The Big Mazungo

Every so often there comes an athlete so talented, so full of heart, so ground-breaking and legendary that they transform and revolutionize their sport. Steve Prefontaine, Michael Jordan, Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods- the list goes on. Their passion and charisma turn the average spectator into die-hard fanatics and their lives read like stories worthy of an inspirational movie script. I got this link to a short video from a while back called The Big Mazungo (about Australian runner Craig Mottram) from some of my UW runner friends, and was completely blown-away. In the world of distance running- which is completely dominated by East Africans, here comes Craig Mottram. This little intro into the life of the Big Mazungo will give you chills, make you inspired, and leave you counting down the days until the Beijing Olympics. He may not be wearing waffle runners, but this emerging Australian hero is highly reminiscent of another legend who donned the green & yellow- and might just have what it takes to revolutionize the sport in much the same way.

I also want to note that I think this video is an amazing example of advertising-in my mind. It’s almost effortless the way they link the dominance of East Africans, to barefoot running, to Craig Mottram being the only real force against the Africans, to Craig’s use of the Frees. Yet it still doesn’t detract from the poignance of the short. Effortless.

Part I

Part II

Part III