„The Artefact of the Month“ VI. – Museum Rarities from the Berlin Sports Museum – AIMS Marathon Museum of Running – The “Golden Shoe” from the AIMS/ASICS World Athlete of the Year Award. Horst Milde Reports

The Berlin Sports Museum – AIMS Marathon Museum of Running has received one very special artefact for the exhibition: The “Golden Shoe” from the AIMS/ASICS World Athlete of the Year Award. 

Since 1992, AIMS has presented an annual “Golden Shoe” award for one male and female marathon athlete in recognition for their extraordinary achievements for the year.  In 2008, the athletes honoured were Sammy Wanjiru (Kenya) and Constantina Dita (Romania) – both winners of the Olympic Marathon.

The awards are always presented in the following year at ceremonies at various AIMS events.

The gift of the original “Golden Shoe” from the AIMS/ASICS World Athlete of the Year Award to the Berlin Sports Museum is a representative enhancement to the museum’s collection.

One episode in the history of the presentation of the “Golden Shoe” should not be forgotten, as it took place in Berlin in a very unconventional manner. Uta Pippig, the winner of the 100th Boston Marathon in 2:27:12 ahead of Tegla Loroupe (KEN) in 2:28:37, was chosen to receive the award from AIMS/ASICS that year.

The Golden Shoe was to be presented to her by Horst Milde, the Race Director of the Berlin Marathon, at the Berlin Marathon in 1997. However, the “Golden Shoe” arrived in Berlin in pieces, and could not be presented.

Horst Milde, who ran a bakery and pastry shop, had a creative employee who baked a “golden shoe” from bread dough – while it was shiny, it wasn’t quite gold!

Uta Pippig was surprised with this unusual prize, but the AIMS/ASICS bread ceremony provided for an extraordinary presentation for the photographers. No one ever said whether or not this prize received a special spot in Uta Pippig’s trophy cabinet – the AIMS/ASICS bread did not find a spot in the Berlin Sports Museum either!

Horst Milde