McGann in Munich

Marathon runner's memories of 1972 Olympics

Paul Clarke

As Dessie McGann reflects on a life packed with mile after mile of running over every sort of terrain and numerous significant achievements along the way, his mind must regularly meander back to 1972 as summer turned to autumn and he found himself in Munich ready to run the biggest race of his life.

He could never have imagined what the days leading up to something he had dreamt of and worked towards over several years would bring. The Munich Massacre of that year's Olympic Games was frightening and shocking and certainly not the sort of added distraction a runner should have to experience as they get mind and body ready for a mammoth test.

The diminutive Kiltale athlete ticked an important box in his list of ambitions by competing in those Olympic Games half a century ago, lining up alongside fellow Irish distance runners Danny McDaid from Letterkenny and Cork-man Donie Walsh in the marathon won by Frank Shorter of the United States who, ironically, was born in Munich.

The closing stages of marathons often lack drama, but not this one. German student Norbert Sudhaus joined the race for the last kilometre and the crowd went wild as he entered the stadium first. But red-faced officials, realising it was a hoax, intervened, removed Sudhaus, and Shorter crossed the line alone to claim gold in a time of 2.12.19.

McDaid was best of the Irish as he finished 23rd in 2:22.25. McGann, who was hindered by a head cold, secured 42nd place in 2.28.31 and Walsh was 47th in 2:31.12. But whatever drama played out on the roads of the West German city was nothing compared to the dreadful events which had shocked the world days earlier.

All appeared to be well as a group of Israeli athletes enjoyed an evening out highlighted by the viewing of a performance of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ and a meal, before returning to the Olympic Village. It was an occasion of rest and relaxation, away from the pressure of competition, but the party atmosphere soon changed in the most horrifying manner as the Olympics which carried the motto ‘The Cheerful Games’ descended into a bloodbath.

Later, as the athletes slept back in the Olympic Village, eight tracksuit-wearing members of the Black September faction of the Palestine Liberation Organisation – armed with assault rifles, pistols and grenades – gained entry with the assistances of unsuspecting competitors.

What ensued was the most brutal and bloody episode in Olympic Games’ history, as two of that Israeli team were killed, and nine taken as hostages. Black September named the operation ‘Iqrit and Biram’ after the Palestinian Christian villages whose inhabitants were expelled by the Israel Defence Forces during the 1948 Arab-Israel War. Logistical assistance was provided by West German Neo-Nazis and the group demanded the release of 234 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, as well as the West German-held founders of the Red Army faction, Andreas Beader and Ulrike Meinhof.

Five of the eight Black September members were killed during a failed attempt to rescue the hostages. The three surviving perpetrators were arrested but later, after the hijacking of Lufthanza Flight 615, the West German government released them as part of a hostage exchange. The bloody incident prompted the Israeli government to launch ‘Operation Wrath of God’, vowing to track down and kill those involved in the massacre which eventually claimed a total of 17 lives – five perpetrators, six Israeli coaches, five Israeli athletes and a West German police officer.

There were many standout performances which shone a bright light on the Munich Olympic Games – the most extraordinary being the seven gold medals won by United States’ phenomenon Mark Spitz in the swimming pool. Soviet gymnast Olga Korbut won three golds and one silver medal and also the hearts of millions of television viewers all over the world, while highlights on the athletics track included the 5,000 and 10,000 metres double achieved by Finland’s Lasse Viren and the sensational kick from Dave Wottle of the United States as he came from last to first on his way to 800 metres gold.

A spice of controversy was added when the Soviet Union men edged out the United States in a sensational finish to the most famous basketball final in Olympic history. But whenever the story of the Munich Games 50 years ago is told and retold, with tales of victory, medals won, countless agonising near misses and the controversies, everything will be overshadowed by the brutal events which had no place in a celebration of sport.

"We could hear the helicopters hovering overhead," McGann recalled. "It happened in the evening at around seven o’clock. The place was cordoned off and the German soldiers moved in. We had never seen the likes of it before. It was frightening. We didn’t know what was going to happen next. It was obviously worrying for our families and there was great relief when they heard we were safe from harm."

