Projects for Sale to Editors
and Agents. More facilitated
deals than other similar
services! Join to add yours!

CelebWire

Virtual Classroom
Easy to take online writing classes!
Talk directly with top publishing pros!
Fiction, nonfiction, memoir & more
Money-back guarantee

StoryWire
Read! Post! Earn!

SSL

[ Back to Main Registry Page ]

[ EDITOR/AGENT REQUEST FOR MANUSCRIPT/SCREENPLAY ] [ Rate this Work ]

Welcome to Authorlink, the news, information, and marketing site for editors, agents, writers, producers, publishers and fans. The Writers' Registry provides a comprehensive view of authors, journalists, and freelancers, what they do, their specialties, projects, and how to contact them.

Juanita Tischendorf

Searchable Keywords

madman, marathon

Specialties or Categories of Interest

writing, non fiction

From The Book

BOOK DESCRIPTION

THE MADMAN, THE MARATHONER is a nonfiction book covering the life of Donald P. McNelly. This book tells the life story of Don McNelly the oldest North America marathoner. He has run marathoners in the United State, Canada, Singapore, Paris, London, Germany, and many other countries and he continues to run at the tender age of 87. He has over 730 marathons and ultra-marathons to his credit. But Don is more than just a well known marathoner as he has managed to live a full and productive life along with this outstanding accomplishment. He was the first to step on Japanese soil in WW II. He is also a two time cancer survivor, but has not let that stop him in any way as he continues all of his interest. Don volunteers his time to the Strong Memorial Hospital, Children’s wing, the Seneca Park Zoo as a Elephant enthusiast, and a speaker on topics from typhoons to elephants at the local libraries in Rochester, New York. Three individuals have asked to write a foreword for this book and they are Yasu of Japan who has developed a friendship with Don through the Japanese Hyaku Club; Dr. Larry Gibbons, M.D. originally of the Cooper Clinic to speak on Don’s great physical condition. Finally, Dr Kenneth Cooper of the Cooper Clinic, the man known as the Father Of Aerobics, who as Don’s doctor awaits a galley copy to review and provide his comments. The book covers a historical and personal presentation of Don’s life during the 1920s and through the present. It is a role model for everyone who wishes to live a full and productive life.

The book is written by Juanita Tischendorf with information supplied by Don McNelly and his family.

THE MADMAN, THE MARATHONER: The Life Of Don McNelly was chosen as the title as it is a catchy way of saying Don McNelly "collects" marathons. Don is recognized as third in North America with the most marathons completed after the age of 80. His count at the writing of this proposal is over 730 marathons. There are many books and articles covering his outstanding marathon accomplishments and outstanding physical condition.

SYNOPSIS OF BOOK

Ohio’s roots were firmly planted in the soil, especially on the outskirts of town where work and play revolved around the seasons and every member of the family had chores. Children usually walked to school, rain or shine, and spent summers helping in the fields, which lead to a different viewpoint then faced nowadays. Newsreels were regularly released in a public place for the viewing of news stories and televisions were not part of every household. Don McNelly’s dad and men like him kept informed of what was happening by going to the theater to see newsreels and one of the topics of the time was John Joseph Pershing. This is how Russell McNelly came to name his first born on November 11, 1920, Donald Pershing McNelly. Two and a half years after his birth his sister Ramona was born, followed six years later by his brother Bob, then Dick and Byron.

By the mid 1920’s American business seemed to have entered a golden age that would go on for some time and lead to the decline of farming. Don’s father took a job at General Motors in Dayton and Don, being the oldest, learned to balance getting his school work done and doing chores on the farm. Don’s mom was a teacher and had her hands full trying to keep on top of her large brood. As an educator, she would instill the need for a good education in all of her children and both parents encouraged them to do more than just what was expected of them.

Only there were more important topics on the mind of a boy growing up on a farm in an out of the way place like Brookville, Ohio, the least of which was doing something extraordinary. Yet his path would lead in that direction. From the 4-H club where he would become a leader and meet his wife to be, Phyllis and on to marriage and having his own family, Don did more than just what was presented for him to do.

In 1937 Don continued his education at the General Motors Institute (GMI), married his sweetheart, and joined the Navy in June of 1944. There he would move quickly up the ranks from Ensign to Chief Engineer on the Destroyer Escort, the USS Kyne.

