Who are some names of least known great distance runners?

Who's everybody? wrote:

weigh-in wrote: nailed Slaney in the

Don't go there.

Has Dick Quax been mentioned yet?

Tracy Smith,Lou Scott, and I would say Gearge Young but I think most people remember him from the 72 trials against Pre but forget he won a medal in the steeple,at altitude, in the 68 games.BTW, has anyone ever read his book "Always Young"

Miss Mary was indeed know for her accumlation of 'boyfriends' as much as her running.

I would hardly call Ruth Wysocki unknown-she is one of the most liked and respected people to have ever laced a pair of spikes. The cover shot from Aug 1984 issue of T&FNews with Ruths arms raised and the joy of winning on her face is one of my favorite photos of all time.

"The Victor and the Vanquished"

http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/asset/cover_art/198408_thumb.jpg

[quote]Who's everybody? wrote:

weigh-in wrote:

Has Dick Quax been mentioned yet?

Dick was on page one of this thread

wineturtle wrote:

weigh-in wrote:

Has Dick Quax been mentioned yet?

Dick was on page one of this thread

Then I promise not to bring him up again...unless someone ELSE uses "Slaney" and "nailed" in the same sentence :P

And as far as the poster who kvetches about Ruth not being "unknown"...the title of this thread is LEAST known GREATS... translates roughly to "most famous people that no one seems to notice". I think you see the problem....

She's been plucked more times than the Rose of Tralee, I'm told.

Maggie O'Hooligan wrote:

She's been plucked more times than the Rose of Tralee, I'm told.

That would sort of preclude her from the "leat known" category, wouldn't you think?

"LEAST known."

Bumped to find out who little Mary decked!!

Quax seems to be one, more please. hehe snicker

The East German marathoner Eckhard Lesse deserves to be mentioned on this thread. He was world ranked in the top ten in the marathon three years in a row ('73-'75). He finished second behind Ian Thompson in the 1974 European Championship marathon. In that same year, he finished second in the Fukuoka marathon, behind Frank Shorter (which was Frank's last victory there).

I think if you and I and HRE (and maybe coach Squires) get together, we'll stay up all night, talking track! I vividly remember that Fukuoka race. No one, in the previous 3 races Shorter won, pushed Frank as hard as Lesse. There was worry and struggle and pain in Shorter's face, but Lesse looked calm and relaxed. He kept on surging ahead; then Shorter took the lead again, turn around to see Lesse still right behind him... I remember at one time Shorter turned back and tilted his head as if to say to himself, "Man, how can I break him?" It was Shorter's geneous, will power or whatever you want to call it, that finally put the end to it. He shouldn't have won that race. Lesse, of course, came into the stadium waving a flag, completely relaxed; yet it was Shorter who won the race. What a race...!

Sid Sink, 9 time All-American, roomate of Wottle. Top American Steepler in 72, finished fourth in 5000 at 72 trials.

Gill Dodds

How about South Africans of the 70's ; Fanie Van Zyl (1:45.6) and Dicky Broberg (1:44.7).Both having sucess in Eorope but prevented from Higher honours because of Political policies of the time.

I'm impressed that you know so much about races that I only read about. It sounds as if you watched it on television. Of course, Fukuoka marathons weren't televised in the US. But they probably were in Japan. Were you in Japan at the time?

I subscribed to T&FN, Athletics Weekly, and Runner's World from the time I was 13. I watched "AAU Track and Field" every time it was televised. I also read every biography I could get my hands on. And back in the early 70s, there were plenty of great biographies to choose from, like the ones for Gordon Pirie, Murray Halberg, Peter Snell, Ron Clarke, Jim Ryun, and Herb Elliott.

Those guys were mentioned on page 6, along with Danie Malan. Van Zyl also raced quite a bit in the US in 1970 or 1971.

"And then there was that trio of great 800-meter guys from South Africa named Danie Malan, Dickie Broberg, and Fannie Van Zijl. They set the track on fire in the early 1970s. Unfortunately for them, South Africans were barred from the Olympics."

Sid Sink was mentioned on page 7. Has anyone mentioned his main NCAA steeplechase chief rival from Eastern Michigan, Jerome Liebenberg?

There was also an Australian magazine that I subscribed to for a couple of years. But I forget its name. It had some great photos that I probably would never have seen otherwise. Kerry O'Brien leading cross country races. Kerry O'Brien and Ron Clarke racing on the track at 10k.

(By the way, does anyone recall the bush-dwelling Aussie named Bill Scott? It was in that magazine that I heard about how he was poised to make a breakthrough after running near 28:10 or something. Whatever happened to that guy?)

The articles in that Australian magazine were a bit provincial, but they were the most likely place to find coverage of the running scene in Tasmania, for example.

Thanks for the description of the Fukuoka race, by the way. It was interesting to read about how close it was. Do you recall Lesse's nickname? It was the Automaton. Apparently it referred to his efficient running form, his personality, and his dedication to training.