Top 5 BRAVEST runners in a MAJOR Championship

Dammit Vipam! As soon as I saw this thread those first 4 immediately popped into my head I shit you not!

Ngugi and Ivan did the unthinkable and that was to take off immediately in an Olympic final and drop the field. Ivan's race is still in my mind the greatest distance performance ever in the Olympics.

Other ones would be Tergat in 1996 10k and how about Joan Benoit taking the lead at 10 miles and running a fast winning marathon in warm weather in 1984?

But maybe the award for biggest balls ever goes to Viren holding off the kickers in the Montreal 5000?

I think your right Fredo

Joan Benoit should have made my top 5 thus D. Castro is relagated to honorable mention. I don't know details of Viren 5000m run, could you give a little information about what he did specifically in the 5000m.

Fredo I agree Paula's run was a toe-tapper, whistle-blowing, knee-slapping, barnburing humdinger. It saw it live and it was off da chain!

Vipam

I second that about Ngugi in the 88 Olympics, and would like to add his dominating victory at the 1992 World Cross in Boston. I was fortunate enough to have been there and anyone in attendance had to have been impressed by the way he jumped into a huge lead very early in the race. Despite such a bold tactic against the finest distance runners in the world, nobody came close.

Paula would be on most peoples list, and many remember the 2000 olympics but I would rate her run in Seville as a braver run. There the weather was very hot for a British athlete, and the men ran slowly, but she ran the fist half at a pace better than the fastest in the world that year and then picked the pace up in the second half. I suspect that she surprised her competitors much more in this race as the Portugese and Ethiopians would have expected to have the uper hand in hot conditions. Running the olympic champion Ribeiro, off the track has to be an achievement.

In Sydney she led the race, but was her plan too simple, she has tried better, and faster, front running tactics scince.

It goes to Zatopek, Viren, and Mills before any of those.

deuch wrote:

the Portugese and Ethiopians would have expected to have the uper hand in hot conditions.

Why?

I have a copy of the 76 Olympic 5000 and watch it often. It wasn't a incredibly fast race and a huge group stayed in it to the end but Viren controlled it the whole way, taking the lead for a while, then dropping back. What is so incredibly tough is the last 600. Viren's hurting and Quax, Dixon, and a couple others look ready to take him.

First Dixon starts to inch up but Viren accellerates, then on the final turn Quax, who looks the best of everybody, winds up and it looks like Viren is finished.

But Quax barely gets to his side and Viren accellerates down the homestretch, barely holding everybody off the entire last 100. He had 3 or 4 guys breathing down his neck and they still couldn't get him.

You just don't see that type of guts too often.

Vipam, your youth is showing.

Viren one the best race of Olympic history in 1976, and, in my opinion, the most exciting race ever run. Feeling that Viren had played into their hands, with a lap to go, one by one, the greatest kickers in the world took a shot at him, and one by one, Viren countered. Finally with only 100 meters to go they all went wide, presumably to turn the afterburners on the Finnish champion. All were left staggering, with panic on their faces, as Viren easily glided away to yet another gold.

The photo in Track and Field News said it all.

Viren in 72 when he fell. The other guy dropped out, viren goes on to win.

And honorable mention to Viren in 1980. It was the Ethiopians and the Finns. Viren was past his prime but still was up in the front pushing the pace with a pained grimace the whole way.

The man was tough.

c'mon guys. 1996 bob kennedy surged to the front of the 5k. thats a ballsy move!!! my high school team was in the basement watchin that, and we jumped up screamin for "mr. 12:58" to hold on. that was prolly one of the most exciting things i've ever seen! i still get chills just thinking about it.

Pre in 72. He knew he couldnt outkick Viren or Gammoudi so with a mile to go he forced the pace at the front, and the rest is history.

Honorable mention to Mills in 64', Zatopek for his triple, and Kennedy in 96.

