Who was/is Craig Virgin?

Like, duh. Only the greatest HS cross-country runner ever.

"Proven runners like Sage and Torres didn't even run that fast."

LOL!!!! Oh, what I'd give to be young and stupid again. If Sage and Torres have half the career that Virgin had, they will have exceeded all expectations.

Virgin: Won and set records at every level: high school college and international.

-Former high school record-holder in the two mile (8:40.9) set on a day so hot (90 degrees) that the track was sticking to his shoes.

-NCAA champ in cross country in the days when it meant something.

-Twice won the the World XC championships (1980,1981).

-Twice held the AR in the 10k.

-Three time Olympian at 10k (76,80,84)

-Fastest 10k ever in a US championship (27:39.4)

-Fastest 10k ever in the OT (27:45.61) and 3 of the top 5 times

-US rankings 5000 6,8,3,3,3,4,3(75,76,77,78,79,80,81)....10,000 7,3,2,1,1,1,4,3,6(75,76,77,78,79,80,82,83,84))...marathon 2nd(81)

-World rankings ...10,000 2,2(80,81)...marathon 6th(81)

Americans at NCAA 10000

28:05.30(1) Eyestone 85

28:06.12(3) Salazar 79

28:15.35(4) Ansbury 85

28:22.48(2) Virgin 77

28:25.52(2) Virgin 76

No other Americans under 28:30

US Record Progression 10k:

27:13.98 Mebrahtom Keflezighi (CA) 04 May 2001 Palo Alto CA USA

27:20.56 Marcus Nenow (CA) 05 Sep 1986 Brussels BEL

27:25.61 Alberto Salazar (OR) 26 Jun 1982 Oslo NOR

27:29.16 Craig Virgin-2 17 Jul 1980 Paris FRA

27:39.4 Craig Virgin (IL) 17 Jun 1979 Walnut CA/USA

27:43.6 Steve Prefontaine (OR) 27 Apr 1974 Eugene OR/USA

27:51.4 Frank Shorter-2 03 Sep 1972 Munich GER

27:58.2 Frank Shorter (FL) 31 Aug 1972 Munich GER

28:08.0 Greg Fredericks (PA) 16 Jun 1972 Seattle WA/USA

28:17.6 Billy Mills-2 12 Aug 1965 Augsburg GER

28:24.4 Billy Mills 14 Oct 1964 Tokyo JPN

All-Time Olympic Trials 10k

27:45.61 1 Craig Virgin '80

27:55.45 1 Frank Shorter '76

27:59.08 1 Paul Cummings '84

27:59.43 2 ---Virgin '76

28:02.27 2 ---Virgin '84

28:03.14 2 Greg Fredericks '80

28:03.32 1 Mebrahtom Keflezighi 00

28:03.35 2 Alan Culpepper 00

28:03.74 3 Garry Bjorklund '76

28:03.86 3 Pat Porter '84

28:04.42 4 Bill Rodgers '76

28:05.83 4 ---Bjorklund '84

28:06.80 5 Mark Curp '84

28:10.42 3 Alberto Salazar '80

28:12.82 4 Jeff Wells '80

Man, I'll definetly have to make an argument for the arrogance statement on Virgin. In '88 at the Indy Trials, when I was still just a young punk, I was running at the track one evening, and who but Craig Virgin jumped in and ran a few laps with me. We chatted about everything under the sun and he was genuinely curious about my future as a runner. Super nice guy. That's weird that anyone would say anything different.

That right there shows the state of American Distance running. Our history is so hidden. It's unfortunate that guys like Virgin, amongst many others, are never given the recognition for their spectacular careers. this is the case for so many of our great runners...but it's totally understandable why someone would not know who Craig Virgin is. track and field gets horrible television coverage...

hardly any coverage by national newspapers... it's all hidden deep within books and Track N' Field News... which are only read by people who already know who people like Craig Virgin are.

