Who are some names of least known great distance runners?

malmo wrote:

The look in his eyes on the cover of the August 71 TAFN is priceless.

And I thought his nickname was cool, "cruel Juha"...

He did look like a cruel Viking.

What!? You mean it's not real? I was so excited about it... Crushing innocent mind like mine...!

Second on Doris Brown (Heritage):

"She was named to the U.S. Olympic team in 1968 and 1972, taking fifth in the 800m at Mexico City. A last-minute injury prevented her from running the 1500m in Munich. She won the silver medal (800m) at Pan American Games in 1967 and 1971. From 1967-71, *Heritage won an unprecedented five consecutive world cross country championships*, and raced on nine U.S. world teams in all. During her prime she won 14 national titles, and set a world record in the 440, 800, mile and 3000m. Still running in front of the pack, she won the U.S. Masters cross country title in 1989."

The first female distance runner of international caliber from the United States.

Also, thanks to somebody for mentioning Ted Corbitt, the ultramarathoner (and Olympic marathoner) of the 50's/60's/70's... When I ran the national marathon one year I got to dress next to Ted in the locker room. He must have been in his 50's and, other than his weathered face, had the completely buff body of a guy who was *maybe* 25yo. I also got to stand next to him on the starting line. A minute and a half after the gun went off he was out of sight, and I never saw him again.

Naturally, I never said a word to him during all this--too much in awe. Same was true when I roomed in the same dorm as Jim Ryun in Flagstaff: went up and down in the elevator with him a few times, saw him in the TV room, never said a word.

Nobby,

I am not old!

oldcoach wrote:

Also, thanks to somebody for mentioning Ted Corbitt, the ultramarathoner (and Olympic marathoner) of the 50's/60's/70's... When I ran the national marathon one year I got to dress next to Ted in the locker room. He must have been in his 50's and, other than his weathered face, had the completely buff body of a guy who was *maybe* 25yo. I also got to stand next to him on the starting line. A minute and a half after the gun went off he was out of sight, and I never saw him again.

Naturally, I never said a word to him during all this--too much in awe.

I saw Ted just last week. I was running an 8-hour race in Crocheron Park in Queens, NY, and before the race I see this elderly gentleman with a backpack hanging around the start area. He was slim, looked to be about 60 years old (he's actually 87!), and I had no idea who he was. Right before the start, the Broadway Ultra Society holds a little ceremony to induct a few new members to it's Hall of Fame, and along the way introduces three existing members - including Ted Corbitt!

During my first few laps around the 1-mile loop, Corbitt was sitting on a bench watching us run. These races don't have a big turnout (there were 57 starters), and it was a little surreal having a living legend sitting there watching me run alone up a hill!

Nobby,

Mario Shigematsu won the 1965 Boston Marathon in 2:16.33!

In 1986, I woeked with Tom Sullivan at the IPI meet. He is a pediatric cardiologist, if I remember correctly. Pretty sure he is not a neurosurgeon. Definitely a pediatric subspecialist.

trailrunner63 wrote:

history student wrote:

Thanks

Who held the High School Mile record before Jim Ryun went sub-4 in 1965? Answer Tom Sullivan at 4:03 in the early 1960s.

He went to Villanova and set some world records in the NCAA (4 x880, I believe).

Last I heard he was living in Hinsdale IL and training to break the mile AR for men over the age of 60 (Held by Vic Heckler of Chicago set in 2001 and the fifth avenue mile when he ran a 4:57 at age 61).

A friend of mine went to high school ( St. George's) with Sullivan, and saw him 5 years ago at a 40th HS reunion. He is a Neurosurgeon, and according to my friend is " quite fit."[/quote]

Quite a few of the people mentioned here are not that obscure at all. But I have to go with the guy who menionted Pekka Vasala. He was an Olympic gold medalist, and no one knows he is, or could even ID his photo.

Orville:

Thanks for the info on Shigematsu. Japan, as you know, has had great tradition at Boston. When then-18-year-old Shigeki Tanaka won Boston as the first Japanese right after the war, he made quite an impression to Americans because he said something like "I looked over great prairie of America. It was absolutely crazy to start a war against such a great country like America." American people thought Japanese were blood-thirsty violent people. Instead, Tanaka criticized old Japanese military government to start the war. The second Japanese to win Boston was Keizo Yamada who, thanks to BAA, still gets invited to come to run Boston. He has run something like 300 marathons in his life-time and still runs strongly at Boston. Loveable charactor of a tiny frame. Everywhere he goes in Japan, he's introduced as "the Boston marathon champion, Yamada", showing value Japanese runners and running-related people still holds for Boston marathon.

Suomi:

As you probably know, Arthur Lydiard insisted, when he was the national coach at Finland, to send Vasala to Mexico City Olympics for his experience. He was dead last in the heat but it helped him for 1972 Games because he's already "been there, done that." Arthur loved to talk about Vasala because he was such a strong proponent for the Lydiard hill bounding.

Somebody mentioned Jerome Drayton - I hardly think he's one of the "least known" great Canadian distance runners.

Here's another one for Orville - Johnny Miles, little kid that worked in the coal mines in Cape Breton, stole Boston from the reigning world champion, if I remember the details correctly, as a young'un.

Nobby wrote:

What!? You mean it's not real? I was so excited about it... Crushing innocent mind like mine...!

It's ok. Godzilla's working on a comeback.

Kim,

I thought of Mike Ryan after I posted that last message. Should we add Evan Maguire? And if we're doing

Nobby wrote:

What!? You mean it's not real? I was so excited about it... Crushing innocent mind like mine...!

It's ok. Godzilla's working on a comeback.

Kim,

I thought of Mike Ryan after I posted that last message. Should we add Evan Maguire?

And if we're doing half milers, how about Tom Farrell?

Pete,

John C. Miles, originaly of Nova Scotia and later of Ontario won the Boston Marathon twice.

In 1926 he ran the 26 mile 209 yard course in 2:25.40.

In 1929 he ran the full marathon distance in 2:33.08.

Those runs made him the fastest Canadian Marathoner to date.

HRE : Tom Farrell : was he not the same guy who was 5th behind Peter Snell in the '64 Oly 800 and then 3rd behind Doubell in Mexico in '68.

I remember reading something about him being in the US marines and running a mile under 6 minutes with full "battle" kit including "heavy boots", weapons and ammo and a pack on his back with some huge load in it.

Can anyone verify this !! If he did that is bloody good running.

Sounds like a great candidate for this list though. 2 Olympics .. top runs.

Kim,

That's the guy I had in mind but don't know about the combat gear times.

How about Euan Robertson and Peter Renner?

Don Bowden

1968 I believe. And I was wrong about Pre. He was ranked on the national performance list ahead of Pre in two different events in 1969, but did not beat Pre head to head.

Snopes wrote:

When was Stonitsch MVP at Penn Relays?

When did he ever beat Steve Prefontaine at anything?

how about John Ngugi(?spelling??) Guy was awesome multi world cross champ and Oly Gold Medalist, seemed like he was a kinda fore runner or prototype that opened the flood gates of the bumrush of Kenyan dominance, Along those same lines you could mention Ibraham Hussein...

rankler wrote:

1968 I believe. And I was wrong about Pre. He was ranked on the national performance list ahead of Pre in two different events in 1969, but did not beat Pre head to head.

Stonitsch was never Penn relays MVP. What 2 events are you claiming that he was ranked ahead of Pre?