After the service he would begin his engineering career starting as a tool designer for the Frigidaire division of GM, then promoted to engineer with the Fort Wayne Corrugated Company. His career required a lot of travel and uprooting of his family until they finally settled in Rochester, New York in 1954. Here they would settle to raise three children with Don balancing family time and a demanding career with notable success.

Don would make his wife’s desire to finish her education a reality. Phyllis would receive her B.S. in Psychology in 1964 from the University of Rochester in New York, No better role models could three children have than that provided by their parents. When Phyllis graduated from college her children were 20, 18 and 15 years of age.

The children would follow in their parent’s footsteps. Tom, the oldest, would go on to become a graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and receive his PhD in Physics from Cornell University. Dan would go on to obtain his BA from Syracuse University, an MA in Psychology from Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute and an MS in Statistics from the State University of New York at Albany. Nancy, their only daughter would receive a M.S. degree from Boston University.

Don would be promoted to Vice President on the Board of Directors of St. Joe Paper. His lifestyle and that of many of his friends was stressful and so it shouldn’t have been a surprise when a close friend would have a heart attack and get Don thinking about his own mortality. It was then that Don began running. He started out slow and finally felt confident enough to enter the 1969 Boston Marathon. That was just the beginning of his “collection” or what others saw as madness.

Today Don McNelly having seen his children go on to manage success careers, traveled with his wife Phyllis all over the country and beyond, still doesn't even think about giving up marathoning. He looks back on his best marathon at 3:51 in 1971 with pride. That same pride is reflected in completing a marathon today in 8:51. Don has completed over 730 marathons and is still counting. He has run in every state plus the District of Columbia and every province in Canada. He has gone the 26.2-mile distance in 20 countries, including France, England, Germany, Portugal, Thailand, Panama and Japan. In one year alone, he completed 27 marathons. Ten times since 1969, he has run back-to-back marathons on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Between January and April of one year, he ran four marathons, all under seven hours. Since his 70th birthday, Don has totaled 284 marathons.

He is a cancer survivor twice, and each time his determination and stamina put it behind him so he could defeat it and keep on running. From his wife, bothers and sisters, to his children and one grandchild, Don’s marathoning gets support, with most family members running with him and others cheering him on. His friends are now mainly those who share his interest in running and his other passion of giving back to his community. Since retiring Don has managed to become Chairman for the Strong Children’s Medical Center, President and Elephant Enthusiast at the Seneca Zoo Society, Board Member for the Hillside Children’s Center, volunteer for Cystic Fibrosis and the Cancer Society.

He is a successful husband, father, veteran, businessman, marathoner and volunteer. He is a man whose life was meant to be celebrated.

PROMOTIONAL IDEAS

Today we are bombarded with the need to keep our bodies moving as well as their being a definitive connection between living well and healthfully and having a cheerful outlook on life. Don McNelly’s life proves that you can be physically fit at any age and you don’t have to comprise any part of your life to do so.

Don McNelly will join me in the promotion of this book. We will jointly be available to support any promotional events. Because of Don’s notoriety in the marathon world Marathon & Beyond an international, bimonthly magazine dedicated to long distance running, would be a source for promotion. Since Don has lent his name to several publications

• 50 And Dc Marathon Group by Bill Tooker (Paperback - Dec 2001)

• Running Until You're 100 by Jeff Galloway (Paperback - Sep 30, 2006)

Don’s physical well being can open up numerous avenues for promotion especially since his doctors have shown an interest in participating in the book itself. To this I would like to mention the extent of his popularity in several countries where there are individuals who would graciously be open to interviews or any other way they can be of help. Of course the many marathons where Don has become a familiar figure would gladly be a source for promoting the book.

The content of this book makes it not only one that interest marathoners, but also those who are part of the revolution to learn how to keep fit at any age.