Geez, you guys make me feel old with such questions

Ask Herb Lindsey who Craig Virgin is.

craig held the OUTDOOR HS 2 mile record at 8:40.9, second to lindgren's 8:40.0 INDOORS

I saw Virgin at a pre-race running clinic. He showed one of his runs at Worlds XC and commented the entire thing. He was pretty full of himself.

A friend ran against him in HS and also at some camps and thought he was arrogant.

I know if I had won the World cc title not once,but twice, I'd be more than a little arrogant as well.

Unawareness of legacy isn't just in T&F. Story goes that when baseball player Don Mattingly was at the height of his abilities and people were making comparisons to past NY Yankees first baseman and mentioned Lou Gehrig, DM had heard of him but had to be briefed on the stuff he did to merit a plaque in Mattingly's own home stadium.

Virgin's 27:39 AR was run at the US champs when he led virtually every step of the way, Herb Lindsay dragging behind him for a while but left behind well before the last lap.

Picture an American man even considering an AR attempt without a coterie of pacers. Closest comp I can think of is Ryan Shay at NCAAs.

Virgin had a pretty good outdoor season his senior year in high school:

Craig Virgin - 1973

Lebanon HS in Lebanon, IL

4/07 8:50.4 2 mile & 4:17 relay leg

4/24 8:55.6 & 4:16.6 St Clair County meet

4/28 8:59.0 Granite City Invite

5/02 9:24.2 O'Falon Relays

5/03 4:27.9 & 2:02.1 Conference meet

5/05 8:46.6 & 4:11.8 relay Orphan Relays

5/15 8:54.0 Cahokia Invite

5/18 8:53.6 & 4:10.9 District

5/21 8:48.6 & 4:08.5 Meet of Champions

5/25 4:10.0 State meet heat

5/26 8:42.6 & 4:12.2 State finals

6/01 4:05.5 Top 10 meet

6/09 8:40.9 Intl Prep Invite - HS 2 mile record

6/23 13:36.8 3 mile at Ntl Jr AAU

7/04 4:06.1 Freedom Mile (5th)

7/14 8:10.2 3000 for 3rd vs West German Jrs

7/20 8:16.0 3000 win vs Poland Jrs

7/28 13:58.2 5000 win vs USSR Jrs

All-time IL boys hs 1600 list

#4 4:04.1c Craig Virgin '73 - Lebanon. was 4:05.5 mile win at Top Ten meet at Thornridge HS.

Jr, '72 state mile champ in 4:09.2

Sr, state mile 2nd in 4:12.2 after state 2-mile win and 5th in Freedom mile in 4:06.1

All-time IL boys hs 3200 list

#1 8:37.9c Craig Virgin '73 - Lebanon. was 8:40.9 2-mile to win International Prep Invitational (IPI).

Fr, '70 state 2-mile 7th in 9:31.9 for new national freshman and age-14 records.

So, '71 state 2-mile 2nd in 8:57.4 for new national soph & age-15 records & '70 state XC 6th.

Jr, 8:54.2 indoors in '72, state 2-mile win in 8:52.0 for new ntl age-16 record & '71 state XC champ in 13:59 (#4 all-time IL state meet).

Sr, '73 state champ in 8:42.6 for new national age-17 record, 13:58.2 5000 meter win in dual meet vs. USSR Jr team (3rd all-time ntl HS, still 4th) & '72 state XC champ in 13:50 (#1 all-time IL state meet).

Going from memory here which isn't very good, but didn't Virgin make one of the best moves ever (tactics) in a 10km at Eugene? I seem to recall he couldn't shake a guy in a slow race, left it too late but knowing he would be outkicked, came to a dead stop with 120m to go. the guy behind jams on the brakes and Virgin takes off like a bat out of hell, wins going away as the guy just can't recover on time.....Am I close???

Virgin ran 14:14.6 at the USA-USSR 5000m as a HS junior in 106 degree temperatures at Sacramento. Guttiest race I ever witnessed. The race was broadcast live on the "CBS Sports Spectacular". Virgin led two Soviets the whole way until the last 330 then found himself boxed in. Despite being boxed, Virgin still managed a 59.2 last lap. That was one of the rare times when Virgin actually had runners in front of him while in HS.

