yes
Balm Man wrote:
! wrote:yes, it was at the U of I armory...interestingly, dave merrick of new lenox lincoln way ran 8;43 on the same track in 1971.
Man, that's just impresssive. That track is *not* fast. I'm surprised they were able to get the class registration tables off the track for long enough to have a meet!
Did Merrick do this in HS on that track?
anybody have any good pictures of CV in his heyday?
If you have to ask a question like that then shouldn't there be a novice forum for people who don't do know the history of their sport.
As for the arrogance of Mr. Virgin why don't you guys go out and do what he did and see if your confidence doesn't raise a few bars.
frankie wrote:
If you have to ask a question like that then shouldn't there be a novice forum for people who don't do know the history of their sport.
Wake up. This thread is 2 years old.
I do not have any pictures of Craig, but I do have quite a few of his races on tape. If interested just post here & I will get back to you.
frankie wrote:
If you have to ask a question like that then shouldn't there be a novice forum for people who don't do know the history of their sport.
As for the arrogance of Mr. Virgin why don't you guys go out and do what he did and see if your confidence doesn't raise a few bars.
Victor Burns is the name of one of Craig Virgin's teammates at Lebanon High School and later state champion in the 880.
ILL1 wrote:
Never was a high mileage guy, but did a lot of quality. To sum him up, he had some serious piping and was a genetic freak!
Well at least I'm glad we can still call 85 miles a week "low mileage."
Victor Burns wrote:
I just read that this guy still holds the Illinois state record for Cross Country from 1972. Proven runners like Sage and Torres didn't even run that fast.
What's this name on the All-Time Illinois XC List?
13:57.7, Dave Walters, New Lenox (Lincoln-Way), 1973
Is this a mistake, really meaning to be Dave MERRICK of Lincoln-Way in 1970?
Or was there actually another remarkable distance runner at that same high school just 3 years after Merrick?
Merrick by the way may be the best Illinois HS runner ever , after Virgin. He ran 8:43 and 4:05 on over-sized indoor tracks in the winter of his senior year in 1971. I'm not sure what happenned to him in the outdoor season. I know he dealt with bad knees a lot.
Also, Merrick broke Gerry Lindgren's HS Record in the Indoor 3-mile, running 13:37!
If people think Virgin has been forgotten, then Merrick has been shipped to a remote location and buried!
And I wasn't even born until a week after he graduated from HS, and I grew up in CA.
Illinois State meet was 2 miles or 2.1 miles until 1971, Virgin's junior year. Virgin ran 13:59 to win that year. Merrick graduated in the spring of '71, so he never raced 3 miles at the state meet. Yes, a guy by the name of Dave Walters really did run 13:57 in 1973. Pretty amazing, but of the 4 sub 14:00 times run on that course, three of them happened the first three years and all four happened within the first 6 years.
Californian wrote:
Yes, a guy by the name of Dave Walters really did run 13:57 in 1973.
There must have been one amazing coach at Lincoln-Way in the early '70's!
1975 NCAA
Walters was a protege of Merrick, LW did not have a history of strong teams. Dave also won the state 2-mile and had a HS best of 8;58. He attended U of IL and became a pilot.
Interestingly, in the state xc meet where Walters broke 14, future Nike head of T&F was back in ~14;19...John Capriotti of Bloom HS.
Why was CV blackballed at U of I? I'm already pissed at my alma mater for other issues. Do I have another reason to be?
Quincy: Thanks for all the great info. I am and always will be an Illinoisian (though I'm trapped in LA). It was great running in high school and hearing stories of CV, and it's terrific to hear more about him now--very inspirational!
I ran in that top ten meet and finished in 6th place with a personal best 0f 4:18. Seems like I remember he had a couple of rabbits in the race to help him along. I went on to run a 4:05 in college exactly what he ran in highschool. He was already a legend at that time. I still recall him running a 8:42 at the state meet but fell short in the mile to Bill fritz. He was one tough dude...not many highschoolers coming along like that anymore. Look at the top 10 list all time from the 1500 to the 10,000 and see what years they are....mostly 60's and 70's and 80's.
Wags In Illinois wrote:
Craig Virgin is one of the great ones! I first saw him run as a high schooler in the Illinois Top Ten Meet at Thornridge in Dolton, IL. Craig ran the mile in 4:05.5 with a 58 second last 440.
His duals with Nick Rose were legendary. His first and only attempt at Boston was fantastic. The 1980 Olympic boycott took away his best opportunity to medal in the Olympics.
Is Craig a little cocky??? Yes! I still think he is very personable and approachable however. Craig was a guest at my home in the mid-90s for a 4-miler in the Chicago area, and the athletes loved him. Criag later that weekend took the time to get together with some former Illinois teammates.
I knew Craig Virgin personally. Shortly after the Keebler Invitational in 1988 I had Craig over at my parents house. He was warm and personable and I'll always remember that. I think he IS the pioneer of Illinois distance running.
Tony
Hey are you Amy and Tommy Laskowske's Dad? (Palatine IL)?
By the way, this is the year that all of CV's records go down. Derrick got his 5K record in an all HS race and also his Detweiler Course record going only 1 second slower on a much longer course. The 3200 is going down on Saturday at 1 PM if the weather holds. 8:42.6 from 1973, Derrick is primed to go sub 8:42.
BTW Derrick has tons of respct for Mr. Virgin.
NV XC FTW wrote:
e 3200 is going down on Saturday at 1 PM if the weather holds. 8:42.6 from 1973, Derrick is primed to go sub 8:42.
If he does, he'll fall short. Virgins 8:42 is for 2 miles.
even if he does break the record this weekend. Overall, Derrick's HS running resume will NEVER stand up to Virgins...end of story!
good luck Derrick
PS...some people think the course is actually shorter because after the construction of a 2nd new bridge which created a shorter distance on the far loop. These arguments have/will go on forever....bottom line is... to quote Virgin.."it is what it is" the record...and Craig's time is and always will be faster. It is my belief the course was only long one year, and that was the Withrow won it (I think 2003).
in 30yrs only the faster time will be remember, there will be no asterisk
Joseph A. McVeigh wrote:
.
Virgin's 27:39 AR was run at the US champs when he led virtually every step of the way,
Picture an American man even considering an AR attempt without a coterie of pacers.
Closest comp I can think of is Ryan Shay at NCAAs.
Even better was Pre's 27:43 AR in '74 in windy, rainy weather in Eugene, in April, in what was basically a time trial race.
