One of the best threads ever on LR. Rick was a great inspriation to a bunch of puny skinny American kids who thought they were fast. Appreciate you chiming in Rick.
One of the best threads ever on LR. Rick was a great inspriation to a bunch of puny skinny American kids who thought they were fast. Appreciate you chiming in Rick.
Thanks, Rick...what a great post! The combination of the Oly Trials in Eugene and the Games in Montreal hooked me on track and field for life. Your description of the 800 final really brings that race to life and also reminds me of how amazed I was at all of those performances. I remain amazed to this day.
...'son, we live in a world that walls and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns...'
Truly an honor to be on the same thread with Olympian Rick Wohluter. As a former UCTC club member it was always a treat to see Rick race in Chicago.
For the youngsters here, Rick was also a high school standout in Illinois.
As ease men and as you were!
Col. N. J.
Great post Rick. You'll have to excuse the confusion over this 4x400 workout. On this message board people believe anything that's posted. This is Letsrun, "where your dreams become reality".
I had the pleasure of watching you run your 3:53 mile in Wichita in 1975. Your reality became my dreams!
Not sure if you are aware, but Bob Wheeler passed away last Friday.
Rick, thanks very much for posting. The running community appreciates it enormously. This site is the Wild West and it's often hard to move past the baying of the jackass trolls. But even they know greatness when they see and read it, like here.
Those of us with marginal sub-2 PRs can identify only with your plans, not with the times and quality of competition.
It heartens me to read that a classy Olympic competitor feels that he can run his very best race, one to be proud of, and still not win the race.
Also, it's fun for me to see that my speculative interpretation of the unfolding of the race from your viewpoint wasn't that wrong. It's not easy to keep a cool head on the backstretch of the 800 during a WR run.
I would love to hear Juantorena's view on this race. I've read Ovett's - it's in his book. He knew that if it went out hard, like 50 point, at that early stage in his career, he would not be figuring in the medals. But, he'd probably have won the 15 if he'd reached the final.
I remember images of Rick flying off the curve of some indoor track always suspended mid-stride like a swooping falcon. Like someone else mentioned, "Coe-before-Coe". I always was astounded that someone so lightly built, like marathoner (with the 'stache, a resemblance to Frank @Munich)could fire off 50.x through the bell. Then, of course, came Coe.
Such a pleasure to hear from the Greats firsthand!
Rick,Thanks a Million for that Rare Gem of a Post.
The goose bumps won't go away.
Oldest record is the 220 hurdles I think.
April 2nd- 1960 21.9 OK it is really not an active event, but is occasionally run as a historic event from time to time.
Some day there will be a 1:40 800 runner and 2:10 1000 meter runner just not sure that is Rudisha, he may get close to 1:40 but he probably doesn't care much about the 1K.
Man, you were my favorite runner from the 70's! Great read! Thanks a lot!
I used to run with Rick in the 70's with the University of Chicago Track Club, and it is great to see him get the recognition he deserves. I especially remember trying to keep with him on his Monday 20 x 220 workouts! He held four world records (including the indoor and outdoor two mile relays), and he was someone who had supreme confidence in his abilities. While I have seen other runners do incredible workouts, Rick always seemed to be in control. He knew he would be the world record holder before he ever was.l As our great coach Ted Haydon used to say, "Rick has no false sense of modesty". But at the same time he was really down to earth and a great guy. Still is. I think a lot of middle distance runners would benefit from studying his training.
Great great fun to read Rick's post. I watched that race in a Traverse City, MI bar--'Union Station' maybe? Fantastic. I flipped through the thread to see if anyone had posted a link to the video. Here it is. Not the best quality...but, it was 1976 after all. Sorry if it's already been posted...
collector wrote:
AAU 1974 1:43:9
http://dlproj.library.ucla.edu/derivatives/latimes/WOI_8_1_1926/clusc_8_1_00328105a_j.jpg
Nice.
Great photo. 1974 Nationals.
1. Rick Wohlhuter 1:43.9 MRm,ARm
2. John Walker (NZL) 1:45.3
3. James Robinson 1:45.7
4. Mark Robinson 1:46.0
5. Keith Francis 1:46.2
6. Byron Dyce (JAM) 1:46.2
(Actually, Byron Dyce is an American.)
Rick Wohlhuter wrote:
I read and appreciate all the comments posted. Hopefully I spelled my name correctly, but anything close is fine. There were many great runners competing during my career (mid '70s) that likely you will never see on this site. For me, time and the fact that other runners have surpassed my efforts diminishes my accomplishments. If I had won a gold medal, a few more people would remember me.
