One last hurdle

Why, at the grand old age of 48, is Edwin Moses eyeing a comeback?

Edwin Moses won 122 straight races between 1977 and 1987. Clive Rose/Getty Images

It's hellish enough to maintain a sprint around a quarter-mile oval. Now, for good measure, throw in 10 wooden barriers, spaced evenly between the start and finish.

That's the 400-meter hurdles.

A grueling test for young pup Felix Sanchez, the reigning world champion. So why on earth is old-timer Edwin Moses dragging his 48-year-old body out of retirement?

This latest sports comeback, if you don't know Moses or his motives, rings sad and silly. Just think back a few years to retired running back Jim Brown tweaking a hammy while sprinting with a still young Franco Harris. Or imagine Reggie Jackson suiting up again this October for the Yankees. Or Arnold Schwarzenegger preening one more time for Mr. Universe judges.

Not a pretty picture.

That's why it is hard to fathom why Moses, as cerebral and dignified as any athlete, would set himself up for a potential fall. The guy put together a streak about as dominant as anyone in sports, going unbeaten in 122 races from 1977-87. And, sure, Moses has been slow to embrace his successors, often letting you know the current crop of hurdlers couldn't touch him in his prime.

But before anyone suggests he's lost it, Moses cautions his is a "limited comeback." He isn't threatening to run down Sanchez or even pop up on the major track-and-field circuit. If he qualified for the Olympic trials next summer, which is a huge reach in itself, Moses would giddily float to Sacramento.

No, this is about Moses wanting to prove old guys can still be world-class fit, and maybe rewrite some age-class world records along the way. There's also a young fan he wants to share his sport with -- his 8-year-old son, Julian, who has never seen him run.

And at the root of his return is a campaign to generate awareness and cash for the Laureus World Sports Academy, an international program that provides sports opportunities for young people. Moses has traveled to 30 countries in the last 18 months as chairman of the program, logging more than 250,000 miles.

""I want to use this to draw attention to the work we're doing around the world with Laureus," said Moses, a sporting statesman and two-time Olympic champion. "If I can raise $500,000 and motivate people to become physically active, I'll have reached my goal.

"I'll be training in South Africa, possibly Australia this winter, and India, doing exhibitions and clinics."

So where's he headed? As in the old days, Moses will coach himself ("Yup, I'm the horse and the jockey.") The plan is to run eight low-level races between now and next summer. The time to beat is 50.5 seconds, the "B" qualifying standard that would likely earn him an invite to the Olympic trials.

Moses blows that time away in his prime. Only it's been 20 years since he clocked a world-record 47.02 seconds. And it might be different if we were talking about a comeback in the javelin or discus, but a 48-year-old running the hurdles is ancient.

"If he did it it'd be something for the history books," said Grover Hinsdale, coach of the last two Olympic 400 hurdle champions, Derrick Adkins and Angelo Taylor. "I have incredible respect for him as a person and athlete, but common sense and logic says it would be tough to get back to an internationally competitive level."

Even if he doesn't, Moses is convinced he can run faster than anyone his age ever has. This isn't a sloppy George Foreman or Larry Holmes climbing in a ring for a fat paycheck. Moses, as might be expected, fastidiously watches his diet and, at 175 pounds, is a half-dozen pounds under his competitive weight. Nor is his bank account about to be super-sized.

"My main problem is going to be cardiovascular training and preventing injuries," Moses said. "Running hurdles is not even an issue. The flexibility is there. So for me the game is gonna be being able to stay healthy and being able to put back-to-back-to-back days together without getting hurt.

"If I'm able to run 49 seconds, I'll be really blessed. 'Cause it is really hard on the body. I'm not gonna even pretend that I can be at that level, 'cause I'm not gonna hurt myself doing this. I'm gonna make it fun."

Some sporting comebacks, it seems, are rooted in good causes, reasons beyond enhancing one's personal fortune. Moses, too, may find his mind more willing than his body, but he deserves a hand for trying.

Mike Fish is a senior writer for SI.com.