Running is a small, insular group of people. It's so small that the degrees of seperation between the elite and rank-and-file takes very few steps. Corresponding or even running with someone like Khalid Khannouchi or Bill Rodgers isn't like dealing with a major leaguer. There are no facades in running. That's why the news about Emilie Mondor is so upsetting. Mondor, a 2004 Olympian and Canada's first woman to break 15:00 in the 5,000, was killed in a car accident in Ontario on Saturday and died at a hospital later that day. The most prominent Canadian distance runner, Mondor was expected to be in Philadelphia next weekend for the Philly Distance Run in preparation for the New York City Marathon on Nov. 4. Apparently, Mondor battled injuries during all of 2005 and was on the comeback trail and ready to break through this year.
She was only 25.