Have you ever met a great(or good) runner who you later found out had run some cracking times in the past?

I was at my dad's house visiting one time a few years ago. He was watching that C-span channel, which is just a camera that is turned on in the House of Representatives all the time and their was this boring politician up there speaking kind of quietly about some bill or something and my dad told me that it was none other than the former world record holder in the mile/1500m and the 1st high school runner under 4 minutes in the mile....JIM RYUN. I had heard of him, of course, but just didn't recognize him in a suit and tie.

A number of years ago we had a visitor in the office from Australia and I was introduced to him. He was introduced as Ralph Doubell. I almost fell on the floor. After formal introductions were over and we were having lunch I asked him privately if he was the '68 Olympic champ at 800m and he said yes.

I knocked on the door and a stocky, brash, boastful kid opened the door. He looked at me, dripping wet from having run 15 miles down the coast to knock on his door, and said I was the wimpiest guy he had ever seen. He said that HE could beat me. I was nothing. He put his back against my back and compared our heighth to his advantage. He was so cocky!

I figured I had gotten the wrong house. I was supposed to run into a dispondant kid who had just been cut from the softball team. I was supposed to console him. I turned and fled as fast as I could go. Behind me he yelled, "I'm gonna start running. Just wait, I'm gonna kick your ass." I started running back up the coast highway. Behind me I heard someone screaming, "I'm gonna kick your ass." I turned and there was that brash little boy running about a quarter mile behind me. I pushed hard up and down the rolling hills until there was a hill between us. All the way back up the coast to Reedsport, Oregon I couldn't stop thinking how wierd that kid had been back there in Coos Bay.

Gerry Lindgren: I read your book. You have sorta told the story of you in L.A. for the big Russia vs: the U.S. dual meet and you getting lost running on the beach but just by chance you stopped at the house of a WSU alumni who knew of you and got you back to where you were supposed to go. Sticking in that part about Pre is pure fiction, but funny.

still rolling wrote:

Stone...you're still a dolt after all these years.

How about the guys name?

John Dunkelburg, one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. Meeting up to run with him again in a few minutes.

The Limey wrote:

Two days later I was in the Nike store in Eugene. I walk towards where the shoes are and there is a life size poster of what looks like a (younger) ringer for the guy I had been chatting with at the meet. It was none other than Jon Anderson. He won the '73 Boston Marathon (in 2:16), and if my memory serves me correctly, he was the first runner to win a major race wearing Nikes. He was also a '72 Olympian, on the same team as Pre, Shorter, Mike Manley, Dave Wottle, and Kenny Moore.

I couldn't remember which event Jon ran in Munich so did a search. Twas the 10000m. In my search, dug up a site w/his name associated w/a reunion that included another Boston winner, Alvaro Mejia of Colombia. You'd have to type in Jon Anderson US Olympian and find the westvalleytc.org as part of the link. Entertaining site.

john is one of the 2 i was thinking of. tom bache, who ran on the university of chicago's american record 4 x 880 with rick wohlhuter lived there when i did.how round is brant these days?

Keith Stone wrote:

still rolling wrote:

Stone...you're still a dolt after all these years.

How about the guys name?

John Dunkelburg, one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. Meeting up to run with him again in a few minutes.

jon anderson is one of the true good people in the world. he always acknowledged the generousity of the company when they sponsored him and the behind the scenes people like me who sent him shoes. when cleaning my house i found letters saying thanks and a post card from jon from hawaii when he participated in the great hawaiian (7 day?) foot race (a run around one of the islands).

A few years ago there was a group of guys running in the Dandedong ranges just outside of Melbourne, Australia. The group can be rather large for the Sunday long run and one day one of the local club runners is running along with 'a guy'. There was some small talk between the two until the local club runner turns to the other runner and asks what his PR's were. The guy responds 7:20 for 3K and 12:39 for 5K. The local runner says, "Yeah right, those are Daniel Komen's world records!" The guy then informs him that he is Daniel Komen. True story.

Last year I met my new manager, and made some small talk with him for a while. He was an enormously fat guy, awful knees, had had heart surgery, etc. Somehow the conversation turned to track, and he told me he had run a 4:25 mile in highschool. Not that impressive, I know, but still just hard to believe this guy could ever run that fast.

craig williams NH brother wrote:

how round is brant these days?

Not nearly as round as Kyle, and his wife hasn't beat him in a race all year, not sure Kyle can say that.

color me embarrassed... wrote:

their was this boring politician up there

there

A short time after I moved to Eugene I started bumping into and occasionally running with someone named 'Guy' on my morning runs. Said he was a lawyer - that was it. I was a fan of the sport but never realized it was Guy Arbogast, nor what type of times he had run until one day we were joined by Art Boileu and they started talking about old times on the run.....

great laugh, thanks keith.if you see and of the WF people from the mid '90's remember me to them as i think of them often and with good memories, give my best to craig, probably a tougher assignment.

Keith Stone wrote:

craig williams NH brother wrote:

how round is brant these days?

Not nearly as round as Kyle, and his wife hasn't beat him in a race all year, not sure Kyle can say that.

craig williams NH brother wrote:

great laugh, thanks keith.

if you see and of the WF people from the mid '90's remember me to them as i think of them often and with good memories, give my best to craig, probably a tougher assignment.

I'll be seeing several tomorrow at the TCTC picnic. I'm sure it'll be a gossip-fest since Sandy just did marriage #3 to a gal he met on St Patties Day (yes, THIS St Patties day).

link wrote:

A short time after I moved to Eugene I started bumping into and occasionally running with someone named 'Guy' on my morning runs. Said he was a lawyer - that was it. I was a fan of the sport but never realized it was Guy Arbogast, nor what type of times he had run until one day we were joined by Art Boileu and they started talking about old times on the run.....

Arbogast isn't and never was a lawyer. What he is, is one of the most racist runners I've ever met. I used to run mornings with Arbo too until I realized his racist rants weren't a mistake. If you don't believe me then ask him what 'NOP' means? He won't say Nike Oregon Project.

luck of the irish ?

best wishes to all.