CMU’s inaugural presentation of the Bill and Mai Robinson endowed lecture series, Go For the Gold, will be held in the UC Ballroom next Friday at 6 p.m., featuring a two-time Olympic gold medalist, Frank Shorter, and a long-time Colorado banker, Steve Bosley. The Maverick Mile Fun Run will follow the next morning at 9 a.m. on the campus plaza.
Both events are free to all students and parents.
“He [Bill Robinson] left us a very nice gift to the university,” CMU Foundation’s Director of Regional Development Peggy Lamm said. “He really wanted students to learn other things than just on campus, so he gave us this endowment to bring in speakers or entertainment to students. He wanted it to be open up to people so everyone can enjoy it.”
Shorter won gold running the marathon in the 1972 Munich Olympics. Initially, he also won silver in the 1976 Montreal Olympics, though it was later discovered the marathon gold medalist and East German runner, Waldemar Cierpinski, had been illegally doping, leaving the gold to Shorter and marking the start of the anti-doping campaigner.
“Frank was denied because this guy was cheating, so he became very engaged in anti-doping,” Lamm said. “He was one of the first opponents of doping.”
Both Shorter and Bosley lived in Boulder, Colo. and in 1979, founded one of the largest running events in the world, the Bolder Boulder— a 10K road race that attracts more than 50,000 amateur and professional runners from around the globe and another estimated 50,000 spectators.
“It was at the beginning of the big running addiction and Frank was a leader, making people aware of running and why it’s a good thing to do,” Lamm said. “They built it together, and it has become a huge event.”
Bosley and Shorter both speak about anti-doping, ethics and leadership.
“Some things are very controversial and some people would tell you it is okay if you want to dope because as an athlete everyone else is doing it,” Lamm said. “I think they can show it is healthier, fair and it is supposed to be an amateur thing. You are supposed to be healthy and strong and not hopped up on drugs and have a false sense of accomplishment.”
Shorter earned a law degree in 1974. He works in television as a sports commentator, and in 1984, he was elected to the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. Bosley has been on the CU’s Board of Regents since 2004 and served as CEO of the Bank of Boulder for 24 years.
“They are remarkable human beings,” Lamm said. “They can bring a larger view of different things happening. They have lived extensively in this world.”
