Nurmi, Zatopek, and Keino
Nurmi, Zatopek, and Keino
Very good points. I would agree with all the runners you mentioned. What Keino was to Kenya, Kolehmainen and Purvi were to Finland, Bikila was to Ethiopia, Snell was to New Zealand and Aouita was to Morocco.Waitz was also a 5 time world cross country champion to add to her list of accomplishments.
Avocados Number wrote:
I have no particular fondness for Kip Keino, but it seems crazy to me that he isn't on most of these lists. He is the closest thing to a god of running in the greatest running culture ever. Ask someone like Henry Rono about Keino's stature and influence among Kenyans. And, although he lost a number of races, his competitive accomplishments have been matched or exceeded by very few.
I'm a fan of Viren, and I think that he's been unfairly maligned in the U.S., but I think that his influence has not been as great as it might have been if he had been from a more influential country or had promoted himself more aggressively.
I might put Snell on the list, but primarily because his success brought attention to Lydiard's training principles and methods.
Waitz is probably the only female distance runner that I might put on the list. Her NYC marathon victories, beginning in 1978, brought world-class female runners into the marathon event, and really transformed women's marathoning into an event for serious and talented athletes.
There was this road running,ex-diamond smuggler now respected rag cutter who said "Hey gang let's put on a marathon in our back yard" after a few times he said"Hey Gang Let's put our race on Television" A few "Hey gangs" later 100,000 plus people want to run in his little backyard race. Oh, did I mention he brought the nations busiest city to a halt for a day..... just so everyone can watch his little race ?
Fischl Lebowitz was his name, Central Park his backyard, New York the city. The Pope, Kings and Queens( and Staten Islanders too!)all called him Fred.
I think the OP is looking for inspirational runners- the actual people who ran in Freds races not the guys responsible for putting on running events for the masses.
The I want to be like her/him people.
My list so far goes like this
10) Hannes Kolehmainen
9) Gunder Haegg/Arne Andersson
8) Paavo Nurmi
7) Herb Elliott
#6 Peter Snell
Amazing how similar he was to Herb Elliott. One runner who would have succeeded in any era including now.
hagg- fartlek
zatopek- interval training
snell- lydiard style
coe- speed endurance/plyos
There is another runner that had a far greater impact on today's runners.
5) Lasse Viren
4) Abebe Bikila
# Runner has just been posted at the link below.
Can anybody guess on who the top 2 runners are on my list?
Sorry about the previous post.
The runner I posted was #3 on my list. The correct link is listed below.
people are not going to like this, but in 20 years when we look back at the first decade of the new milenium, Dean K. may be someone that influences people to start running.
don't get me wrong-i do not like dean k. but to the average person that sees him on tv or reads his book, it might be the case.
Derek Clayton
HRE wrote:
No sorry. Bowerman got the idea out there but it was Shorter and Rodgers that got Americans interested in marathoning.
Frank Shorter, most influential American, by a mile. My dad, mom, never heard of Prefontaine until I had posters up on my wall.
No one watches running outside of the Olympics. So, seeing an American win something like the marathon makes people want to do it.
My dad (who doesn't run, never has) says he remembers watching Shorter in '72 win 'some distance race', now he knows it's the marathon. He said that evening, he specifically remembers seeing his high school friends out running in sweltering heat.
In 1970, 126 people ran the NYC marathon.
2,002 people ran in 1976.
16,315 people ran in 1984.
Bill Rodgers is famous because people remember the American winners of the race that they, and thousands of others, ran.
The running boom:
'68- Ken Coppers "Aerobics"
- Mexico City
'70- 1st NYC marathon
'71- Nike
'72- Frank Shorter
'72- "heart immunity theory"
'76- Montreal
'77- "Complete Book of Running"
'84- LA Olympics
No one outside of the running, and no non-runners outside of the north west and west coast knew Prefontaine. They would if he won.
Frank Shorter has his place in history with his '72 Marathon victory but if it weren't for a documented drug cheat (Cierpinski), could have been a DOUBLE gold medalist. A gold and a silver is certainly not shabby.
Albert Caruana wrote:
Can anybody guess on who the top 2 runners are on my list?
Well, the one glaring omission thus far is Zatopek, so that's one (especially since your picks seem to be tilted pretty heavily toward Olympic champions).
I would guess that the other will be more controversial. Shorter seems like a reasonable candidate, because of his influence on American running and marathoning worldwide. If sprinters are included, then Jesse Owens would be a good pick.
I am afraid neither Shorter or Owens will be part of my top 2.
I am pretty sure one of the top 2 will be controversial. I will have to explain my pick later. It will be posted tomorrow.
I didn't think that you would pick Shorter, based on your previous remarks. And if Shorter doesn't make the top ten, then Rodgers shouldn't, either. As I mentioned earlier, I think that Waitz would be a very defensible pick for a top ten ranking, although her influence was largely post-1980.
Jim Ryan and Roger Bannister, although celebrities whose fame transcended running, didn't have the lengthy history of success in the sport to make my top picks. (Of course, neither did Herb Elliott, in my view.)
Among runners who didn't fare very well in the Olympics, Ron Clarke might be a reasonable pick. In fact, although I question whether his influence on the running community has been all that great -- I'm going to guess that he's your #2, behind Zatopek.
Albert Caruana wrote:
I am afraid neither Shorter or Owens will be part of my top 2.
I am pretty sure one of the top 2 will be controversial. I will have to explain my pick later. It will be posted tomorrow.
Jesse Owens is the most influential person in running, ever. So, he's number 1.
http://www.yale.edu/terc/democracy/may1text/images/JesseOwens.jpgOwens is near the top of many lists of the most influential ATHLETES and PEOPLE ever, not just runners.
I had to learn about him in history class, he was sharing space on a page with Winston Churchill. I think he's a little influential.
Runner #2 has been posted. I am sure some of you may disagree with his inclusion on the list but I am ready to defend his selection.
Runner #1 will be posted on Wednesday.
