JIM RYUN: my childhood hero...
Jim redefined what it was to be a distance runner in the 1960s. He had crazy speed (47 on the 400) and an unsurpassed work ethic, even as a 16-year old HS student in Kansas. By the time he was 20 he held 3 world records (3:51.1; 1:44.9-880; the indoor 880) and had run HS times( 3:55-mile) that would take over 30 years to surpass.
He was a 1968 silver medalist and had good reason to feel cheated at Munich(1972), where he was tripped in a heat, and though he was the fastest miler in the world, never had the opportunity to run for the gold.
Beyond that, he was a good guy. He took the time to counsel me at length in 1974 at his running clinic, though he could have cold shouldered me in a heartbeat. For an hour we ran together, talking over running and goals outside of the track.
Jim redefined what it was to be a distance runner in the 1960s. He had crazy speed (47 on the 400) and an unsurpassed work ethic, even as a 16-year old HS student in Kansas. By the time he was 20 he held 3 world records (3:51.1; 1:44.9-880; the indoor 880) and had run HS times( 3:55-mile) that would take over 30 years to surpass.
He was a 1968 silver medalist and had good reason to feel cheated at Munich(1972), where he was tripped in a heat, and though he was the fastest miler in the world, never had the opportunity to run for the gold.
Beyond that, he was a good guy. He took the time to counsel me at length in 1974 at his running clinic, though he could have cold shouldered me in a heartbeat. For an hour we ran together, talking over running and goals outside of the track.
What is strange to me is to realize that even then, he was only 26 years old. He and his wife, Anne, were like parents to all of us HS distance runners. As a runner, I understood what it was to be humble after our chat. It was a valuable lesson; I left running for awhile, which was the right thing.
At 26, I was a grad student who had no clue what to do....At 26, he was a three-time Olympian with a tumultuous career behind him, trying to be certain we didn't repeat his mistakes. He'll always be a big part of my running.
At 26, I was a grad student who had no clue what to do....At 26, he was a three-time Olympian with a tumultuous career behind him, trying to be certain we didn't repeat his mistakes. He'll always be a big part of my running.
1 comment:
ron,
what great memories you have of ryun. great runner in his prime, great guy overall.
he's in the middle of a serious effort to recapture his old house seat right now!
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