MARKET ANALYSIS

There have been many books written about runners. Among some of the most recent are the following:

Marathon Woman: Running the Race to Revolutionize Women's Sports by Kathrine Switzer 2006

26.2: Marathon Stories by Kathrine Switzer &, Roger Robinson 2006

Serpent's Tail Barefoot Runner: The Life of Marathon Champion Abebe Bikila by Paul Rambali 2007

Each of these books is well written and covers the story of the runner. The Madman, The Marathoner provides so much more. Along with historical details during the period of Don McNelly’s life, it also personalizes the individual so that he is seen as a well rounded figure and not just a runner. He has lived life to the fullest and is a shining example of what can be accomplished if one sets their mind to it. The Madman The Marathon accurately represents the lifestyle of Don McNelly who has managed to successfully leave his mark on the world of marathoning and beyond.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I am a working writer with 30 years of experience. I have self published two books, a fiction entitled, Til Death Do Us Part? Published by IUniverse.com in 2000, nonfiction entitled Who Says I’m Small, published by Authorhouse in 2005. I have been interviewed on Channel 9 in Rochester, New York, promoted my nonfiction book at the Little People of America conference in Orlando, Florida and again in Erie, Pennsylvania. To help hone my skills in the literary arena, I completed a writing course at the University of Washington in 2001.

In researching this book I began first by doing a marathon with Don McNelly. I had done five miles and even ten miles, but not 26 miles so if I wanted to understand what it was like physically and mentally I had to go the distance. I was very lucky in being given the chance by the Niagara Fallsview Marathon staff. They not only allowed me to enter the marathon, but gave me press passes so that I could attend all the functions including the infamous spaghetti dinner. Without being a part of the total event I would have missed out on so much that makes up a marathon. I would never have known that a water stop was not just a water stops. That along with my long standing friendship with Don has provided me with a true understanding of the man and his mission.

My reason for doing this book that has taken me two years in research and development is based on wanting to let the world know that there are truly beautiful and accomplished individuals in this world. We see it everyday and it tends to make us doubt that the same person we knew was still part of the person they had become once society recognized them as special. Don’s recognition has been constant and yet, he remains thoughtful and appreciative of himself and those around him.

I live at 224 Thornton Road in Rochester, New York 14617 which is down the road from Don McNelly. My email address is jtischen@rochester.rr.com and my home phone is 585-544-6193. My cell phone is 585-309-0367.

CHAPTER OUTLINE

Introduction

It was necessary to provide information on my experience doing a marathon with Don McNelly. This detail helps to give credit to the book.

Foreword

Three individuals are providing their experiences with Don McNelly. Yasu of Japan and the Hyaku Club of which Don is a member; Dr. Larry Gibbons, M.D. originally of the Cooper Clinic and Dr. Kenneth Cooper of the Cooper Clinic and the author of Aerobics.

Chapter 1; Exactly What Is A Marathon?

The history of marathons has its beginning in 490 B.C., when the Greeks were victorious over the Persians. A man named Pheidippides is credited with making that first marathon run. When the Olympic games were inaugurated in 1896 in Greece,

the legend of Pheidippides was revived by a 24.85 mile. Once marathons began to take place throughout the world, a standard distance needed to be set and this leads to another interesting story.

Chapter 2: Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort International Marathon

Doing this marathon with Don was a perfect way to get an understanding of what goes into a marathon. Equipped with media credentials I was able to observe Don at the Exhibition, the Pasta Dinner and the VIP Reception. I watched and observed and saw that Don McNelly was indeed an icon. This experience allowed me to physically describe the feeling on the route at every step and unfortunately for me, during not the worst, but definitely not the best of weather for a marathon.

Chapter 3: Brookville Ohio

Don was born in Brookville, Ohio on November of 1920. His parents were farmers and depended on the land to support the six children of which Don was the oldest. Later his father would take a job outside, leaving Don to make sure that the chores around the farm were done. As much a part of farming was the 4 H club, which, originally was known as the 3 H club.

Chapter: 4 Love And Marriage

Don would meet Phyllis at the 4 H camp in Ohio and they would find they had a common bond. When they decided to marry, like most weddings during World War II, it would take place immediately since Don planned to enlist in the Navy. While Don served his country, Phyllis and other women would replace the men in the plants.

Chapter 5: Navy Life

Something imbedded in Don’s character had him always wanting to do more than just what was expected of him. He would return home from the war with the newspapers touting his achievements during World War II. This would be the start of recognition of Don’s accomplishments.

