best distance runner to never win an olympic medal

Walter George. Set 26 world records, from 1000 yards to 1 hour. His mile WR stood for almost 30 years.

I am sorry if you dont think the World XC championships is a major event. To me and most distance runners it is the most competive distance race in the world!!!It is not broken down into events like track. The mile run, 5k run, 10k run, steeplechase, and marathon or like road races where there are hundreds of different distances. Instead this one race (12k)is where all the distance runners from all over world who specialize in different running events actually compete against each other. The best milers, the best 3ker's, the best 5ker's and so on making it the most competitive distance race in the world. What other race does that? None?

...and if Mr. Rono choosed not to compete against Virgin or others during that time (1979 to early 1981)...oh well.....the runner with most success during that time and period was Virgin....and he could be found any weekend running and racing......and he had more overall success then most........of course you have to take off your blinders and look at the overall picture and not just one race or record!.......

He may not have been the best not to ever win an olympic medal but he does deserve to be at least mentioned in this category

I saw Mr. Rono run cross, and it was the most awe-inspiring running I have ever seen. Read Malmo's piece on Rono and you'll get a better appreciation of him. Rono wasn't trying to set records, he was enjoying himself.

World XC was not the same event in 1980 that it is now. Not even close. Some took it seriously, others did not. Many of the best 5-15K racers did not take X seriously then. Apples and Oranges pal.

Simple fact, if Virgin was racing all the time from 1979-1981, and never even came close to setting a WR, how can you expect him to beat others who were setting records around this same time, especially those who were setting them in dual meets????

oh so close wrote:

Didn't Rono set a WR in a duel meet?

Peter Rono won Oly Gold in the 1500 in '88.

Henry Rono, one of the best runners ever, who set a WR in a dual meet, never won an Olympic medal.

Men: Derek Clayton, whose marathon WR withstood the 70s running boom.

Women: Zola Budd Pieterse, whose career was sacrificed to politics.

I'm sorry, but among the women, Ingrid Kristiansen ranks much higher than the last couple of women mentioned , Sonia O'Sullivan and Zola Budd. I don't have the figure in front of me, but I believe she won a World Champs 10,000 by at least 45 seconds and held WRs in the 10,000 and marathon and won just about every major marathon EXCEPT the Olympics.

SON....if you dont think winning Peachtree, bay to breakers, Cresent city, Falmouth and Bloomsday run inaddition to many other races.....you do have your blinders on!..plus the fact he was only a few seconds off the world record during that time in some races.....what do you think the world record was in 1980 son!....26:30...not!......watching a race does not make you a expert!......just for the record Virgin was ranked higher then Rono in 80 and 81. On top of the fact he had the FASTEST time in the WORLD in 1980.

you need to seriously think about it........instead of blowing smoke where there is no fire....!

maybe all you can remember is 1978!.....

....just a note of fairiness in my book....when Henry won the NCAA as a freshman he was oldest runner in the Field!.....It would be like having Bob Kenndy go back to college to claim victory again.....I dont think people would think it was fair.....when Virgin started college he had just turned 17!......

My bad, I was thinking of only American distance runners. Rono was simply awesome, and definately the best in the world from 3K to 10K from '78 to '81. Yes, he set the 5000 WR in a dual meet!

P.S. Roger Bannister was 4th in the 1500 at the '52 games.

An impressive list--Henry Rono gets mine for #1. However, I can\\\'t understand why Boston Billy gets so little respect:

His wins:

Boston Marathon (4)

New York Marathon (4)

Fukuoka Marathon

Amsterdam Marathon

Azalea Trail Run 10k (4)

Cherry Blossom 10m (4)

Falmouth (3)

Bix 7 (2)

Lilac Bloomsday 12k

Gasparilla 15k

It's unfathonable how so many people can shrug this off. Aside from the Boston/New York wins, which just might be the greatest achievment in marathoning history, how about the others? These were MAJOR road races. He took on all comers and turned them back time and again. How could there possibly be more than 10 runners more deserving? Throw in his masters record for good measure and you have a great, great runner who deserves a place near the top. This is so, so easy.

Being a high schooler in the late 70's and early 80's, I would also put Billy up there also for the enormous effect he had as a role model for all the young runners of the time. Hero material.

the question regards the olympics which means TRACK.....not XC, not ROAD RACING, which are both inferior disciplines of running. therefore on the TRACK, virgin cannot compare to rono. everyone knows that TRACK is what people are remembered and recognized best for. if komen/rono spent their best years being road whores and winning road races that are second rate to euro track meets no one would know their names. people know who guys like komen and rono are because they were at the top of their game setting crazy WR's like 7:20 where it mattered most, on the TRACK.

if that is true sjc!....I guess Bill Rogers was a moran.....because he never won anything in Track!

"the question regards the olympics which means TRACK.....not XC, not ROAD RACING, which are both inferior disciplines of running"

hmmm-is that right? Where do they run Olympic Marathon? Where all major marathons run?

You can think that the marathon isn't as important as the 2-mile, 5000, etc., but that's your opinion.