Let me speak to my experience racing in the '76 Olympic Games, particularly the 800 meters. When I competed in the Games, I was a very experienced runner. I had run against the world's best numerous times and developed an effective stategic and tactical approach to racing realizing that each race has its own ebb and flow. I believe the first real race in the Games is the semi final(certainly, do not take the first round for granted.) By this stage all the so-so runners have been eliminated leaving the best all sriving furiously to make the final. To say the least, competition is keen! My stategy is simple; stay in contention near the front of the race and finish in one of the two quaranteed spots. Too often, many good runners stay too far off the pace and end up not qualifying for the final especially when the race is slow. How disappointing for them. In other words, you must treat the semi like it is the final or there will be no final. Of course, your semi time will be fast expending more energy, but that is better than being well rested while watching the final from the stands. All of the above is the same for the 1500, my other event. By the time I made the 1500 final, I had run six races in seven days. Moreover, I was tired and consequently not really a contender for a medal. However, I still made the final.
OK, let's look at the 800 final, step-by-step from my vantage point. Like most Olympic events, everyone knows who likely will get a medal; we actually run the race to determine who gets which medal. For the first time in Olympic history we ran the initial 300 meters in lanes. For me, I saw neither an advantage nor disadvantge in this. It did mean that no one would be bumped or shoved early in the race. This is a good thing. I had the fastest time in the semis so I was given the middle lane. Alberto Juanterano was outside of me. Also a good thing; I could keep an eye on him. Lining up to start the race is a stressful time so you have to control it or it will consume you. After all, there are 80,000 fans in the stadium and a few hundred million viewing on TV. I knew the race would be fast; I was hoping to win, of course, but also in an Olympic and world record time. Hey, you have to have goals in mind! We are off. Stress is gone, now time to go to work. At 300 meters out, where we broke for the inside, Juanterano took the lead, It was clear to me at that point he was going to run the race from the front. Seemed OK to me. All I had to do was slide in just behind or off his shoulder and let him do the pacing. At 400 meters, another runner temporarily took the lead. OK as long as no one else moves up too. I looked up at the stadium clock to get my 400 spit, 50 point. Great, looks like we will have fast race. So far all to plan. Going up the back stretch past 500 meters to 600 meters the pace was very quick, maybe a little too quick over that hundred meters. I was in second place going into and around the final turn. Felt good so far so I decided to move up a bit and challenge Juanterano. Nothing like a little pressure on your competitors. Suprisingly, he held me off as I wanted to pass him coming out of the final turn. Never hurts during the late stage of a race to have all your competitors behind you. But Juanterano held his pace. With some 50 yards or so to go all I could do is hold my form and see if he fades. Unfortunately for me, he ran strong through the finish and I being spent, ended up third. Ivo VanDame pasted me at the very end for silver before I could react to him. But all-in-all it was a great race, one of the best ever over 800 meters. Looking back today, I would not have done anything differently. Most importantly, I followed my plan (it was a good one) -- kept in contention giving myself a chance to win and went for the gold.
There is on bit of confusion regarding a 4X400 workout of mine. My intent was to run each 400 meters a little faster than the previous one with a short rest betwen. I would start with about 52 seconds and end with the last at about 49 point. The confusion is with the rest between each interval. I attempted to rest about 45-50 seconds, atleast less than 60 seconds. Not 20 seconds!! This work out is not too hard for the fist two or even three 400s. But by the fourth one, it is a bear. I remember attempting this work out perhaps once or twice because it is very hard to get all the way through and I didn't want to become injured. As a side note, I build my career largely on short-rest interval work, that is why I came up with this workout. Good running to all!
Just about the time I'm convinced that this message board has no redeeming value, I come across something like this.
Rick, your performances were an inspiration to me as a kid and I still rank you as the most under appreciated runner in U.S. history. I really mean that.
I'd love to hear more about your training and approach to the sport and I'm sure the young 'uns on here would benefit greatly as well. I'd encourage you to share whatever you feel comfortable sharing.
Rick -- thanks for sharing, that made my day!
HZeus or Rick W:
What kind of pace and rest on the 20 x 200 workout?
Thanks!
RIck Wolhuter was the greatest american 800 runner of his generation and for an almost 3 year span the top half miler in the world. I was 3rd american in the race where he ran the American record in LA. Not sure why he is not more well known. He still has American 1000 meter record, which I saw him run live in Oslo then of course it was also the WR. . Thankfully I was running 800 that day and not the 1000.
mark Robinson wrote:
RIck Wolhuter was the greatest american 800 runner of his generation and for an almost 3 year span the top half miler in the world. I was 3rd american in the race where he ran the American record in LA. Not sure why he is not more well known. He still has American 1000 meter record, which I saw him run live in Oslo then of course it was also the WR. . Thankfully I was running 800 that day and not the 1000.
Thanks Mark! I definitely think Rick is underrated. Better than Wottle but Dave hit his peak during an Olympic year. It is what it is. Last year I tried to get the Brojos to do a piece on the 40th anniversary of his 1000m AR (then WR) but they ignored me.
Also, you were pretty badass yourself.
mark Robinson wrote:and for an almost 3 year span the top half miler in the world
more like 2y
kipkurgat ran a solo 1'43.91 after rounds on a windy day to win '74 commonwealth
he wouda probably run 1'43-low if not for wind & ~ 1'42-mid/high if fully rested
( he ran a 1'44.3 semi just 2/7 before !!! )
& had some pacing to bell
