People: Aug. 1, 1969

"The Pied Piper of physical fitness" is how he styles himself, but the man of Hamelin could never hold a flute to the Rev. Bob Richards. At 43, the former Olympic pole-vault champ and Wheaties pitchman is jogging and biking 3,000 miles across the U.S. in a one-man campaign "to get Americans off their duffs," as he puts it, and impress upon them the need for health-giving exercise. Last week, having already swum the turbulent Colorado River and trotted across the Rocky Mountains, he was in Indiana, heading relentlessly eastward toward New York....

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!