Mar 3, 2000

Your April article in RW about you and Don Prichard reminded me of an experience that my brother had in Nebraska at about the same time. Dave McMahill was state cross-country champion, and was favored to win the mile at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln in the spring of 1963. He didn't have much competition, and did most of the work himself.

In the last 300 Lowell Stratton started his kick, unknown to Dave who had a commanding lead. The crowd was yelling so loud, hoping Dave would break the state record, that he couldn't hear team mates who warned him about Stratton's kick.

Dave won, nipping Stratton at the tape in record-tying time of 4:26.2. However, deep inside Dave was upset at himself for not running smarter and capturing the record.

That evening my father presented him with a brand new stopwatch in honor of his accomplishment. On the very next Monday, Dave slipped down to the old cinder practice track in South Omaha and ran a solo, one-mile time trial with his new watch. With no competition or spectators, he ran 4:21 just to prove to himself that he could do it. (Don McMahill)

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