J
Jeff Benjamin
Guest
“ It was déjà vu all over again!”
Rod Dixon’s nostalgic awe of Andreas Almgren!
By Jeff Benjamin
From one Champion to another!
Watching the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon on television from an ocean away, New Zealand’s Rod Dixon no doubt watched the race in nostalgic awe!
“Watching the way Andreas Almgren raced, especially over the last mile,” said the legendary Kiwi of the Swede, “was just amazing!”
“To me it was exactly like what that old New York Yankee Yogi Berra once said – “it was déjà vu all over again!”
For fans of the 1972 Olympic 1500 m bronze medalist, it brought out those same feelings.
At the 1983 rain-soaked New York City Marathon, Dixon caught up with the gutsy Geoff Smith of Great Britain and passed him at the 26-mile mark, delivering one of the most dramatic victories in Marathoning history.
Yet while Dixon and Almgren may have both made their moves in the latter stages of the race, other similarities between the two are quite uncanny.
All running geeks have to do is look at their range breakdowns:
Rod Dixon of New Zealand (#688) during competition in the Men’s 1500 metres event at the 1972 Summer Olympics inside the Olympiastadion in Munich, West Germany in September 1972. Rod Dixon would go on to finish in 3rd place bronze medal position in the final of the event on 10th September. (Photo by Ed Lacey/Popperfoto via Getty Images)
Rod Dixon
800 – 1:47.6
1500 – 3:33.89
Mile – 3:53.62
2Mile – 8:14.32
3000m – 7:41.0
5K – 13:17.27
10k – 28:35.69
1/2 Marathon – 1:02:12
Marathon (NYC) – 2:08:59
Andreas Almgren
Andreas Almgren wins 2026 NYC Marathon, photo by Kevin Morris for NYCM
800 – 1:45.59
1500 – 3:332.00
3000 – 7:26.48
2-Mile – 8:11.12
5K – 12:44.27
10K – 26:52.87
1/2 Marathon – 58:06
Marathon (NYC) – 2:06:01
Note – Almgren also competed on Sweden’s 4 x 400 meter relay team! at the 2019 European Club Championships
“When one looks at our different eras of competition, the similarities truly outweigh the differences,” said Dixon, who had no interest in being drawn into a hypothetical prime age showdown with the Swede, replete in today’s world with better training, nutrition and super shoes!
“Andreas Almgren has absolutely every right to be proud of his accomplishments,” said Dixon who, in 1991, was honored by Runner’s World magazine as the most versatile distance runner of the previous quarter century.
“He absolutely used his expertise at all those distances, like I did, to conquer the Marathon and what better place to do it than in New York!”
“ I’d like to think of both of us as the “rare ones” who did on the day it counted!”
“After all,” concluded Dixon,
“A Miler’s kick does the trick!”
Spoken like a true brotherly champion.