Eric Heiden's Playground

With the national team training camp in Lake Placid coming to a close, I finally took the opportunity to walk upon some hallowed ground. Like this concrete oval where Eric Heiden took speed skating into uncharted territory. In 1980, Heiden won every race, from 500 to 10,000 meters in convincing Olympic to World Record setting fashion.

While Michael Phelps might have more golds, all his races came in relays and different strokes from 100 to 200 meters in distance. The range in Heiden's accomplishment still very much stands as the undisputed golden standard of athletic greatness. At least that's my opinion.