Chapter 6: Living The American Dream

Having obtained an engineering degree from the General Motors Institute, Don would start his career in Ohio, but soon move on to a better engineering job with the Fort Wayne Corrugated Box Company. He relocated his family to Indiana and finally to Rochester New York.

Chapter 7: Education Is The Key

Education was an important part of his children’s upbringing and Don would send his wife back to finish college once the children were grown. Each one of the children would obtain not only their educational degrees, but would go on to work in challenging careers.

Chapter 8: The Eye Opener

Don’s life was on a constant forward path but he was not ignorant enough to ignore a warning signal. It was the death of a friend who was the same age and working in the same type of pressure job that opened his eyes. Ken Evans was a former fraternity brother who he had remained in close contact and when he died of a heart attack he was still in his 40s. This event leads Don to seek a way to better his chances for a long life and with input from his doctors he began running.

Chapter 9: The Boston Marathon

Don knew he wasn’t ready for such a race, but he could not keep himself from entering and later, after the experience he would have to admit to himself he would enter the Boston Marathon again.

Chapter 10: The Madness Begins

It was time to admit that running had found its place into his life and if he wanted to do his best, he had to learn what it would take to prepare for a marathon. He designed a program that would allow him to do his miles whether he was at home or on the road. When he began there were few marathons to choose from, but over the years more and more came on the scene.

Chapter 11: 1980s & The First 100

The first full decade of doing marathons went beyond just running. This would be the first time he faced the fact that he had cancer, but it would not stop him as he would run in the New York City Marathon and even find time to participate in the Olympic Trials and the race up the Empire State Building. It was as year of so many remembrances that it would gain the attention of the public as well as the runners who he saw constantly.

Chapter 12: 1990s & Number 500

Don was now very involved in his collecting of marathons and began to go beyond the United States in a big way. He ran in Singapore, Paris, London, Germany, and many other countries, taking in the scenery and becoming a part of each place that he ran. He would return with many new friendships acquired as well as many new awards given for his running ability.

Chapter 13: 2000 & Beyond

Not only had Don managed to reach over 700 marathons during the 21st Century, but also he managed to accomplish even more in his personal life which might seem impossible for anyone else who was able to say they balanced out to approximately 26 marathons a year. He would find that he would again have to fight the cancer that had returned and also suffer the death of his only daughter. Don was strong for himself and his family and his life continued to be full and notable. He would continue running marathons.

Chapter 14: Anecdotes

Stories of happenings during his years of running were hard at times to pinpoint exactly when they took place. Yet, the stories were just too touching to let go, especially since Don had put a name to each incident. There was the Japanese Connection, The One That Got Away and Fancy Who You Meet. Each story was an episode in Don’s life that was special.

Chapter 15: The Need To Know About Running

All books on marathons provide a little input into what one should consider if they plan on running. Running can be a very beneficial activity and if done right, can be something you can do for a long time. To help those who wish to enter marathons, a list of current marathons is included. It is important to remember that the names change, the marathons end and new ones are always appearing.

SAMPLE CHAPTERS

Juanita Tischendorf

Copy write @2006

Word Count: 94,000

Book Status: Completed

Chapter 1

Exactly What Is A Marathon?

If you are like me, your knowledge of marathons comes down to people running and winning prizes for their accomplishments. You probably have no idea that individuals who are non-runners enter marathons, as well, and that most marathons have more than just the full marathon offering. Today there is the ultra-marathon, which is any running event longer than the traditional length (26 miles, 385 yards or 42.195 kilometers), half-marathons (13 miles, 193 yards or 21.0975 kilometers), 10K (5.2 miles), 5K (3.1 miles) and even categories for walkers. Most marathoners do not pull on their sneakers to run for the prize; some run just for the joy of running and others just for the companionship. For me, the researching the history of the marathon seemed like a good starting point.

***

The revival of the marathon happened in the 1896 Olympics when it was run as the final track-and-field event in Athens, Greece. It was included at the suggestion of a man named Michel Breal, and the length of the event was 40K (24.8 miles). This marathon added local interest to the Games, commemorating the run of Pheidippides from Marathon, a city in Greece, to Athens in 490 BC, when the Persians went to conquer the Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea. This battle was also staged to punish Eretria and Athens for their assistance in the Ionian revolt. Eretria was besieged and fell; then the fleet landed in Marathon bay. There a small force of Athenian and Plataean—an ancient city in Greece—heavy infantrymen, despite their numerical advantage, defeated Eretria.

