Steve Jones

I'll second this. This guy was talented and disciplined. If you have 100% talent and 50% discipline, you've got 50%. If you have 50% talent and 100% discipline, you've got 100%.

He didn't really have a full time job. No other RAF mechanics were given months off at a time to go to high altitude training.

That aside he was still a helluva runner.

He is a legend :

" just keep working hard and don´t rush it. You´ll have time to get there. You just need to stay in running and enjoy yourself " ( steve Jones )

"I just run as hard as I can for 20 miles, and then race." - Steve Jones (when asked about his race plan, after he had won the "Chicago Marathon" in the then world's best time).

?if I´m still standing at the end of the race, hit me with a board and knock me down. Because that means I didn´t run hard enough ? ( Steve Jones )

Definitely an attitude that's missing from a lot of today's runners.

The great thing about Steve Jones was that he was not a great young athleet, he came to the sport late and just kept ploughing away at it, he was eventually world class over steeple, 5k, 10k and marathon, he was one of my heroes when ~i was a kid. I remember his uncompromising running style, he was a very brave very tough athlete. In the 1986 European Champs marathon not long after his world record run and in the shape of his life he was favourite. He lead early on and went through halfway in something like 1.02/3, he was 4 minutes ahead at one stage. Rather than back off and savouring the win he kept forcing the pace and at about 22 miles the wheels came off in spectacular fashion. Slwoly the other athleets passed him and he was reduced to a shuffling wreck by the time he entered the stadium, may ahletes would have dropped out.

Well, he got plenty of coverage during his era, though maybe some have forgotten a bit now.

I'll sure as hell never forget his Chicago '85 run. That still stands out to me as one of the best effin' performances in history, the way he just destroyed everyone (even the rabbit) from the start. If he'd paced it a little more (course, in a way, it wouldn't be as awesome if he had, he'd have run in the 2:06s, maybe mid-2;06s, and Densimo never would have held the mark ... maybe not Costa, either.

Add to those acheivements - World Corss COuntry Bronze Medalist - and times of 13.18 and 27.39 - and outkicking Shanganga in the Ivo Van Damme 10k (then equiv of Golden LEague) and you had one helluva runner!

Also, rumoured to have a love of the 'Guinness'. Gotta love a hard runnin'/drinkin' guy who's not afraid to mix his two passions.

Guinness for Strength!

Reality check what did you do sign his time card? He did have a full time job.Why do you try to minimize the guys achievements?He took vacation time and time without pay in the peak of his career to do his altitude training.But he still had to earn those oppurtunities.Reality is the guy had a great big powerful engine and a pair of gorilla balls. And he probably was out traing instead of minimizing other peoples accomplishments on a message board.

Plus he rides a Harley

Greg:

As Sammy points out below, his track times were even faster.

By the way, people from Wales are Welsh, not Welch.

Cheers

A bit off topic, but noticing that someone posted some quotes attributable to Steve Jones, why is it that so many quotes are credited to the wrong people?

For instance, Ive seen that "knock me down with a board" one with Pre saying it, and I remember on another thread JK corrected someone else about a famous quote that someone else was credited with.

Like I said, probably not the right thread for this, but I was too lazy to go back and start a new one.

Actually, according to Mike Sandrock, it was, in fact, Jonesy who gave the "board" quote.

In general, however, I agree with your point. As Abraham Lincoln once said, "If they can put a man on the moon, why can't they quote accurately and with proper attribution?"

Hills are speedwork in disguise....I've seen that one attributed to Frank Shorter, Eamonn Coughlan and Peter Coe. Any others?

I had the priviledge to have had dinner with Steve just shortly after his Marathon world record. Not only was he a great runner, he was also a great person.

If I every stick it out with my own manual labour job, I plan to run to and from work. For now I bike, but come winter I feel running will be more effective.

too bad our lunch breaks are only ½ an hr.

like jones, my route which I have planned out is approx. 7-8 miles....

Watch out everyone, Greg from Canada is taking over the marathon with no mercy!!!!!!!

Yeah, you're right. It was Jones. I was pointing out the pre example as showing that quotes can get tossed around and credited to the wrong people.

And Lincoln said that? I thought it was Washington? :)

Hi all from the UK. Just found this great site and really pleased to read your thoughts on Steve Jones. He was a brilliant runner but somewhat overshadowed here becuase we had so many good athletes at the time. Interesting to note that he won the 1986 London in 2:08 having stopped with just a couple miles to go for a poo! Also, during the 86 Europeans were as mentioned earlier he 'died' dramatically, Jones entered the stadium during a medal ceremony. He stopped running and stood to attention as a mark of respect. Top guy.

Bazza

Not quite correct - he'd actually finished the race and was in a bad way and was being stretchered off by the medical guys - the Russian national anthem struck up for a medal ceremony and Jonesy got up off his stretcher and stood to attention for the duration prior to apparently passing out through dehydration.