Yeah, and then he lost to viren who had already won the 10k after falling. It wasn't like he made a move at the start or half way through, 600 meters to go doesn't seem that gutsy.

Viren's fall that was gutsy I woudl say, especially since he knew he was going to run the five also. I mean most elites today woulda dropped, as to not waste themselves for one race if they had another that htey had a shot at winning.

But, I also thought of the vipams' first 4, plus viren for my 5.

1.Eduardo Buenavista of Phillipines

-a record streaker, he never ran his race without breaking any record or PR,in 2001, he broke Phillipines NR THRICE -5k,10k,3kSC and he ran by himself, I was trailling like hell at the back, a distant 100m. And he also broke the Games also the SEA 3kSC record (sub 8:50, around 8:40-8:47 I think,I forgotten). The last time, he was running 5000m in Asian Games and posted 13:58 - a new Sea Games record,a new Phillipines record as well, the first South Asian man to break 14:00. What I know is this guy ALWAYS make a PR in his next run. Must been hell for him.

2.Prefontaine

- Needless to say. I watched Without Limits everyweek and am taught not to be chickens like most people are.

3.Zatopek

- Carrying backpack,running with boots in the thick snow, those actions are already enough to vote Zatopek EVEN as if he didnt win any medal in the Olympics.

4.Sammy Kipketer

- a 58-SECOND 1ST LAP in The Commonwealth Games 10,000m is somewhat not to be emulated by any runner in this world

5.Radcliffe

Chucko

I thought of Viren's 10000m; however, I think it was more great athletic ability then brave/gutsy! I think his ability to recover and win was truly INCREDIBLE** but not brave and I would list him as one of the 10 athletes all-time!

Vipam

**Viren would have won the 10000m regardless of the tactics, the fall just made it interesting to the fans (the outcome was never in jeopardy).

No mention of Murray Halberg?

Rome 1960

He knows he can't outkick the field so:

He ran the third to last lap as hard as he could and opened up a huge lead.

He then ran the second to last lap as hard as he could and continued to lead by a significant margain.

Then came the grim task of completing the last lap, although completely exhausted. Despite the field closing in steadily on the Kiwi, Halberg managed to hang on for the win.

What about Steve Jones. I am not sure which championship marathon race it was, but he ran a crazy first half (61.30ish ??), and then blew to bits by the end, finishing around 2.20. You can criticise his tactics, and say he was a bit naive, but there is no doubt it was brave. The guy ran fast in big city marathons not because he was the most talented (although obviously he wasn't completely lacking), but he because he had the biggest balls.

You beat me to it. 1986 European Champs in Stuttgart. Should have been his crowning glory. Having won Chicago in 84 and London & Chicago in 85 the rest was perfectly set up for him. Jones was in great shape and picked up a bronze in the 10k at the Commonwealth Games a few weeks earlier. He was on WR pace at halfway - and 2mins ahead of the field.

But it was a very warm day and the organisers had only provided carbonated water (can you believe that?). Jones tried drinking it, but couldn't keep it down. Roundabout about 20m, and suffering badly from dehydration he was slowing dramatically. Refusing to give up, he eventually trailed in one from last (2:22?). As he entered the stadium a medal ceremony was taking place, so Jones, with his RAF background stopped running and stood to attention, before proceeding to stagger across the line. (Recalling from memory, the exact detail might be slightly different, but that was the general gist of things). He bounced back to win the New York and Toronto marathon and took third at Boston too.

Top man!

Only one runner comes to mind: NAOKO TAKAHASHI.

(1) 1998: Japanese Record of 2;25 in her second marathon.

(2) 1998: 2;21;47 in the heat of Bangkok, on WR pace at half way, all alone.

(3) Breaks away at 17km in the Olympic Marathon to set a new Olympic Record on the tough Sydney Course.

(4) First Woman under 2;20.

(5) I had to go like hell to stay in front of her at Berlin last year!

Jason