Flojo Going The Distance -- Griffith Joyner Turning Her Attention To Marathon

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Florence Griffith Joyner is back, but not to break another sprint record.

She wants to run marathons.

I'm serious. Florence Griffith Joyner, who in 1988 shattered world records in the 100 and 200 meters, has taken to the road. She plans to run a series of 5- and 10-kilometer races and eventually compete over 26.2 miles.

Her ultimate goal, she says, is to run the marathon in the 1996 Olympics.

Her 5K personal best is 20 minutes, 30 seconds, laughable by elite distance runners' standards. But before you argue why she can't, let's talk about why she should.

Four years ago, Flo-Jo had it going on. The hair, the nails. The unadulterated speed. Her sultry flash drew in a new core of non-track fans - men, women and kids who wanted to know not only how she broke the world record but also what she wore when she broke it.

You'd expect her to clean up in endorsements. She'd be a natural spokesperson for smudge-proof mascara, workout gear, next-day delivery, something. But unlike Dorothy Hamill, Bruce Jenner and Mary Lou Retton, Griffith Joyner - for reasons that would take up another column - could not cash in.

She has a couple of fledgling clothing lines in Japan, and she designed the classy new uniforms worn by the Indiana Pacers, but her Olympic success has by no means made her independently wealthy.

So why not try something new? She was quickly becoming old and forgotten as a sprinter. Watching Flo-Jo churn out 6-minute miles is a heck of a lot more entertaining than watching an endless string of Joan Benoit Samuelsons crack personal records in the marathon.

In the long run, the transition could rejuvenate Griffith Joyner's career. Track and Field News last year proclaimed its sport in "a shocking state of disrepair in the United States." It was right. Track and field has become a once-every-four-years event.

Promoters can't get marquee athletes because marquee athletes want the ridiculous appearance fees they can command on the European circuit.

Track and Field News also said the United States has a shortage of quality sprinters. No surprise there.

Nowadays, kids don't run track because the idea is foreign to them. They don't see the meets on television; they don't see the athletes making big money. Track programs have become the first slashed budget line on the college level. Just ask Stanford track coach Brooks Johnson, who is retiring, in part because his once-prestigious program is down to zero scholarships.

Plus, there's so much pressure on the athletes to perform. Fans expect record performances at every meet. The media, when it does cover an event, always compares the athletes' times with those of record holders. Sprinters, like basketball players, should be allowed to pace themselves for the "big game," but track is held up to an unreasonable standard, more than other sports.

Florence Griffith Joyner shouldn't have to work so hard for such a small reward. She has a family now, and her focus is no longer centered on keeping pace with the world's fastest women.

Griffith Joyner a marathoner? To me, it doesn't sound all that preposterous. It's even beginning to sound like a good idea.