by Harry Hall

This is a continuation of the feature on Doris Brown-Heritage in the July/August 2003 issue of Inside Texas Running. For the complete story on this remarkable pioneer, pick up a copy of that issue of ITR.

In the late '60s several battles took place between Doris Brown- Heritage and Madeline Manning. In addition to the Olympic Trials 800, Manning and Heritage went 1-2 at the 1967 Pan Am Trials, then duplicated the feat at the Games, where the American duo clocked 2:02.3 and 2:02.9, respectively. At the 1968 National Championships, Heritage scored a rare victory over Manning, 2:05.1 to 2:07.8. They also went 1-2 at the 1967 Indoor Nationals race, with Manning setting a new indoor American Record of 2:01.6.

As women's track expanded, Heritage moved up to more comfortable distances, eventually setting a PR of 4:39 for the mile, and in 1971, won the 2 mile nationals in 10:07. Her 1976 2:47 marathon was then a best ever first-time performance.