The Man Who Could Have Run a 1:39 800m

Add Tom McLean to this list....Tom was primarily a basketball player (played for legendary Jim Valvano @ Bucknell)...yet ran a 45 second 400, and a 1:45 800...and always looked effortless. All who witnessed him came away wondering what he was fully capable of....

The link to the article doesn't work, but 1:43 is a long, long way from 1:39.

Kipketer had the most potential ever.

zodski wrote:

Kipketer had the most potential ever.

Very true. He broke the record twice in 1997 but then got malaria and was never the same again. The shame is that it couldn't have happened to a classier person.

"Could" have run 45.0?

BFD

MARK EVERETT

Event: 800 meters, 400 meters

Height: 6-0

Weight: 163

PRs: 800m 1:43.20 (1997); 400m 44.59 (1991)

Here is an interesting article by Jones' coach about his training.

http://users.compaqnet.be/cn000760/racing-stra-impo-1a.html

One amazing workout done by Earl Jones:

3 x 400m with 5 min between each (47.5, 48.6 and 49.5)! He once took it out in 48.5 and died badly but still finished in under 1:45.

Sorry about the link above - I inserted a space in it as I thought that links may not be allowed.

Good point about Everett. He had some good accomplishments and got 3rd at Worlds once I believe.

I don't think Jones ever went quite that fast in the 400, but did run 44.9 on a relay split, I read. Keep in mind that Jones was only 20 when he won the bronze at the Olympics, and was out of track at the age of 22 due to the injury - no telling what he might have done.

I remember Jones taking a moment to help Ovett after his collapse after the semi-final in LA.

SASprints wrote:

Does anyone remember Earl Jones? It was too bad he got in a car accident and hurt his knee. I remember seeing him at the state championships in Michigan. He ran a 4:18 mile, and also a 46.x split on the mile relay with an amazing top gear!

Rodney Giles, a high schooler from Maryland had more talent. He ran 47.6 (from the blocks), 1:48.67 and 3:51.4 (1500) in 1983, quadrupled at the State championships: 4:17.8, 47.8, 1:51.0 and anchoring the 4 x 800 with a legendary 1:46.7. All wins, and all within 4 hours.

I wonder what happened to him?

SMJO wrote:

I remember Jones taking a moment to help Ovett after his collapse after the semi-final in LA.

The USA 1984 Olympic Trials was tougher than the Olympic final.

1. 1:43.74 Earl Jones

2. 1:43.74 Johnny Gray Gray

3. 1:43.92 John Marshall

4. 1:43.92 James Robinson

Today Earl Jones is an inspirational Olympian working for the Mental Health Association in Tulsa. Check out his story here: http://mhat.org/our-very-own-olympian-earl-jones/

Spartans wrote:

The USA 1984 Olympic Trials was tougher than the Olympic final.

1. 1:43.74 Earl Jones

2. 1:43.74 Johnny Gray Gray

3. 1:43.92 John Marshall

4. 1:43.92 James Robinson

Earl Jones was a great runner and I greatly enjoyed watching him but he never would have run 1:39. That's just silly. For one thing, he wouldn't have wanted to run 1:39. That's not what he was about.

Fat Boy wrote:

Earl Jones was a great runner and I greatly enjoyed watching him but he never would have run 1:39. That's just silly. For one thing, he wouldn't have wanted to run 1:39. That's not what he was about.

He was a professional runner but not about running fast?

It's disrespectful and flat-out stupid to think that one of these 400 types could simply "move up" or "focus on endurance training" and then simply murder the 800 meter record. 1:40 isn't a soft time.

SASprints wrote:

Does anyone remember Earl Jones ....

http://www.thenewsherald.com/stories/080804/spo_20040808098.shtml

He has that great, deep voice, right? Never woulda picked him as a runner.

Earl wasn't one of those "400 types" who moved up per se. Indeed, I don't think he ever did 400m-type training at any point in his career. He ran 3:51 for the 1500m at age 16 and was a respectable CC runner in HS (regional runner-up behind yours truly). He did have amazing and controlled speed, however. At the Midwest Meet of Champions his senior year of HS (age 17) he ran a 45.5 relay split with many watches on him and that was after a 4:07 1600m. I can't say he would have broken 1:40 had thinks worked out optimally for him, but his 800m talent may well be unmatched. He did not concentrate on the 800 until his soph. year at EMU. Before that he was a miler. He broke the American record that year (age 19) at the trials, then won the Bronze behind Cruz and Coe in LA.

the only man capable of breaking 1:40 was Ryan James

Someone who didn't break world records or didn't win Olympic titles can hardly be said to have potential to smash the world record. Looking at their potential in terms of 400 metre times is not fully relevant :