27-Jan-1985 – Osaka Women’s Marathon – 2:28:07 – ASICS Tarther SPS
Date of birth: 16-July-1959
Nationality: Irish
The athlete:
Competitors for the 1985 Osaka Women’s Marathon were not allowed to enter the dressing room until one hour before the race started. Forced to sit around and oil heater in a cold room with everyone else, Cary May calmly read a book until they were finally allowed in.
As the winner of the 1983 event, she had every right to be relaxed even against the prospect of 239 other competitors. In cold and sunny conditions, perfect for marathon racing, she stormed to the lead from the outset and did not let go. She would go on to cross the finish line in 2:28:07, three minutes ahead of second. The time bettered her previous personal best as well as setting a course record that would stand until Lisa Ondieki and her win at the event in 1988.
The reason I have included this mark is because the Association of Road Racing Statisticians (ARRS) are of the view that the time set by Joan Benoit at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics is ineligible for the women’s only marathon world record. This is on the basis that the course itself is not record eligible. Despite relying on them extensively for this website I would have to respectfully disagree for several reasons. The marathon course for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics was measured to modern standards, had an overall net climb and had start and finish lines 17 kilometres apart.
This is the standard modern marathon courses must meet to be eligible for world records according to World Athletics. I may have missed something, but reviewing the actual report that resulted in the certification of the course does not leave me at this stage with little room to question the course accuracy.
The shoes:
Having reviewed footage from the race, it appears that May wore the ASICS Tarther SPS, the second version of the venerable Tarther series that was first released in 1983 and is still going today. The distinct blue overlays differentiate it from the Sortie of the time, the ’84 Sortie AC and ’85 Sortie UL100 both looking different on closer inspection.
The Tarther SPS improved on every element of the original Tarther, its upper more breathable and the midsole geometry tweaked to promote more efficient running. It was more stable compared with the Sortie, so while overall still very lightweight the Tarther series provided more support.
Later versions would have their own moments of glory, with Stefano Baldini taking gold in the 2004 Athens Olympic marathon wearing the Tarther Japan, and Constantina Dita in the 2008 Beijing Olympic marathon wearing the Tartherclutch.
References:
Museum of World Athletics
https://more.arrs.run/runner/5264
https://www.dsdac.com/post/carey-may-the-virtual-interview
https://byucougars.com/sports/womens-cross-country/roster/player/carey-may
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carey_May
https://x.com/heytak3/status/1178968784096247808
https://wamsteeker.com/?p=1651
https://www.shoesyourvintage.com/product/vintage-1980-nike-lady-terra-tc/
http://sq210.blogspot.com/2013/02/nike-1985-catalog.html?m=1
https://ausrunning.net/misc/victorian-marathon-club/newsletters/vmc-1985-winter.pdf
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/01/27/Carey-May-of-Ireland-won-the-1985-Osaka-International/1908475650000
https://worldathletics.org/records/certified-roadevents
https://rrtc.net/Articles/LA84.pdf
https://bansyakurunner.xyz/2020/02/10/
https://www.zhihu.com/tardis/zm/art/189583175
https://www.scuoladicorsa.it/blog/2017/08/10/maratoneti-juventini-stefano-baldini/