Who is the fastest person who is famous for something else?

I grew up in the same area as Peter Garrett. I was a miler. Peter Garrett has not even run close to 4 minutes for 1500m, good musician however.

was fast... now fat wrote:

I believe Robin Williams was a very fast 800 meter runner in HS. He ran around 1:52 if I remember. He's very famous and thats very fast...HS or not.

Let me plug this into the the "In Reality" machine........

.....Oh, he really only ran north of 2 minutes for the half.

Flagpole Willy wrote:

I know that's a quote from Frank Shorter. I also know it was rhetorical. Answering a rhetorical question is the magic that is me.

...and it is exactly how you once again attempted to make a thread about yourself. Case closed

Shamus O'Reilly..... wrote:

Why did you post this? These guys were famous for their running not as politicians. Thank you for contributing nothing to the thread.

He made an honest try. There is probably a generation of kids today (in England at least) who will know these guys not for their running but for their commentary/politics/olympic organizing.

Thank you for contributing nothing but overreaction. Feel better now little boy?

Famous drug cheat Justin Gatlin..he was a household name for a few weeks this summer...

he ran 9.77 back in the day..

Dumb Maths Guy wrote:

Bob Hayes. Famous for winning a Superbowl ring. Wasn't a bad runner, either, though I don't think he could get anywhere near 4:28 for 1500m.

He didn't run the 1500 well because he was a world record holding sprinter.

Summary time:

These people meet the original criteria: fast(est) people famous for something outside running

Sebastian Junger

Nolan Shaheed

John Turner

Alan Turing

George Smith Patton

Luke Wilson

Robin Williams

Sprinters who parlayed their speed into fame in football, and milers who used their fame to become politicians don't count.

Here\'s a few more fun facts. Not necessarily running but interesting all the same. Most of you probably know this stuff, but here\'s some google searching. Wilt Chamberlain- Chamberlain also earned accolades in other sports. In track and field, he high jumped 6 feet 6 inches, ran the 440 in 49.0 seconds, ran the 880 in 1:58.3, threw the shotput 53 feet 4 inches, and long jumped 22 feet while still a high school student[5]. At the University of Kansas, he ran the 100-yard dash in 10.9 seconds, threw the shotput 56 feet, triple jumped more than 50 feet, and won the high jump in the Big Eight track and field championships three straight years.

And slept with 20,000 women...I\'d say that\'s fast.

May I suggest that we alter slightly the question of this thread? I think the more relevant question is:

"Who has the most impressive life accomplishments in both running and non-running arenas?"

Let's leave out people who's non-running accomplishments are athletic in nature. I'm thinking of people who became recognized experts or leaders in their non-running field, but who excelled in running as well. As others have commented here, let's leave out people who's non-running accomplishments came about due to their success in running (for example, a politician who piggy-backed off his fame as a runner to get elected).

You do not specify fastest running person, so I'll go w/Chuck Yeager.

Well, four pages in, and Sebastian is holding up quite well. The only credible threat seems to be Robin Williams' extremely unsubstantiated 1:52.

C'mon, folks! Surely Erwin Rommel ran a 15:06 5000 somewhere, or maybe Frances Crick has a 48-second 400 up his sleeve!

XCTC wrote:

Not necessarily clebrities, just well-known. Here is a nugget I found just now, from the GBTC newsletter of 1987:

Sebastian Junger

30:54

16th 6.2M Pepsi Free-Nashua Trust, Nashua, N'H'

Somewhat unrelated, but that must have been either the next-to-last or the last running of one of New England's premier road 10Ks back in the day. A slew of local guys under 30:00, which you never see now.

No way Williams ran 1:52 for 800 (I'd heard 1:58 but doubt even that), and Carvey never broke 10:00 for 3200 meters.

While a good runner (mostly indoors) Meriweather's P.R. was 9.3 at best.

A quick google search shows that Meriweather ran 9.0 wind aided and 9.22 legit, and he ran 100m in 10.2, so you underestimated him.[/quote]

