Boy I glad some other people either having legitimate information or know how to research for that information before posting.
Setta was an absolutely unbelievable athlete!!!! He did win the 800m in 1:52 and change but Nick Blaesing from St. Charles won the HJ in 6-8. This is the internet era, researching for accurate info is easy as 1-2-3.
I think maybe greenliner meant to say he won those three at sectionals. Greenliner is almost always on top of his information and very knowledgeable about the running scene in Illinois.
Mine would be Jim Ryun's 1965 Kansas state meet. He ran 3:58.6 on a dirt track. He had help through the 1/2 mile from his teammate Mike Peterson but was on his own after that. Nobody else has broken four in a high school runner only race.
Somes things fuzzy and from newspaper report. Remember report of a So Cal XC championships in 72-3-4? Dave Babiraki and Ed Mendoza (?) battling it out, with others in tow. Coming down to finish screams Brent Tubb, who had run the first 2 miles way slow (mid 10:30s) (4 mile race). I think Babiraki wins with the other two within a second. Paper reported Tubb had been battling walking Pneumonia all season. Made up 30 to 40 seconds last half of race - rumor was 9:1 low last 2. Another great so cal show. Alas - I wasn't there.
CANADIANS - isn't anyone going to bring up Greg Anderson's 3k at the Ontario Provincial meet? wasn't there and as such don't know all the deets. but what from what i understand, he wen't out in 4:05 for 1500 and closed in 3:55. that's 8:00 for 3k, pretty much by himself (and if i'm not mistaken he ran a 3:47 1500 the night before after being tripped up off the start and falling to the ground).
\\\"One of the state meets for CA in the 2 mile, i believe in the mid 80s, had about 9 or 10 guys under 2...i\\\'ll try to get more details\\\"
Nope. it was only six that dipped under 9 minutes, at the time setting the record for most sub-9\\\'s in a race. The Arcadia meet has since tied in once, then had 12 do it in its 2003 meet and 11 do it in its 2004 meet.
That race with Babiracki and Mendoza was a junior college race and Mendoza beat Babiracki at Sierra College in Rocklin, CA a week later at the state meet.
Yep some things fuzzy. A great race I heard - you see?
REFish wrote:
Mine would be Jim Ryun's 1965 Kansas state meet. He ran 3:58.6 on a dirt track. He had help through the 1/2 mile from his teammate Mike Peterson but was on his own after that. Nobody else has broken four in a high school runner only race.
Actually Ryun ran a 3:58.3 on dirt with a 55.7 (!) last lap - with no one within 100 yards. That makes everyone else look like pikers when it comes to the races mentioned here.
You are too kind, Californian. I was doing this from memory, which at my advanced age (52) is not as good as it used to be. Nonetheless, Setta was amazing- and to think that soccer was his best sport (he also held the IL record for longest field goal). I conflated a couple of events and got called on it. No big.
Recall also that Jim White tripled years earlier than Marius but did not do as well as Marius, since the heat got to him.
As for the York 4x8, I recall it was not a staged time trial. The weather was good, though. If you go back to my first post, though, I give major props to those earlier teams, and think it was a superb effort. I wish I had been there, and given the qualifying necessary even more so amazing.
Kukimbia- good to hear from you again. How's it going?
Ritz winning the Footlocker 2 Mile race in 1999 in North Carolina. He ran an 8:57 and split his last 800 in 2 flat. Now that was fast!
2002 NY FEDS 2mile. Epic duel between Sean Curran and Jake Krong. The start of a beautiful friendship and rivalry. Much like the Magic, Bird rivalry of the 80s
Wasn't there, but this article sure makes it sound like Greg Anderson ran a great race.
just watched the video Jim Ryun America's greatest miler with footage of the state race not much of a race. He led from the gun, his teammate tried to get on his shoulder, or so it seemed, but never got within two meters of him, and he won by about 140 meters. 40 years ago!!!
run wrote:
from 100th Illinois State meet program
Great 2-mile Relay
by Jerry Shnay
"It was the greatest relay race ever held in the Illinois state track meet.
When Donald White of Harvey (Thornton) crossed the finish line of the 1976 two-mile relay - the first year the race was run - he capped a dramatic conclusion to a race that became etched in the minds of all who saw the event.
Not only did White lead his team to victory, but Thorton's time of 7:37.97 was the best in the nation for the event.
White, who later that day would win the open 440 in 48.4, had run a blistering pace in the two laps of a race in which five of the 12 finalists were in first place at one time or another during the eight laps.
That wasn't all.