Was also at the IPI meet in Mt. Prospect when Virgin ran his 8:40.9, same day as Secretariat won Belmont by 31 lengths. Matt Centrowitz took second in the 2M that day in 8:56, and he was a 4:02 miler.

I think this belief in Virgin's arrogance is often spoken by people who don't know him and have never met him. Like Pre, Craig knew he had talent on the track, but he always been a good person to talk to. 3 years ago when Don Sage was finishing his 12th grade career, Craig came to some of the meets and offered a lot of encouragement- as he did to Mark Pilja before Don and has done for many other runners in Illinois over the years. He is very approachable, and is quite in touch with what is happening with younger runners. His own story is pretty amazing as well. After his accident there was question as to whether he would even walk again, but he is back running again. He ran unsuccessfully for political ofice as well. Believe me, Don and Jorge would love to have the kind of success that Craig did.

Seriously, StatsRus, "back in the day when an (NCAA) cross country title meant something?"

Torres beat a field that was deeper than the field that Virgin beat, and it will be proven (and already has been) with the times that will be run on the track this summer and spring by the collegiate guys. 7:45 by A. Cragg (whom Torres beat) is nothing to scoff at, neither are any of the times put up by Torres or his competitors. Torres also got top ten at world cross as a junior in college over a much more high-quality field. (Kenyans weren't as much of a force back then as compared to today.) Face it, Torres will be better than Virgin and in my mind already is. Virgin even went as far as to take away Torres' 13:58 at the state meet and get the officials to make it 14:00, because, surely 13:58 was too close to his record, you can even watch a tape of the finish if you can get a hold of a copy of it. Just you wait until Jorge surpasses Virgin.

I've never heard that story before, but if it's true it shows absolute brilliance on Virgin's part.

Very cool and very funny.

Monty

Gordo,

Virgin took 13th at AAU nationals in cross-country (when there was only one race) as a HS senior in an Olympic year against the likes of Shorter, Bacheler, and the dreaded Galloway.

No way Jorge or Sage or even Ritzenhein would have ever come close to being the 13th fastest cross-country guy in the nation while still in HS.

As far as your Jorge fetish goes, I think it's safe to say that while Jorge seems to have unlimited potential, it might be a few hundred years again before we see a USA guy be repeat world cross-country champion. I don't expect to see it happen again in my lifetime.

US rankings 5000 6,8,3,3,3,4,3(75,76,77,78,79,80,81)....

10,000 7,3,2,1,1,1,4,3,6(75,76,77,78,79,80,82,83,84))...marathon 2nd(81)

-World rankings ...10,000 2,2(80,81)...marathon 6th(81)

2 WC xc championships

Jorge Torres is a great prospect, and he will probably beat Virgin's PR's, but Virgin's record is quite impressive. Time will tell if Torres can beat that.

And no way are the NCAAs tougher now than they were in the late 70s. Back then many of the best Africans, as well as guys like John Treacy ran the NCAA circuit. The depth was better; just look at the times they were running then compared to now.

Man, no wonder this guy never accomplished anything after high school. Overracing like that is a career-killer. Not surprising he never reached the level he should have.

ray, You may be confusing your story with the WC race in which Virgin broke away from the field with the exception of Eithiopian Myrus Yifter ("Yifter the Shifter"), known for his searing kicks. :51-:53 was standard for 5K & 10K races. Virgin tried everything to shake him. Surges, steady grind, etc. He finally started slowing to force Yifter to take the lead. Yifter would have none of this and slowed to a crawl as well, never leaving Virgin's shoulder. Virgin finally stopped to force Yifter to go around. He did, but continued at a liesurely pace. This all took place well more than 800 from the finish. Virgin finally took the lead back, but Yifter finished in :52 and closed the deal. I have not heard the story you told before, but maybe someone else has.