What if Jim Ryun had raced in this era?

Jim Ryun would have run

~1'39''/3'24''

on a modern synthetic track. However, he probably wouldn't be racing at Dusseldorf nowadays.

He ran 3:33 and won silver at an Olympics. Obviously very good accomplishments, but to say he'd be running world records today is a disservice to all the sub 3:30 runners and Olympic gold medalists since then.

He'd be accused of doping and discredited for his use of super shoes, super tracks, and wavelight tech.

Here we go again.

* Training on cinder is easier on the body than training on synthetic tracks. People assuming Ryun would be faster today are assuming he would not suffer more injuries today.

* Ryun was fastest on a cinder track.

* If by accident of birth, Ryun was not born in an English speaking country, Ryun would have likely been groomed as an 800m specialist from age 12 to age 27.

I would bet against Ryun having any world records. He wouldn't be any faster than J Ingebrigtsen is today, 1500m due to Ryun's size. If J Ingebrigtsen and Ryun raced, 1500m, championship format, who knows? If J Ingebrigtsen and Ryun raced 1500m with pacers and lights, I doubt Ryun could beat J Ingebrigtsen.

It's just as much a disservice to champions and record holders of the past to say they wouldn't be running world records today if they had the advantages of current and recent record holders have.

Nah

You have to be the dumbest poster on LetsRun - quite an achievement.

I bet Ryun today would be a bit lighter than he was back then. Dude was almost 170 lbs.

He would run 329 and be 6th at the Olympics

If he trained now he wouldn't be as much of a legend because he wouldn't have been as dominant or gotten world records. He wouldn't be running 3:25 1500's or 3:43 mile today. El Gerrouj is the fastest guy to ever do it. Part of Jim Ryun's prestige is he broke world records.

Ryun was the greatest of his era. Let's leave it at that. You can't compare across running eras because there are too many variables.

Ryun would destroy Jakob in a championship race. Jakob got out kicked by Wightman, and Ryun had a much more lethal kick than Wightman. Ryun once closed a mile championship race with a 23.9 200!

athleticsweekly.com

Jim Ryun - the world's deadliest ever finisher? - AW

Steve Smythe looks again at great milers of the past and makes perhaps a surprising choice as the world’s fastest ever finisher, often overlooked as he was at his peak well over half a century ago

Link:athleticsweekly.com/featured/jim-ryun-...

So you are a believer J Ryun would race 3:24 or 3:25 1500m. You have no evidence.

He didn't have the doping advantages that runners clearly have today. That's the biggest difference.

Your post is silly. Not the same drugs but there were drugs but without testing. I'm not accusing him. I don't accuse anyone without evidence and I am not going to clear anyone just because.

-

* Right, because Ryun had a famously long career in which he was 100% healthy every year.

* He was fastest on a cinder track because he peaked when he was 20 - despite all that training on cinders.

* This is the most stupid point of yours. There were very few specialist 800m runners before the late 80's from any country. And just about zero with any obvious talent at the 1500 like Ryun possessed. Jeez you're talking about the first schoolboy in history to run a sub 4 minute mile, the guy who smoked the Olympic champion while still at school. Besides, what does it matter - he was born in an English speaking country and he did run both the 800 and 1500 like nearly every othe middle-distance runner who wasn't a 400/800 guy. And what's your point about his size? He's practically identical to Jakob in size, but he wouldn't beat him because of his size???

He would have needed to avoid the decades-old American brainwashing that middle distance is sit and kick.

Otherwise he'd be too far behind Jakob to make the lens

Jim Ryun with;

Super shoes + Super tracks + latest training methods + lights + pacers + full throttle epo = world record

Not sure why anyone would think otherwise.

Bob Timmons didn't have access to the collective knowledge contained on The LRC Forum.