Who Is the GREATEST American Distance Runner of All Time? Submit your 64 nominees now for our tournament

Sorry I meant replace Slaney with Hasay

Dick Beardsley

Mark Plaatjes

Rich Kenah

Don Kardong

Kenny Moore

Alisa Hill Harvey

Jan Merril

Other than by James Lightbody and Mel Sheppard who also have Olympic Gold at the 1500m

And the multiple other gold medalists on this list

Frank Shorter with what should be 2 in the marathon in 72 and 76 were it not for drug cheat Cierpinski (which incidently would have given Don Kardong the bronze in 76) I think Boston Billy would have taken it in 1980...

Due to these difficult times of self-quarantine, can we, for humor sake, have a sub-category?

Rosie Ruiz

Kip Litton

Frank Meza

Mike Rossi

Parvaneh Moayedi

etc.

This thread just shows the none of you consider foreign born athletes as Americans. No Lagat, No Sydney Marie.

Lagat is by far our best. Longevity, accolades, records.

I know its all subjective, but I really feel like "distance" should be reserved for 5K and up. If that were the cut-off point, I think the top 10 guys have to be, in no particular order

1. Frank Shorter - OG Marathon Gold/Silver, Top 5 World Rank in Marathon/10K from 1970-1975, 2:10:XX marathon PR, AR in 1972 when WR was 2:09:3X. 4x Fukouka Marathon Champ, 4x US XC Champ, 2x US OT Marathon/10K Champ, 1969 NCAA 6 mile champ, multiple time US 3mile & 6mile champ.

2. Galen Rupp - OG 10K silver, OG Marathon Bronze, Chicago Marathon Champ, Boston Marathon runner-up, sub13 5k, sub27 10K time - AR 10K, 2:06:XX marathon PR (#3 US all time?), sub-hr 1/2 marathon PR, 2x US marathon champ, 8x US 10K champ, 1x US 5k champ, 1x US road 20k champ, NCAA 5k/10k champ/XC champ, US indoor 5k AR (13:01),

3. Meb Keflezighi - OG Marathon Bronze, NYC Marathon Champ, Boston Marathon Champ, 2x NYC Marathon top3, 1x Boston Marathon 3rd, 3x US XC Champ, 13:11 5k PR, 27:14 10K PR (AR for like 9 years), 1:01:XX Half Marathon PR, 2:08:XX Marathon PR, NCAA 5k champ/10K champ/XC Champ, US Marathon Champ, US Marathon Trials 2nd, US Half-Marathon Champ.

4. Bill Rodgers - 4x Boston Marathon Champ, 4x NYC Marathon Champ, Fukouka Champ, 2:09:XX Marathon PR - AR at the time, 15K AR, 20K AR, 1 hr AR, 25K AR, 30K AR, 30K world record at the time, won 22 marathons in his career, World XC bronze, US 10K road champ and road 10K WR at the time.

5. Craig Virgin - 2x World XC Champ (no other American ever won 1x), 2x US XC Champ, 3x US 10K Champ, 1x US 10K trial champ, 5k PR 13:19, 10K PR 27: 29 (US AR, world #2 all-time at time), and Marathon PR 02:10:XX in 1980s, Boston Marathon runner-up, 3x Peachtree 10K champ, 2x Bay to Breakers Champ, NCAA XC Champ.

6. Khalid Khannouchi - current US Marathon record holder w/o wind aid - 02:05:XX, one-time world Marathon record holder (for almost 4 years), 4x Chicago Marathon Champ, 1x London Marathon Champ, 1x London third, 1x Chicago runner-up. Half-Marathon PR of 01:00:XX. Road 20K World Record Holder at one-time, 2x Peachtree 10K Winner.

7. Alberto Salazar - 3x Boston Marathon Champ, 1x NYC Marathon Champ, 1x US XC Champ, 2x US XC Trial Champ, World XC Champ Runner-Up, US 10K Road Record of 28:0X at the time, 13:11 5k PR, 27:25 10k PR, 02:08:low Marathon PR in early 1980s, NCAA XC Champ, US indoor 5k record at time (#2 all time at time).