According to legend, at the end of this battle, Pheidippides, a Greek soldier and champion runner in the ancient Olympics had been chosen as the courier to announce the surprise Greek victory over the invading Persians on the plains of Marathon. Pheidippides was determined to not let his country down and, though exhausted, ran the full 24.8-mile distance from Marathon to Athens. He ran ignoring his body’s signals of physical exhaustion, not allowing himself to sleep or eat. He paid the price when he arrived in Athens, shouting, "Nenikikamen!” (translation, “We were victorious”) ended fatally.

***

Pheidippides succeeded in his mission, unlike the Greek track-and-field competitors at the 1896 Olympic Games in Athens, where the Greeks suffered daily disappointments, largely because of the exceptional performances of the American athletes. Hoping to change the course of events, the Greeks offered incentives to their people.

History states that Georgios Averoff, a philanthropist who financed the rebuilding of the Olympic stadium, offered his daughter's hand in marriage and a dowry of one million drachma—about $2 million in today's dollars—to the Greek marathoner declared the winner. Following suit, a doctor offered a barrel of vintage wine; a tailor offered clothing for life and still others donated prizes such as food for life, two thousand pounds of candy, free shaves, haircuts, cattle, sheep, and jewelry.

A Greek victory seemed assured since twenty-one of the twenty-five entrants were Greek. The other four runners were from France, Australia, Hungary and the United States. As the race began, the three leaders were non-Greeks, running full out and keeping in front at a fast pace that challenged the Greeks, until they reached Athens, when the tides turned. First the American, then the Frenchman, and finally the Australian collapsed; it was the steady pace of a Greek runner named Spiridon Louis that prevailed. As he staggered into the stadium, covered with perspiration and dust, he was seven minutes ahead of the second-place finisher. At the end of the marathon, only nine runners finished, eight of whom were Greek. From this infamous race the marathon was born.

Louis was greeted by Prince George and Prince Constantine, who carried him on their shoulders to the royal box of their father, King George. People were cheering and sobbing. Women threw their jewelry at Louis's feet as he rounded the track. Spiridon Louis had saved the day, but who was this man? No one really knew. Many legends are associated with Spiridon Louis. Some say he was a poor shepherd who trained for his Olympic Marathon debut by praying in front of holy icons and fasting for two days and two nights before the race.

What is known is that Louis was earning his living at that time by selling water to the Athenians, who did not have good water sources in the city. Twice a day Louis was seen with his load of two barrels of water on his mule, running beside the animal the 14K (8.6 miles) from the water supply in the village of Amarousi to Athens. Although unknown at the time, Louis's routine of running shorter-than-racing distances with periods of rest in between was not unlike current training methods, giving him an advantage over the other marathoners.

Just as mysterious is the legend of the gifts that Louis accepted after the Games. Some sources say he accepted nothing. Others say that after the marathon Louis became a wealthy man. What is known, however, is that the gift of the philanthropist's daughter's hand in marriage was never taken. Spiridon Louis was unable to accept the offer as he was already married!

If the 1896 Olympic Marathon distance was 40K (25.8 miles), why do we run 42.195 kilometers (26 miles, 385 yards) as a full marathon distance? The answer is that at the 1908 Olympic Games in London, the distance was changed to twenty-six miles to cover the ground from Windsor Castle to White City stadium, and an additional 385 yards were added so the race could finish in front of King Edward VII's royal box.

***

At the first annual Boston Athletic Association on April 19, 1897, the United States marathon was born to commemorate the famous 1775 ride of Paul Revere. The topography of the 24.7-mile course—Metcalfe's Mill in Ashland, Massachusetts to Boston's Irvington St. Oval—was similar to the Athens course, although 250 meters shorter. Fifteen runners started that eventful race, but only eight finished the 39,751 meters.

A problem arose later when it was noted that this marathon did not match the distance set in London at the 1908 Olympic Games. Not everyone was in agreement to make a change, but a standard needed to be set. After sixteen years of debate, the 42.2K (26.2 miles) distance was established as the official marathon length at the 1924 Olympics in Paris. Following this decree, the Boston Athletic Association officials adjusted their course distance in 1924 to what they thought equaled the official 26.2-mile distance. They were wrong. The Boston Athletic Association discovered a few years later that the Boston course was 161 meters short; again they went about making a change, and this time the distance was correct. As a result, records for a full 42.2K marathon cannot officially be taken from Boston marathons until after 1927.

