost 12km that rises more than 4000ft as it approaches the finish line near the top of the Palomar Mountain. Some call it the Alpe d’Huez of elliptical cycling. Yet unlike the Tour de France there are no crowds of fans for this rather quirky event and Mary and her fellow competitors grind up the narrow and twisty road in lonely fashion with only a handful of curious, early-morning onlookers for company.
New sport: Mary Decker Slaney has been forced to swap running for riding an ElliptiGO bicycle
JASON HENDERSON
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About Athletics Weekly
THE BIG FEATURE
16 ASHA PHILIP
Why one of GB’s top sprinters is smiling again
after battling back from injury to make Rio
ACTION
50 CAU/EA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Joel Fearon breaks through to 9.96 100m
and Daniel Gardiner hits form in long jump
56 BEER MILE WORLD CLASSIC
Canadian clocks 4:34 world record in London
SPOTLIGHT
22 SCOTS ON THE UP
A look at the remarkable recent rise of
athletics north of the border
36 MARY DECKER SLANEY
US legend tells Jason Henderson how she
keeps fit despite chronic arthritis
TALKING POINT
30 DOPING IN KENYA
Adharanand Finn puts the recent allegations
into perspective with his insider view
NEWS
6 Charlie Grice upset at Iten doping talk
8 Callum Wilkinson savours world junior glory
10 Mo Farah announced for Great North Run
12 Rabah Yousif’s visa nightmare
PERFORMANCE
42 The latest in sports science
44 Killer Sessions – Susan Tooby
46 An in-depth look at youth dropout
48 How Brits are excelling in New Mexico
RESULTS & FIXTURES
60 Results round-up
77 What’s On – fixtures guide
PREVIEW
75 BAL AND UKWL PREVIEW
REGULARS
34 VIEW FROM THE STANDS
40 YOUNG ATHLETE
76 QUIZ CORNER
82 DIP FINISH