My cab driver claims he ran 44/45 for the 400

yeah, he ran 44.45 at an early season meet. beat some top guys. then wrecked his hamstring and disappeared. he was tough. he did it on RSU's banked outdoor track. crazy fast guy.

It was amazing, cause his PR was only like 47 before the meet, right?

indaknow wrote:

It was amazing, cause his PR was only like 47 before the meet, right?

yep, in a relay i think.

Temple's 2005-2006 media guide lists the outdoor 400m record as 46.7 by Isky Moat in 1985. 4x400m record of 3:07.54 was set in 1986 by Johnson, Morant, Moat, and Manigault.

Here's the link.

Wow. I remember my father's best man talking about that meet when I was a kid. My dad's best man was a steeple guy for RI back in the day and was sitting out the day of thatmeet with (ironically) a hammy. He said that no one even knew who Elliot was, let alone that he would bust out a time like that.... Funny, I hadn't heard about him in like 10 years! Only on LetsRun I guess.

Kele wrote:

Temple's 2005-2006 media guide lists the outdoor 400m record as 46.7 by Isky Moat in 1985. 4x400m record of 3:07.54 was set in 1986 by Johnson, Morant, Moat, and Manigault.

He was running unattached at the time of the record, eligibility issues, or something like that. I think it was '88, the Olympic year. He was not on the relay that set the school record. That was before his time. Most of those guys were gone when he had his day.

I want to hear more about this guy. Anybody else got any stories?

Never seen a banked outside track

Lost in the midwest wrote:

Never seen a banked outside track

'Nova had one, 11 laps to the mile, in the 60s & 70s. Coghlan and Marcus claim it's why they were so good at the Garden.

Speaking of 'Nova, etc. here's another cabbie/track story.

Jim Tuppenny, who coached at 'Nova before and after his time at Penn, and was also Penn Relays meet director, was down in Jamaica for a meet (maybe the King Games?). Anyway, he starts talking track, telling the drive that lots of Jamaicans come up every spring to run the Relays.

The guy never says anything or looks around, but just puts his right arm on the seat back, like he's stretching out, relaxing. He rotates his arm and there on his wrist is a Relays watch, the kind they give when you win a Championship section. Tupp said it was a very cool, non-verbal way for the drive to say he knew just what Tupp was talking about.

JimG wrote:

'Nova had one, 11 laps to the mile, in the 60s & 70s. Coghlan and Marcus claim it's why they were so good at the Garden.

Georgetown also had an outdoor, banked, board track in the 60s.

Many sprinters who ran 44/45 in the 80s are probably can drivers in 2006. What's up with Steve Lewis and Danny Everette?

Typo on my part....I know it's 12:58. Although at an hour and a half, he was going faster than BK anyway. Actually, he set the world mile record en route, multiple times.