Passed away this morning at the age of 78.
Passed away this morning at the age of 78.
What a sad news.
One of THE great names in the history of distance running and one of the athletes I had the deepest respect for their athletic achievements.
Sad news.
17 World Records and one of the true legends of the sport. I've spoken with many runners who knew him back in the day and have never heard a bad word about him. A gentleman who will be missed. RIP
I have the famous pic of the 64 10k on my wall. I look at it everyday as I put my shoes on to head out for my run. What a race that was! RIP Ron
One of my first heroes. Never afraid to push the pace and lead. He lowered the 10,000 WR by 39 seconds!
He ran so hard in Mexico City that he almost died.
Total class act from start to finish. The quality of the Earth is just a little lower now.
:(
I'm staggered by this. He was an idol of mine -one of the all-time greats.
Oh, terrible news. One of my all-time heroes. Far too young.
He (co-)authored two of the finest books about running that I have ever read: The Unforgiving Minute and The Lonely Breed. When I was a kid these books could psych me up like nothing else.
Clarke was the final torchbearer at the 1956 Olympics. Earlier that year, in his (early) days as a miler, he was involved in a legendary incident at the national championship meeting:
Someone correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Ron suffer a heart attack in the early '70's? If so he got many additional decades afterward and I'm sure he lived them well. RIP
RIP. True legend of the sport. I met him briefly once in the erly 90s when he presented me with a prize for finishing thrid in a race. I was quite awestruck at the time.
short clip of him breaking 13 minutes for 3miles on cinders in London 1965
Ron was my boss/owner at the Lifestyle Fitness Center. A true gentleman willing to spend time talking about training and racing. AS with most of the Aussies at the time, willing to share whatever knowledge and experience they had to make others better. RIP Ron.
Excellent documentary here:
"It makes me sick to see a superior runner wait behind the field until 200 meters to go and then sprint away. That is immoral. It's both an insult to the other runners and a denigration of his own ability." - Ron Clarke, former 5000 and 10000 meter world-record holder
RIP Ron wrote:
"It makes me sick to see a superior runner wait behind the field until 200 meters to go and then sprint away. That is immoral. It's both an insult to the other runners and a denigration of his own ability." - Ron Clarke, former 5000 and 10000 meter world-record holder
I guess that means we know how he feels about "King Ches"
I hate that stupid title too, Ron.
Ron Clarke was a big hero of mine when I was just started running -- front runner, no kick. His form was so smooth. Plus, he seemed like a real gentleman.
I can't imagine any better tribute than when Zatopek gave him one of his gold medals. Speaks volumes about each of them.
Very sad...
Also, very sad that the state of the sport is such that the major headline on this site has to do with AlSal and the doping scandal, while Clarke is relegated to a sub-headline.
AlSal isn't worthy to carry Clarke's jock.
Gondwanaland wrote:
Someone correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Ron suffer a heart attack in the early '70's? If so he got many additional decades afterward and I'm sure he lived them well. RIP
A lot of distance world record holders don't seem to live to a very old age. Runners who held the 5000 record just before Clarke died younger: Kuts (48), Pirie (60), Iharos (66). I believe that now the oldest living holders of a WR for the 5,000 and 10,000 are Kip Keino and Lasse Viren, whom I think are about 75 and 66 years old. RIP Ron Clarke, a great one.
At the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Clarke – untrained for the high altitude – came close to blacking out late in the 10,000m event having been challenging for the lead. Virtually unconscious, he staggered on to finish sixth.
It wasn’t until years later he discovered he had damaged his heart as a result, requiring open heart surgery and daily medication.
Very sad news. Truly one of the greats.
Jim Peters died aged 80
Chris Chataway died aged 82
Chris Brasher died aged 74
Roger Bannister is 86
Derek Ibbotson is 83
Ron Hill is 76
bit of a mixed bag
I’m a D2 female runner. Our coach explicitly told us not to visit LetsRun forums.
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RENATO can you talk about the preparation of Emile Cairess 2:06
adizero Road to Records with Yomif Kejelcha, Agnes Ngetich, Hobbs Kessler & many more is Saturday
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Hats off to my dad. He just ran a 1:42 Half Marathon and turns 75 in 2 months!