Where have all the sprinters gone?

I was looking through Runner's World and Running Times magazines last week and came to the conclusion that there are far more runners from my era than there are old sprinters.

Here's the evidence - the following runners were mentioned in either  magazine last month.  Each of them were active during the 1970s, while I was competing in college, and in some way or another, I had contact with them:

• Jim Gerwick - Editor at Large - Running Times (classmate at Penn)
• Amby Burfoot - Edtior at Large - Runner's World (met numerous times while in college - he is a bit older than I but had an influence on my early running)
• Kenny Moore - writer - (early influencer)
• Jeff Galloway - writer - (early influencer)
• Don Kardong - writer - (early influencer)
• Craig Masback - ex-USATAF president - (comrade while he was at Princeton)

By comparison, there are very few sprinters from "my era" with whom I can associate (Bill Collins, Martee Krulee, James Lofton) who have stayed in the game.  I am sure that I missed a few and that there are many great older sprinters still running 100s and 200s and I simply haven't heard of their successes.  That being admitted, when I query my peers (guys that I ran with in high school and college), it's a safe bet that the sprinters have either stopped or moved up in distance while the distance guys have kept on training.

Is it because sprinting is for younger athletes while longer distance running is a life-long ability?  Do sprinters "burn out"?  Are there fewer venues for sprinters to ply their trade so that feedback from their training is less constant?  Is the technique required to be successful at sprinting more difficult than that required to be successful at longer distances?  

Does distance running take less discipline than sprint training?  No, as evidenced by all of us who now run in all kinds of weather at hours when most people are sleeping.

Is sprinting harder on the body than distance running?  I've had my share of aches, pains, and injuries while doing both but probably was more infirmed by an injury suffered while sprinting (hamstring, groin) than I have been by injuries incurred while running longer distances.  I can't overlook the stress that sprinting does place on the body - starting, straining, and the significant wear and stretching of muscles may be more on sprinters than longer runners.

So what's the difference?  Why are there far fewer "elderly" sprinters than there are "elderly" runners?  Chime in and let me know what you think.