Gary Fanelli

Gary M. Fanelli (born October 24, 1950) is a long-distance runner from the United States who represented American Samoa in the marathon at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Fanelli's 2:25:35 performance at the Olympics is an American Samoan national record. and "road-racing's longest-running joke".

Early life Fanelli was born and raised in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, area. He attended school in Ardsley, Pennsylvania, where "he was just another class cut-up". He reportedly took 10 bee pollen tablets before races. Wearing a shirt that read "The Road to Moscow Ends Here" in order to protest the American boycott of the Summer Olympics, he jumped out front at the start and by 11 miles had extended his lead over the pack to 150 yards. Fanelli crossed the half-way point in 1:04:39, but began to slow after yelling, "a blister on my left foot!" Fanelli finished sixth at the 1987 Boston Marathon, and had competed in 70 marathons by the autumn of 1988. He was also listed as the only member on the territory's 400 meter relay team.

Among Fanelli's victories are the 1981 Lewes Seashore marathon, a Sri Chinmoy marathon in 1982, the 1984 Last Train to Boston Marathon, the 1990 Maui Marathon, and the 1992 Run to the Sun 36.2 miler. In 1998 Gary Fanelli and USATF Olympic Development Official Stacey Chambers, Co-Founded the Puma USA Road Racing Track and Field Team.

Costumes Fanelli is known for participating in road races while dressed in costume. He began running in costume either in 1979 or 1981 after seeing a suit that reminded him of Elwood Blues, Dan Aykroyd's character from The Blues Brothers, in a Souderton, Pennsylvania thrift shop. as well as events in New York City, Stockholm, and New Zealand.

He has run the New York City Marathon as various characters: as Elwood Blues in 1983, as a Ghostbusters ghost in 1984, as a New York Mets player in 1986, and wearing a white tunic and toque as "Chef Ronzoni" in 1987.

One of Fanelli's own characters is "Billy Chester Polyester", reported to be "one of the leisure suit crowd" and wearing "100% synthetic clothing". Dressed in a summer version of "Polyesther" that he described as "patio wear from Sears" (a straw hat, Hawaiian shirt, and large Bermuda shorts), Fanelli set a national record at the second running of the Jamaica International Marathon on January 19, 1985. His 2:24:41 performance concluded with him running backwards and dancing reggae style over the final 100 yards prior to faking a hamstring injury with ten feet to go and crawling across the finish like a snake. He lived in Hawaii as of December 1988,