While in Munich he developed a friendship with American runner Steve Prefontaine who proved supportive during difficult times. Prefontaine finished fourth in the 5,000 metres and was being widely touted as a superstar in the making, having already clocked 3:54.06 for the mile. But he never got the chance to fulfil that potential as he lost his life in a car accident in Oregon.

"Steve was very good to me," McGann remembered fondly. "He was a very nice man, but sadly he died in a car crash in 1975 at the age of 24. Another runner I became friendly with was Mohamed Gammoudi from Tunisia."

Four days after the brutal massacre McGann was one of 74 runners from 39 countries who went to the line for the men’s marathon. Under the guidance of renowned coach Frank Duffy he had developed into a tough and astute racer. He weighed in at a fraction under eight and a half stone and his light frame – allied to essential natural ability and raw strength – made him ideal for long distance running.

He had booked his place on the Irish team for the Munich Olympics when finishing second to Walsh and one place ahead of McDaid in the National Marathon Championship in Athlone in late June, 1972. McGann’s time that day of 2:16.16 was his personal best for the distance.

"I was thrilled to gain Olympic qualification," he recalled. "I worked very hard in order to achieve the goal. I was living and working in Dublin at the time. My job was with the Corporation filling an outdoor position at the Eamonn Ceannt cycling track in Crumlin. I was doing 100 miles a week in training with some of the sessions held at the place of work."

The Munich adventure meant a six-week stay in the Olympic Village, which he felt was too long, and the marathon was made even more demanding due to the testing conditions.

"I didn’t like some of the German food, it was too spicy," McGann said. "My race time was a bit slower than in the national marathon. I was affected by a head cold and the warm conditions and dead heat slowed us down."

With that gruelling test of endurance and courage out of the way, he was just happy to head back to normality in Ireland.

"I was recently married and was living in rented accommodation in Dublin while another well-known runner, Val Ledwith, was building our house in Kiltale. There were a couple of homecoming receptions for me in local pubs."

Competing in the Olympic Games was, naturally, the high point of McGann’s career, but there were other significant outings in the Irish vest at the World Cross-Country Championships where he raced four times. The most memorable came in 1978 at Glasgow’s Bellahouston Park when his Irish colleague John Treacy from Waterford won the first of back-to-back world titles over the country, six years before he finished second to Portugal’s Carlos Lopes in the marathon at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Also in 1978, McGann had an impressive cross-country outing when he finished second to Donie Walsh in the National Inter-Counties Championship on a wet and windy day in Mallow, Co Cork. Tom O’Riordan, who passed away recently, was third. But McGann’s finest day on the home scene had come the previous year when he won the National Marathon Championship on an out-and-back course in Loughrea, Co Galway, clocking 2:20.34.

McGann, who enjoyed a pint during his competitive years without any detrimental impact on his performances, was a member of the famous Civil Service club in Dublin which, at one stage, attracted none other than the Dracula author Bram Stoker among its membership.

"I started running competitively at the age of 14 with the Kilmessan club in the NACA," he said. "I won five Meath cross-country titles in the 1960s. While I was with the Civil Service club, Noel Carroll was among my colleagues. Coach Frank Duffy played an important part in my development as a runner."

McGann enjoyed competing on the road, cross-country and track and didn’t have a preference for any of the three.

"My top run in track racing was taking second place, again behind Donie Walsh, in the BLE National 10,000 metres championship in 1975," he recalled.

McGann, who claims to be the only runner to have won national titles in races organised by the NACA, BLE and AAI, agrees that his marathon personal best, set 50 years ago when footwear was more basic than today’s high-tech versions, compares favourably with the leading times of top Irish runners today.

Having celebrated his 77th birthday in July, he still keeps fit with running and cycling sessions nearly every day.

"I go out for spins of around 25 kilometres on my bike and do running on a cross-trainer machine with my feet not touching the ground." he explained.

Before athletics became such a central part of his life he played underage hurling with Kiltale and has been thrilled with the club’s numerous titles, including their five successive senior championship triumphs in recent years.

"It was great to see all the victories, especially with my nephew Shane doing so well as goalkeeper," he concluded.