Pete Pfitzinger

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Peter Dickson Pfitzinger (born August 29, 1957, in Camden, New Jersey) is an American former distance runner, who later became an author, exercise physiologist and sports administrator.

He is best known for his accomplishments in the marathon, an event in which he represented the United States as its top finisher in two Summer Olympic Games: the Los Angeles Olympics (where Pfitzinger finished 11th){{Cite web |title=Los Angeles 1984 Athletics marathon men Results |url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/los-angeles-1984/results/athletics/marathon-men |website=Olympics.com}} and the 1988 Seoul Olympics (where he placed 14th).{{Cite web |title=Seoul 1988 Athletics marathon men Results |url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/seoul-1988/results/athletics/marathon-men |website=Olympics.com}}

Marathon career

In the 1984 Olympic Marathon Team Trials in Buffalo, New York, Pfitzinger became immediately known among American marathoners by taking the lead halfway through the race, relinquishing it in the final mile, then storming past the heavily favored Alberto Salazar in the final fifty yards to win the race, in a time of 2:11:43.{{Cite news |date=1984-05-27 |title=Pfitzinger Wins Marathon Trial |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/27/sports/pfitzinger-wins-marathon-trial.html |access-date=2024-01-11 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} In the 1988 Olympic Marathon Team Trials, held in Jersey City, New Jersey, Pfitzinger finished 3rd in a time of 2:13:09, to qualify for his second Olympic Games.{{Cite news |date=1988-04-25 |title=Conover Is Winner of U.S. Trial |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/25/sports/conover-is-winner-of-us-trial.html |access-date=2024-01-11 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}

In other marathons apart from the Olympic Trials and Olympic Games, Pfitzinger won the National Sports Festival (Syracuse, New York) marathon in 1981,{{Cite news |date=1981-07-27 |title=Pfitzinger Captures Marathon at National Sports Festival |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/27/sports/pfitzinger-captures-marathon-at-national-sports-festival.html |access-date=2024-01-11 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} the Winstones (New Zealand) marathon in 1983, and the San Francisco Marathon in 1983{{Cite news |date=1983-07-25 |title=Pfitzinger Wins Coast Marathon |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/07/25/sports/pfitzinger-wins-coast-marathon.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231209012813/https://www.nytimes.com/1983/07/25/sports/pfitzinger-wins-coast-marathon.html |archive-date=2023-12-09 |access-date=2024-01-11 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} and 1986.{{Cite web |title=San Francisco Marathon |url=https://www.arrs.run/HP_SFrMa.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191224183359/https://www.arrs.run/HP_SFrMa.htm |archive-date=24 December 2019 |access-date=24 April 2023 |website=Association of Road Racing Statisticians}} He was 2nd at the Montreal (Canada) marathon in 1983.{{Cite news |date=1983-09-26 |title=Balcha of Ethiopia Takes Marathon |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/26/sports/balcha-of-ethiopia-takes-marathon.html |access-date=2024-01-11 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} He was 3rd at the Nike OTC Marathon in 1981{{Cite news |date=1981-09-14 |title=Durden Accepts $20,000 for Run |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/09/14/sports/durden-accepts-20000-for-run.html |access-date=2024-01-11 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} and at the New York City Marathon in 1987.{{Cite news |last=Alfano |first=Peter |date=1987-11-02 |title=Kenyan and Briton Win the Marathon |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/11/02/sports/kenyan-and-briton-win-the-marathon.html |access-date=2024-01-11 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}

He was a consistent performer: All but his first 3 career marathons were run in times between 2:11:43 - 2:15:21 (2 in 2:11, 4 in 2:12, 3 in 2:13, 3 in 2:14, and 1 in 2:15).{{Cite web |title=Peter Pfitzinger |url=https://more.arrs.run/runner/5949 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230513010051/https://more.arrs.run/runner/5949 |archive-date=2023-05-13 |access-date=2023-05-13 |website=ARRS}} He won 8 of his 16 marathons, and finished 2nd or 3rd in 4 others. Apart from the Olympic Games marathons, his only other finishes outside the top 3 were at the 1986 New York City Marathon (9th) and at the 1985 Marathon World Cup (Hiroshima, Japan), where he finished 18th.{{Cite web |title=Marathon Results of Peter Pfitzinger |url=https://marathonview.net/marathon-results-of-Peter-Pfitzinger |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230429221020/https://marathonview.net/marathon-results-of-Peter-Pfitzinger |archive-date=29 April 2023 |access-date=29 April 2023 |website=marathonview.net}}

Pfitzinger was awarded the DeCelle Award in 1984 by USA Track & Field as America's best male long distance runner. In 1984, he was ranked #1 U.S. Marathoner by Track & Field News and was named the Road Runners’ Club of America Male Runner of the Year. Pfitzinger was also inducted into the Road Runners Club of America Hall of Fame and Cornell University Athletics Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Growing up, Pfitzinger lived in Haddonfield, NJ, Glenmont, NY, Westport, CT and Pittsford, NY. His running career started in high school in Pittsford, running 9:18.4 for two miles. Pfitzinger is a 1979 graduate of Cornell University. During college, he was the Heptagonal 10,000m Champion in 1977 and the Heptagonal Indoor 3 Mile Champion in 1978 and set the course record for the Cornell cross country course.

He also holds a Master of Business Administration from Cornell's Johnson Graduate School of Management and a Master of Science in exercise science from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.{{Cite web |title=Peter Dickson PFITZINGER |url=https://olympics.com/en/athletes/peter-dickson-pfitzinger |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240815022308/https://olympics.com/en/athletes/peter-dickson-pfitzinger |archive-date=15 August 2024 |access-date=29 April 2023 |website=Olympics.com}}

Pfitzinger is the co-author of two highly popular training books for distance runners - Advanced Marathoning (with Scott Douglas){{Cite book |last=Pfitzinger |first=Pete |title=Advanced marathoning |last2=Douglas |first2=Scott |date=2001 |publisher=Human Kinetics |isbn=978-0-7360-3431-9 |location=Champaign, IL}} and Faster Road Racing (with Philip Latter). He was formerly also a senior writer for Running Times Magazine.{{Cite web |title=Pete Pfitzinger |url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78891 |access-date=29 April 2023 |website=Olympedia}}

Pfitzinger's wife, Christine Pfitzinger, is also a former world-class runner. The Pfitzingers have lived in New Zealand—Chrissey's country of origin{{Cite web |title=Christine PFITZINGER |url=https://olympics.com/en/athletes/christine-pfitzinger |access-date=29 April 2023 |website=olympics.com}}—since 1997.