Who is the most famous runner you ever worked out with?

To Ilvyrsmyl, I wasn't that fast, so hanging with Randy was pretty good for me.

He was 2nd only to BR in New England in '75-'77, and toured Europe running long track races in '77. Randy Thomas wan not world class, but was a studly guy for his time and location.

James Robinson

Rose Ruiz the last half a mile of the Boston Marathon in 1978 and then a few weeks ago, I jogged with Lance Amstrong on his way to Harpo studios to tape his show with Oprah.

Years ago, Billy Mills invited my wife and I over to his house. Billy and I stayed up late talking so we spent the night, then he took us out to breakfast the next morning. That afternoon, Billy and I went on a run together on the American River bike path.

Pretty nice guy I tell you.

I warmed up with the 1981 UTEP runners at the NCAA Nationals meet in Wichita, KS. I was a junior in high school. Couldn't really understand what they were saying but they were pretty fast. I took (stole) one of their warm up tops and still have it today.

Was lucky enough to do a workout with Alan Webb 1 week before he set the AR in the mile on the same track where he set the AR (Brasschaat).

Story: was doing my warm up on the track (I'm a local athlete of the club that organised the meet - actually was co-organizing the event at that time) and suddenly Alan with his agent Ray Flynn showed up on the track to check how it was and how the conditions could be during his race.

I showed him a nice trail in the park next to the track where he could his warm-up and then he asked me what was on my schedule and whether I was interested in joining his workout. He had to do 6/7 * 800 - recovery 3'. So I joined (did 400's and last one 600) and paced him a bit.

I think that was the moment where I knew that, with good conditions, the AR was going down.

During the meet and race I was live commentating for the audience (yes max 1000 people as we are small meet) but passed on the microphone to Brad Yewer, assistant of Ray Flynn, to get some Americans excited during his race.

Still gives me goosebumps.

218er wrote:

As a young college post grad, went up to Boston to run and got to do a workout with Jack Fultz prior to the marathon. He was very gracious. Later as a 30 something trying to get back in shape in Boulder, shared the CU track with Loraine Miller for a set of 10 200's...she was wicked fast. Prior to her great run in Barcelona. A fan!

Raced an all comers 3000 in Boulder with Lorraine Moller on my heels the whole way; ran the last 6 miles of the Cascade Runoff with Lisa Larson Weidenbach Rainsberger. We didn't converse but I said good job at the end.

Did a turkey trot cool down with 1993 world champ marathoner Marc Plaatjes.

Spent a summer training with a bunch of 4:00 to 4:05 college milers, none of whom are famous, but one did win the high school triple crown of miling a couple years before that.

Terry Brahm

Benji Durden.

Went for a run with Dick Beardsley once.

Went for a run with Shannon Butler and Vicki Huber once.

Did a cooldown with John Tuttle once.

Yonas Tesfai and Drevan Anderson-Kaapa

2 rising elite stars. Also 2 of the most mentally tough people in this sport.

More of a racing story than a training story, but I was at an all-comers meet in Ann Arbor in the buildup before Beijing in 2008. Warhurst had Nick Willis and some other guys there doing a few events for workouts. I was on the backstretch warming up to run an out-of-shape mile when I saw them prepping for the 1000m, which Willis was lined up for. Recognizing that chances like this don't come too often, I decided to forgo the rest of my warmup and jump into the event (which I was even less prepared for). It took less than 100m before reality set in- there was a distinct possibility I was going to get lapped in a two-and-a-half lap race.

While it didn't quite come down to that, they entered the final straightaway just as I hit 1 lap to go. Humbling indeed...

Not a real workout, but I did jog to the track in Kenya with Mo Farah. It was soon before he joined Nike/Rupp/Salazar; often did his workouts alone from what I saw. The day I jogged with him, he started his workout with a 3 mile tempo in 15:00, before moving on to some sort of repeats (actually, not sure if it was 3 miles or 12 laps - the Kamariny track is a little long, I think!)

Jogged around with Mbulaeni Mulaudzi a little bit - it was interesting seeing how much all the 800 meter runners in Iten were under the shadow of Rudisha. Very distinctly recall the South African high school group bubbling over with excitement about having seen Rudisha, and paying no attention at all to their own countryman (defending 800m world champion!) sitting at the next table in the dining area.

