Jim Ryun - Best of History's Top 7 milers.

Ryun was a miler, not a 7 miler. Be interesting to see what he could have done in a 7 mile race though.

Jim Ryun was a white boy, he'd never crack 3:46.

Sorry, I love Jim Ryun, etc; as a distnce runner!

But, can not be the greatest without an Oly gold.

Please rethink and rank them!!!

Your whole list is bassed off of assumptions. It is not possible to tell what would have happened had athelte A not been injured or not retired early or had better training facilities. For all you know if all the people you listed competed today they may all be on PEDS. List like this are fun to play around with, but to say "Ryun would have put all the records out of reach?" Come on. I'm sorry you just can't make that statement, it is not a valid argument.

An all weather track wasnt used in international competition until the 1972 Olympics in Munich

Bannister reached his potential. He pushed his body to the absolute limit. He would not have run faster today because he wouldn't have been able to handle the type of training today's athletes do. That's not to say he wasn't one of the greatest all time. But if you're basing your reasons for naming him one of the top 7 on the assumption that he would have run faster using today's training techniques you are wrong.

qucassidy wrote:

Snell

Bannister

Elliot

Walker

Coe

Scott

.

What a complete RACIST piece of shit you are.

NO AFRICANS???

No Keino??? Keino kicked your boy Ryun's ass when it most mattered. In fact, he destroyed him. And don't make up any lame excuses for Ryun.

No El G??? He was 10x the miler Ryun was

No Morcelli?? He was a much faster and more decorated runner than Ryun??

No Ngeny? Again, faster times and an Olympic gold.

I could keep going.....

Quit living in the past. The white of euro-descent hasn't ruled the mile for a long time. You are one of the biggest idiots on this board. Steve Scott was a complete choker.

Steve Scott broke 4 minutes for the mile more times then anyone in history. Walker was also a stallion. Had their

careers started 10 years later, when the money was really flowing, they both would a' bin under 3:45 for the mile.

The big motivator for many today, that these guys and others on my list did not have ... was money. Most, if not all the runners on my list did not benefit ... period ... by the massive financial resources todays runners enjoy.

Face it, even a miseable little contract likes Webb's, at some 200 grand a year, frees a person from constantly being stressed about how to train/race and feed the kids at the same time. Nowadays, guys can just go out and crank out a 3:50 road mile and collect enough money to feed thier family, thier extended family and the entire village.

No worries.

Give these kind of resources to all the guys on my list from the beginning of their careers and I GUARENTEE you ...

they would all be under 3:45.

Q

But you conveniently leave out that Keino pummelled Ryun while living in the same era, and that many top Africans today run amazing times BEFORE they sign any huge contracts. In fact, many argue that the reason the Africans are so good is BECAUSE they are poor and hungry and stressed and full of desire, and that today's white runners don't run as well because their lifestyles are TOO comfortable.

So so much for your theory about $ and no job = fast times.

And you know what you can do with your guarantees.

qucassidy, stop using the conditional tense. I'm sick of your "would've" bullshit.

Hey, I didn't say Steve Scott "would have" or "could have"

broken 4 minutes for the mile more then anyone in history ... he did do it. I only suggest that given the freedom that money allows, definitely removes a couple seconds from his 3:47 mile.

qucassidy wrote:

by the massive financial resources todays runners enjoy.

Q

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

i think this guy's list is stupid - he leaves many of the best and lists only white guys but i will say that i don't think bannister reached his potential...hell, change one thing, give him an all-weather track... his mile time i would imagine would instantly drop to ~3:51. then take him out of med school, have him run more than 40 miles a week... i think he could've gotten a few more seconds.... i don't know where he ranks but i do feel you can't look at his 3:58 and say, yeah that is what he was worth in today's world

OED wrote:

Bannister reached his potential. He pushed his body to the absolute limit. He would not have run faster today because he wouldn't have been able to handle the type of training today's athletes do. That's not to say he wasn't one of the greatest all time. But if you're basing your reasons for naming him one of the top 7 on the assumption that he would have run faster using today's training techniques you are wrong.

Sir Lance-alot wrote:

But you conveniently leave out that Keino pummelled Ryun while living in the same era,

And you conveniently leave out the fact that Keino never defeated Ryun before the '68 Games. Yoy want to see a pummelling? Watch a clip of the 1966 Commomwealth vs. USA 1500 meters. That's a pummelling. And it should be mentioned that the great Kip Keino never set a world record for the mile or 1500 meters. Why? Because the even greater Jim Ryun put it out of reach for him.

Not even close. To be considered on that list you'd have to be an Oly Gold medalist, and world champion, and world record holder. Here's a revised list (but in alphabetical order; I mean how can you really compare these guys?):

Coe

El G

Keino

Morceli

Ovett

Snell

Walker

Ngeny, Cram, and Bannister would be as high or higher than Ryun.

You're right ... thats what I say.

If there has ever been a Miler that could

have approached 3:40 given the perfect

conditions ... it was Jim Ryun.

No agrument about it ... Ryun is the Best Miler the

human race has ever seen.

But watch out for Webb ... once he recovers from

his ailments, and with his new found endurance

base, he could get down to 3:42 ... no doubt about

it ... a little luck and he'll be showing Lagat

little sparks of tartan dust.

But watch out for Webb ... once he recovers from

his ailments, and with his new found endurance

base, he could get down to 3:42 ... no doubt about

it ... a little luck and he'll be showing Lagat

little sparks of tartan dust.[/quote]

Wow. That's all I'm saying.

qucassidy wrote:

But watch out for Webb ... once he recovers from

his ailments, and with his new found endurance

base, he could get down to 3:42 ... no doubt about

it ... a little luck and he'll be showing Lagat

little sparks of tartan dust.

See, this proves that you are extremely biased towards white and US runners. Why on earth rank Webb (potential-wise) ahead of guys like El G, Lagat, Ngeny and other great Africans?? His times at many different comparative points in his career don't rank up there with the top Africans, but yet you rank Webb ahead of all these guys. Give it up, *I* guarantee you that you have zero credibility on this board and people are laughing at you and your opinions. You are a joke in the minds of those reading your posts. Now THAT is a guarantee you can take to the bank.

qucassidy wrote:

Hey, I didn't say Steve Scott "would have" or "could have"

broken 4 minutes for the mile more then anyone in history ... he did do it.

so what??? why do you use 4:00, an arbitrary time that well over 10 seconds from the WR during his career, as a benchmark. If you wanted to use 3:50, I might buy it, or most times within 5sec of world record, but 4:00 is a useful standard to millions of people ... who lived before 1960. Or are in high school. It hasn't been the mark of a "great" miler in decades.