Rod Dixon one of the world's most versatile runners.

Uhhh, those weren't posted as Dixon's numbers.

On the head-cam topic, I did a Google search for that picture. I love that picture of Dixon in his helmeet camera. But the GIS results for '"Rod Dixon" helmet marathon' didn't bring back anything but weird tri chicks in their underwear. Huh?

I was talking to Rod about a year ago, and he was telling me about the first time he ran the steeple. apparently, it was at a track meet in NZ (i think) and the meet director brought him and 3 others to run a relay (4x8 or 4xmile?). pretty sure they ran a WR that day, and then the next morning, the meet director told them he needed them to run more events b/c they he was paying them so much money. he mad Rod run the steeplechase, and in his first ever attempt ran what would be his fastest time (8:29, which was the #2 or 3 all time best mark). his friends kidded him about running a steeple, b/c he'd never gone over a hurdle before.

"I don't care what they bloody say! I've run cross country, and i'm good at it; i can run and jump over a couple of sticks!" it was pretty funny.

Mcgato:

Thanks for your unsolicited support in my campaign to get Webb the attention he has rightfully earned. Brilliant display of ignorance.

mcgato wrote:

tigranya wrote:

800: 1:43

1500: 3:30

Mile: 3:46

5k: 13:11

10k debut:27:34

12k:National Cross Champ

I love how people on here like to make up times for other people. Let's check pela's lists at

http://www.alltime-athletics.com/

800: No Dixon despite the list going down to 1:45.99

1500: 3:33.89 PR

Mile: 3:53.62 PR

5000: 13:17.27 PR

10000: No Dixon despite the list going down to 27:59.98

Marathon (before someone claims he ran a 2:05): 2:08:59 PR

from roddixon.com

800m 1min 47.6s

1500m 3min 33.89s

Mile 3min 53.62s

Steeple 8min 29s

5000m 13min 17.3s

10,000m 28min 11.0s

Marathon 2h 8min 59s

Have to admit, sub-1:46 and sub-2:09 are pretty elite clubs to be a part of, let alone BOTH...

Let me just add that when reading the profile of Dixon it reads, that the 2:08:59 was 11 years after his Olympic Bronze in the 1500m.

He also had 2 World Cross bronzes.

He also dominated quite nicely in the raod race circuit in the US.

When he ran his 2:08:59 it was 1983, not 2003...or 8! World class time....he did it with a cramp! I watched the race on DVD and you can see him grabbing his leg repeatedly throughout the race.

No drugs.

Now, if you add the chick-magnet factor, he's easily one of the all-time most versatile!

You can have your East Africans, in the next life I want to come back as Dixon or Walker.

perhaps young Alan Webb will someday equal this versatility, but until then, Mr. Dixon is the King.

Equal Dixon's versatility?

Ummmm...the last time I checked, the only event in which Webb has run slower than Dixon is the marathon.

P.S.--Webb has yet to run a marathon.

it took you a while, but it seems you understood my point.

Thanks.

good article on Rod taking up Lebow's marathon challenge

http://www.wvrr.org/misc/roddixon.html

Dixon was probably the most versatile of his era. He was a major player in Championships at 1500m/5000m and xc in his younger days. He never really did much serious 10000m track racing. He took the opportunity to go from financially struggling amateur track/xc runner to dominant money making road racer and hammered many of the best very frequently at a range of distances.

This Webb guy seems to have a big following over in the USA. At the moment he seems to be a bit of a Fernando Mamede -also a very versatile runner but unable to handle the pressure of major races.

Geb is hard to go past as the most versatile ever. A World champ indoors at 1500 but I don't think he ever raced seriously at 800m. He was not dominant at xc but still very competitive at the very highest level. His record at the longer track events speaks for itself. He has now converted to the roads and won the World half and set record times at both the half and the marathon.

Of course this is irrelevent because he is a doper isn't he. And you guys know this how? Can you please submit the evidence to WADA. Of course we know Webb isn't a doper because he ummm- actually how do we know that he isn't but Geb is?

tigranya wrote:

Equal Dixon's versatility?

Ummmm...the last time I checked, the only event in which Webb has run slower than Dixon is the marathon.

Does this mean that, since I've run faster than either Paavo Nurmi or Roger Bannister ever did, I should be upset that I'm not more famous than them?

Or could it be that your simplistic one-dimensional analysis totally misses the reason that Dixon is so admired?

As one guy has already pointed out, Dixon won a bronze medal in the Olympic 1500 meters. He did it at the age of 23. That's something Alan Webb will never do.

As for Greg Meyer being versatile with a sub-4 and a 2:09, the same would apply to Geoff Smith. They both won the Boston Marathon.

There were a lot of guys who posted good times over a range of distances. But very few who were as competitive over that range but didn't have the competitive success that Dixon did.

Like Smith and Meyer, he won a major marathon. But while both them ran a fast mile, though not as fast as Dixon, neither was a competitive international miler/1500 despite running under 4:00.

I agree with you, HRE. The only reason I mentioned Greg Meyer is that someone on the first page of this discussion suggested that Meyer might somehow be a close second behind Dixon for versatility. So I thought I would mention the similarities of Meyer's PRs with those of Geoff Smith.

As for Dixon, with his 1500 meter bronze from 1972 and his NY win from 1983, and with all those great performances over the years in between, he is truly in a class by himself. People can point to Aouita, but he didn't last nearly as long as Dixon at the world class level. Few runners did.

I might also point out that in Prefontaines's greatest ever international performance, Pre only managed a third place finish behind Dixon, who probably regarded that race as just another routine victory. It was in a two mile race in Stockholm on July 18, 1974, where Dixon ran 8:14, Puttemans ran 8:16, and Pre ran 8:18.

8:14.32 Rod Dixon NZL

8:16.55 Emiel Puttemans BEL

8:18.29 Steve Prefontaine USA

People who think Pre would have beaten Hildenbrand or Dixon in the Montreal 5,000 are pretty naive.

Playing the longevity card a bit more, Dixon was successful as a master's miler on the indoor circuit in its heyday just as he turned 40. He was one of a very few guys who were world class runners in their younger years who were able to compete with the "new" masters, i.e. guys who started late in life or who resumed later in life after a long layoff.

Dixon is also the only Olympic medallist I can think of who also won medals at the WAVA Games. Watching him win the 1500 in Buffalo in 1993 was inspiring.

Dixon was 10th in the '84 Olympic Marathon too.

I think that he is still sponsored by Saucony.

And in that particular field, 10th place was a solid achievement. There were 20 guys in the 1984 Olympic marathon field with personal bests of 2:10:59 or faster going into the race, and of those guys, 14 had personal bests of 2:09:59 or faster. Even though Dixon was a favorite, a top-10 finish was really quite impressive.