For marathoners who set a record prior to 1927, this decision had to be devastating, especially since they had done nothing wrong. Imagine what is required to run in a full marathon without walking or stopping for about three hours, only to have that achievement go unrecognized. However, having a standard proved to be important, especially as popularity continued to increase.

By the year 2005, more than 382,000 marathon finishing times would be recorded in just the United States. Of interest as the years progressed was the increase in women running in marathons, reaching 40 percent of all entrants in 2005 when women were blocked from entering right up to 1968.

Women did not give up starting with Roberta Gibb being the first woman to run the full Boston Marathon in 1966. Gibb did not run with an official race number during any of the three years that she managed to run the marathon. She hid in the bushes near the start and took off when the race began. She did this from 1966 until 1968. In 1967, Katherine Switzer, not identifying herself as female on the application received a bib number recognizing her as an official marathon entry at the Boston Marathon. When it became apparent she was female, the. B.A.A. officials tried to physically remove her from the race since the Amateur Athletics Union (A.A.U.) had yet to formally accept participation of women in long distance running.

The AAU had been around for some time. On January 30, 1878, in the city of New York, William B. Curtis founded what officially became, in 1887, the American Athletics Union. The AAU governed the sport of track and field in the United States until 1979, when the first Amateur Sports Act of 1978 ended their involvement of holding international franchises for more than one sport. The enactment of the Amateur Sports Act came about by the lobbying of amateur athletes, particularly runners, who felt that the AAU imposed artificial rules preventing wide-spread participation in sports.

Later the Athletics Congress (TAC) emerged from the AAU in late 1979, and in 1992 became known as the USA Track & Field (USATF) to increase recognition for the organization and for the sport in the United States.

When the A.A.U. permitted its sanctioned marathons (including Boston) to allow women entry in the fall of 1971, Nina Kuscsik's 1972 B.A.A. victory the following spring made her the first official champion. Eight women started that race and all eight finished.

With all the changes the most notable to the marathoners was the fact that competition was increasing. Some marathoners were now finishing in slightly over two hours, but the truth be told, only a small percentage of marathoners break the three-hour mark, which had become the goal for the faster marathoners.

***

Since I have gotten ahead of myself, here, it is interesting to note that reportedly the largest number of marathon entrants in the year 2005 was the ING New York City Marathon, with almost 37,000 entrants, and the smallest marathon was the California International Marathon with just over 3,000. You would think that the Boston Marathon had the largest field. It does not and there is a good reason why.

To qualify for the Boston Marathon, athletes must meet the designated time standard which corresponds to their age group and record the times by September of the previous year subject to review and verification. In addition, runners in this marathon must be 18 years or older on race day. Then to add t this, the B.A.A. first introduced qualifying times to the Boston Marathon in the early 1970s in order to limit the field size which had been set at a maximum field size of 20,000. As can be imagined, anything that has limits gains attention and the Boston Marathon was no exception. Boston remains the only major marathon – other than Olympic trials marathons and the Olympic Games Marathon – in which runners must post a qualifying time in order to gain entry.

Another interesting point to mention is that the average age is thirty-eight for men and thirty-six for women.

Copyright 2008-2009, Juanita Tischendorf (Expires May 1, 2009)

To request information on this author or a manuscript contact the listed agent or e-mail: dbooth@authorlink.com

Editor/Agent Request for Manuscript/Screenplay

This service is for legitimate publishers, editors and agents only. Please do not request a manuscript or information unless you can verify that you are an active professional in the industry. Thank you!

Note to Editors and Agents: Your contact information will remain highly confidential at all times. The information will be given ONLY to the person whose materials you requested. Thanks.

Author Reference Number	wr805002
Author Name	Juanita Tischendorf
Your Name
Your Company
Address
City
State
Zip Code
Your Title
Phone Number
E-mail Address
Materials Requested
Enter characters from image below: (we do this to prevent spam)
Phonetic spelling (mp3)

---