8. Ryan Hall - US Marathon record holder /w wind aid - 02:04:xx- /wwind, 02:06:low w/o wind, US 20K record holder - 59:43, US 1/2 Marathon record holder - 59:43, Boston Marathon bronze, US Olympic Trials Marathon Champ, US Marathon Trials Runner-Up US XC Champ - 12K, US half Marathon Champ, NCAA 5k Champ, NCAA XC Runner-up,

9. Bernard Lagat - US 5k Record holder (12:54), US 5k indoor record holder (13:11) at the time, 1x 5k World Champ, 2x World 5k Runner-up, 7x US 5K Champ, 4th Olympic Games 5K (tripped up by Farah or wouldve medaled) Americans Masters Records 10K (27:49) , Half Marathon (1:02:xx), likely Marathon (02:12:XX). (not including Kenya times on here)

10. Steve Prefontaine - 2x US 3mile Champ, US 3 mile/5k record - 13:21 5k PR (world 5k record was 13:16 at the time), US 6 mile/10K record - 27:43 10K PR (world 10K record was 27:30 at the time). Pre would hold US 10K record for another 5 years until Virgin broke it, 3x NCAA XC Champ, 4x NCAA 3mile/5k champ, OG 5k 4th.

^^^^^^ Meb won Silver.^^^^^^^^

andrew wheating GOAT

help help fwiw wrote:

This thread just shows the none of you consider foreign born athletes as Americans. No Lagat, No Sydney Marie.

Lagat is by far our best. Longevity, accolades, records.

Now that the marathon nonsense is over with, Lagat can finally run the old man 45 year old sub 4 mile. That will be the most amazing thing ever.

rojo wrote:

With no races going on, it's time for another LetsRun tournament. In December, we had a 64 race battle to determine the greatest race of the 2010s. Now we're going to do the same thing to determine the greatest American distance runner of all of time (800 on up).

So let's get your nominees.

Here are the people we are considering.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mYoAIyW9sJ9UxOEbW5qXb-m60vsKMDsXriV_P1DhgvI/edit?usp=sharing

PS. Please note that the Alysia Montaño rule will be in effect. We will start the contest with 32 men and 32 women.

PPS. If you missed our Race of the Decade tournament, check it out below:

https://www.letsrun.com/events/letsrun-coms-race-of-the-decade/

You definitely are missing one obvious woman in my opinion

Marla Runyan

3-time USA 5k champ (2001, 2002, 2003)

800m - heptathlon American Record holder (1996 Olympic trials)

1500m Pan Ams champ (1997)

Top American in 1500m at 2000 Olympics (8th)

Top American at 2002 NYC Marathon (2:27) - 2nd fastest debut time ever by an American at the time

2004 Olympian at 5000

Oh and forgot to mention ... she is legally blind and a Paralympian and all of the above was against able-bodied athletes. She holds the world record in the T13 para classification for the 400 m, 800 m, 1500 m, 5000 m, High Jump, Long Jump and Pentathlon! And

PRs

800: 2:03

1500:4:02

3000: 8:39

5000: 14:59

10000: 31:46

marathon 2:27:10

And she isn't even on the list! She definitely needs to be. Especially thinking about the Mona

Another woman to Consider:

Libbie JOHNSON-HICKMAN:

2-time top American at Chicago (1999, 2000), and 1998 NYC marathon

8:35 3k PR puts her ahead of many on the list, and she ran it back in 2000, 2nd fastest all-time at the time

7th place at world champs 5k (2000)

1999 USA 10k champ

1997 USA 5k champ

Get all these old timers outta this thing. Their times can’t touch what the elites do these days.

You wouldn’t be the greatest hitter of all time if you hit well in 1950 but there’s now 50 guys who can hit like that.

indoorszn wrote:

Get all these old timers outta this thing. Their times can’t touch what the elites do these days.

You wouldn’t be the greatest hitter of all time if you hit well in 1950 but there’s now 50 guys who can hit like that.

That's just silly. With modern training, and equipment these "old-timers" would be very good and competitive against the runners of today.

Ted Corbitt, alongside a fabulous career at distance (runner/administrator), ran a superb 5:35 for 50 miles at age 51 in 1970.

Ray wrote:

i would remove the drug cheat, Slaney

Yes please!

I'd also remove:

- everyone from Athletics West

- everyone from NOP

- everyone labeled by the IAAF as "likely doping"

Or, 5:38 for 84.7 kms, age 50, 1969 London-Brighton, 2nd overall! Won his age group all six finishes of this race when this was a de facto WC (because Comrades/South Africa was banned).

benoit, rupp, salazar, shorter

Alberto Salazar should definitely be on the bracket

casual obsever wrote:

Ray wrote:

i would remove the drug cheat, Slaney

Yes please!

I'd also remove:

- everyone from Athletics West

- everyone from NOP

- everyone labeled by the IAAF as "likely doping"

Considering Jager was on the likely doping list and he’s part of Bowerman, we should also remove everyone from Bowerman TC since he is likely not operating in a vacuum.

Todd Williams, anyone????