All-time men's best 100 yards

1 9.21A +1.5 Charles Greene USA 21.03.45 1 Provo 16.06.1967

2 9.23A +1.5 Charles Greene USA 21.03.45 1h4 Provo 15.06.1967

3 9.30 +0.9 Houston McTear USA 12.02.57 1h Winter Park 09.05.1975

3 9.30 +1.6 Linford Christie GBR 02.04.60 1 Edinburgh 08.07.1994

5 9.32A +1.5 Lennox Miller JAM 08.10.46 2 Provo 16.06.1967

6 9.33A ±0.0 Clifford Outlin USA 17.10.53 1s3 Provo 06.06.1975

6 9.33 +1.6 Johnny Jones USA 04.04.58 1 Austin 19.03.1977

6 9.33 +1.2 Jon Drummond USA 09.09.68 1 Philadelphia 30.04.1994

9 9.34 +1.8 Reggie Jones USA 30.12.53 1s3 Austin 07.06.1974

10 9.35 Robert Hayes USA 20.12.42 1 Walnut 22.06.1962

10 9.35 Bill Collins USA 20.11.50 1 Austin 02.05.1974

10 9.35A -1.1 Hasely Crawford TRI 16.08.50 1 Provo 06.06.1975

13 9.36 +0.5 Francis Budd USA 20.07.39 1 New York City 24.06.1961

13 9.36 +1.2 Andre Cason USA 20.01.69 2 Philadelphia 30.04.1994

13 9.36 +1.6 Sam Jefferson USA 19.04.71 2 Edinburgh 08.07.1994

16 9.37 +1.9 Donald Quarrie JAM 25.02.51 1 Fresno 10.05.1975

17 9.39 Houston McTear USA 12.02.57 1 Atlanta 07.06.1975

18 9.40 +0.85 Robert Hayes USA 20.12.42 1s1 Saint Louis 21.06.1963

18 9.40 Kofi Okyir GHA 51 1h3 Austin 12.04.1974

18 9.40 +1.6 Calvin Smith USA 08.01.61 3 Edinburgh 08.07.1994

21 9.41 -0.8 Harry Jerome CAN 30.09.40 1 Kingston 06.08.1966

21 9.41 Marvin Nash CAN 07.12.53 2 Austin 02.05.1974

21 9.41A -1.1 Clifford Outlin USA 17.10.53 2 Provo 06.06.1975

21 9.41 +1.6 Slip Watkins USA 29.09.67 4 Edinburgh 08.07.1994

25 9.42A +1.5 Bob Rovere USA 07.11.45 3 Provo 16.06.1967

25 9.42 Ralph Smith USA 28.12.53 1h Arkadelphia 22.05.1975

25 9.42 +0.5 Jeff Williams USA 31.12.65 1 Fresno 09.04.1994

25 9.42 +2.0 Jeff Laynes USA 03.10.70 1h1 Fresno 09.04.1994

29 9.43 +0.5 Paul Drayton USA 08.05.39 2 New York City 24.06.1961

29 9.43A Reggie Jones USA 30.12.53 1s2 Provo 06.06.1975

31 9.44 +0.5 David James GBR 12.2.35 3 New York City 24.06.1961

31 9.44 -0.8 Thomas Robinson BAH 16.03.38 2 Kingston 06.08.1966

31 9.44A +1.1 Ed Preston USA 12.12.55 1h1 Provo 05.06.1975

31 9.44A -1.1 Reggie Jones USA 30.12.53 3 Provo 06.06.1975

31 9.44 Dwayne Evans USA 13.10.58 1 Tucson 22.05.1976

31 9.44 Mike Sanford USA 06.03.60 1 Norwalk 24.05.1979

37 9.45 ±0.0 Steve Williams USA 13.11.53 1s1 Bakersfield 15.06.1973

37 9.45 Steve Williams USA 13.11.53 1 Fresno 18.05.1974

37 9.45 +1.8 James Gilkes GUY 21.09.52 2s3 Austin 07.06.1974

40 9.46A +1.5 Fred Kuller USA 28.06.45 4 Provo 16.06.1967

40 9.46 +0.3 Steve Riddick USA 18.09.51 1 Crawfordsville 01.06.1973

40 9.46 +1.6 Jason John GBR 17.10.71 5 Edinburgh 08.07.1994

43 9.47 +0.5 Dave Styron USA 18.03.40 4 New York City 24.06.1961

43 9.47A +1.5 Fred Kuller USA 28.06.45 2h4 Provo 15.06.1967

43 9.47A +1.5 Jerry Bright USA 21.07.47 5 Provo 16.06.1967

43 9.47 ±0.0 Ed Hammonds USA 22.02.50 1h5 Baton Rouge 07.06.1973

43 9.47A ±0.0 Hasely Crawford TRI 16.08.50 2s3 Provo 06.06.1975

43 9.47 Rod Richardson USA 17.09.62 01.05.1980

43 9.47 +2.0 Anthony Barnes USA 23.12.65 2h1 Fresno 09.04.1994

50 9.48 +0.5 Paul Winder USA 30.11.37 5 New York City 24.06.1961

50 9.48 ±0.0 Stanley Allotey GHA 14.11.42 1s2 Kingston 06.08.1966

50 9.48 Thomas Whatley USA 23.03.53 1 Auburn 19.05.1973

50 9.48 +1.8 Steve Riddick USA 18.09.51 3s3 Austin 07.06.1974

50 9.48A -1.1 Ed Preston USA 12.12.55 4 Provo 06.06.1975

50 9.48 +2.0 Osmond Ezinwa NGR 22.11.71 3h1 Fresno 09.04.1994

50 9.48 +1.2 Rodney Lewis USA 17.07.66 3 Philadelphia 30.04.1994

57 9.49 +0.3 James Amerison USA 14.06.50 2 Crawfordsville 01.06.1973

57 9.49 Larry Brown USA 23.03.51 1s2 Austin 12.04.1974

57 9.49 +0.5 Anthony Barnes USA 23.12.65 2 Fresno

The Nashua 10K was run in 1989 as the NEAC Road Champs.

It had good money and good competition.

Pretty flat course. In 1989 I think 8 guys dipped under 30minutes, 3-4 of those were from out of the area, NY, Ireland, etc..

didn't President Bush Jr run a 3:14sh marathon?

"I believe Robin Williams was a very fast 800 meter runner in HS. He ran around 1:52 if I remember"

Sorry, I call bullshit on this one. Sounds like a myth to me. Anybody celebrity who ever ran track now suddenly has run a 1:52 800, or a 4:15 mile. Was he even a runner? You might have him confused with someone else.

Scott Hatch Fan Club wrote:

Carvey never broke 10:00 for 3200 meters.

1972 National Postal 2 mile at San Jose State

31 Carvey, Dana Carl 9:49.6 12

Complete results here:

Probably not even his PR.

realfan144 wrote:

Sorry, I call bullshit on this one. Sounds like a myth to me. Anybody celebrity who ever ran track now suddenly has run a 1:52 800, or a 4:15 mile. Was he even a runner? You might have him confused with someone else.

Robin Williams went to Redwood High in California. As of a few years ago, he was still on their top 10 list for the 800 (they used to have it on their website) with something like a 1:58.