Lyons of LaGrange came in second in 7:38.3 and that time was the second fastest in the nation that season.
Rockford East was third in the race and third nationally in 7:39.0.
Get the idea?
Chicago Heights Bloom was the pre-race favorite, running the fastest time in the state in the Friday preliminaries, and led for about three laps midway through the event. But even a 1:49.8 split for Jeff Small in the last leg couldn't save the Trojans from a fourth-place time of 7:39.6. And that was also the fourth best time in the nation in 1976.
Evanston was fifth in 7:40.6. South Holland (thornwood) was sixth in 7:41.7 and Champaign Central was seventh in 7:43.6. And that's where the teams placed nationally, five-six-seven!
The relay was the first event of the Saturday finals, and after Farmington (East) won the Class A title, they went off without but with a subconscious warning among track fans about what could take place.
Lyons, Thornwood, Thornton, Bloom and Rockford east alternated leads with almost every pass of the baton. Bloom, which was battling East St. Louis (Sr.) for team honors throughout the day, took the lead midway through the fourth lap but it was never secure and its runners were challenged first by one team and then another.
White, one of the best middle-distance runners in Thornton history, had suffered an injury midway through his junior year and couldn't do better than fifth in the state 440 the year before.
Bloom's Mark Lemke had run the third leg in a personal best 1:53, but Thornton's Bill Moran caught up to Lemke just before that final baton pass.
When White took the stick from Moran, he was in sixth place in the tightly-bunched field but surged into the lead midway through the last two laps.
Margins from first to fifth were paper-thin through those two laps as the anchor lap runners exchanged places almost on a yard-to-yard basis. No one faltered and the packed house now sensed there was something special going on and rose to its feet as the runners challenged each other through the stretch and into the first turn of the bell lap.
Coaches called it a breathtaking event, and Steve Miller, former coach of the Bloom Trojans, said it was one of the greatest races in the history of high school track."
That wasn't even the greatest 2mile or 4x800m race ever held never mind the best race ever.
wineturtle wrote:
My memory is fuzzy on this one. The 62-68 years had so many good Metro area runners. Sometimes when a race like this unfolds you see the race but not that it will be one of the great records of all time. I'm not going to keep saying I think but 40 years...Jackson-Coach Milt Blatt/Boys-Doug Terry..St Johns Track Queens the new track first or at most the second year was called All-weather brand no clue but it was hard,black and a spike size rule was in effect for the first time.The spikes we used for cinder were too long so we used needle spikes. The race was pretty much Boys on the shoulder of Jackson both team thinking if we are in the hunt the anch or can bring it on. Two gutty runners Boy's Had Jim Jackson and Jackson had Mark Ferrell both were great indoor 600 runners. Julio Meade leads Mark Edmead at the hand off buy a second.Bill Jacobs(J) goes out hard Lanky John Henry strides along looking easy and draws even on the sesond lap into the exchange zone -out comes Sam Thomas (J)3 two strides ahead of Mike Randall both keep the race about the same with Sam getting a little more distance,Randall closes a bit on the pass but Mark Ferrell is 3 may be 4 strides out. Jimmy Jackson greyhoud lean gets up right a way bur Ferrell surges and its three strides again... Jimmy has a fair amount to get up on the third 220 and they run in with nothing between them thru the yarn. I do not think any one realized just how fast the race was, no big officials meeting no fuss nothing said. the meet moves on. I had Boys splits on my pad and worked out Henrys split cause I felt it was a burner for him...I guess I missed the over all speed of the race and did not math out the rest. Flipped the page,reset the watch and moved on. Only when I read the papers did I realize I had seen history(Yes Track&Field got good Press in NYC back then) Ferrell 1:51.3 Jim Jackson 1:50.6.I wish I could make it more exciting than it was but thats all. My old HS was at the Meet and I was focused on them.
Now this one WAS the greatest HS race.
spike grant wrote:
Only 1 team HS team had gone sub 8:00 for the 4x8 on the Garden track, that was Bishop Loughlin in the 1980's @7:58.
Loughlin ran a 2 mile relay under 8:00 in 1975. Since I was on one of the teams behind them I got a good look at them.
almost a hs race...1975 aau jr meet in knoxville...rudy chapa beats eric hulst in the 10,000, both breaking gerry lindgren's 1964 record...rudy and eric ran 29;11 with rudy's last lap ~55 seconds...hs soph billy mcchesny 29;27...hser george watts also under 30;00...may have had other hsers under 30.
how about that Sanchez-Powell duel indoors their senior years ... 8:49-8:50.
yawn!