I was also talked to/worked out with Silas Kiplagat; never ran with him, but did do the core workout routine with him (and many others) a few times. He has a very slight build (as do many of the Kenyans) - I remember thinking how tiny he is!

Galen, Ritz and Kara Goucher.

Said Aouita - Gold WR

Yobes Ondieki -WR

Peter Rono - Gold

Khalid Skah - Gold

Ibrahim Hussein

Pat Porter

Aaron Ramirez

I went to Arkansas in the late 80's early 90's - So all of the Hogs.

Chuck Aragon

Bill Riefsnider

Ken Martin

Ritchie Martinez

I had some great workouts in Arkansas, but when I came home to train in Albuquerque it was like a who's who of running..

One of my most memorable workouts was at the UNM track with Rono, Hussein, the Chariot brothers, Ramirez, Aragon, and a few other bad asses. Probably about 14 of us. We were doing repeat 400's in 61-62 at a mile high, with a 100 jog (probably 35 seconds). We ran in a single file line and everyone had to lead at least one. After I got done with that workout, I was like "I'm an in shape Motha!!"

Great memories...

Haile G ran on a treadmill next to me and we took turns on weights. He does very light reps.

I am a hobby jogger and nowhere near elite.

Carrie Tollefson, Katie McGregor and Jason Lehmkuhle

Martin Hyman - British record for six miles, third Commonwealth Games marathon

John Bedarnski - World Junior X-Country Champion

Steve Jones

Those three, I think simultaneously, in a rep session of about 1000m repeats on road round a block of houses!

My sister - World indoor masters champion!

Long runs. All of the above + Bruce Tulloh, European Champion 5000m.

Race - ran a leg of the Southern Road Relay at the same time as Sebestian Coe, can't really say that it was "against" as although we took over for our leg at around the same time, we were not very close together for very long! Tony Simmons - fourth in one of Virren's Olympic 10ks - came scuttling past me at about 1/2 way in an x-country race when he was probably a very young master or maybe just under.

In the national x-country, and national road-relays in that era, club runners would end up running with/against Steve Ovett, Brendan Foster, Dave Moorcroft, Eamon Martin, Bernie Ford, Tony Simmons, etc., just to name a few from memory.

Chris Fox (for about 3 years,Chris did some amazing workouts)

Steve Spence (Steve would show up for the Sunday morning runs sometimes and to do workouts with the group)

Brian Ferrari (D2 national champ back in the 80's Oly Trial guy)

Earl Stoner (Oly Trial Guy, NAIA national champ 1500 i think)

Jeff Scuffins ( Fox and all those guys would say Jeff was the most talented guy there...Not for sure but i think he had some personal stuff going on. Njcca national champ, NCAA champ?? Oly Trial a few times won Marine corp marathon Jeff and Chris were in the race to do a workout Jeff just went on to win it.)

Bob Donker (WVU runner, he would come around to train with Fox or we would meet him at Fostburg college)

Gary Kelly (PA state champ. He would push Fox in their workouts. Gary was a mess while in high school his parents got busted in the biggest drug deal in philly history at that time. Gary didn't drink or do drugs i think he was just afraid to be successful. People saw the talent level and gave him every opportunity to train. Fox once said Gary was one the most talented runner he had ever seen.)

Mike Spinnler (Pink) ( held 50 mile record at one point race director of the JFK 50 miler, He coached some of the oly trial guy/girls from Hagertown)

Lazarus: Team Stick guys ( a few Kenyans lived with me for a summer one of them was a young kid named Lazarus he was 18 he was rated number 4 runner of the year by runners world mag in i think 94. It was the summer that Benson Masya went thru and won everything and set every record. Lazarus beat him once maybe twice and was always right in his Heels. I always felt bad for Lazarus if Benson wouldn't have had his best year that summer Lazarus would've made a lot money plus all those bonus for breaking records.)

Mike Mykytok ( was a beast, his workouts were on the same level as fox's)

Keith Dowling ( fun guy always has a good story)

Marc Davis (never ran with him he was retired at the time just hung out with him a few times great guy)

I can't remember everyone from the Hagerstown days but there was a few guys that would come down from WV and a few guys from the DC area that were oly trials guys as well. i was towpath guy from 93 to 96 what years were you there?