I'm just curious about how many runners we can think of that have come from relatively modest running backgrounds to later being successful runners. I know that Brian Sell is considered one of these guys because he was pretty good in college for what he did in hs and he's a pretty good pro for what he did in college. Billy Mills also comes to mind. Let's see whoelse we can come up with and give a little background the runners you name. Thanks
I don't think this topic has ever been brought up before.
Look up "Glenn Cunningham"
He was a world-class miler in his day, and his legs were burned severely as a kid, truely an inspirational story.
Robert Cheruiyot
almost all the ethiopians and kenyan runners came from extreme poverty.
Thanks, I know overcoming poverty to be a world class runner is inspirational but I'm looking more for guys/girls that weren't supposed to be very talented and overcame perceived physical inferiorities.
Dean K.
Amazing story - it turns out he is not a good runner, but nonetheless an amazingly successful one.
Ok, I obviously wasn't talking about someone like Dean K.
Alan Webb-only ran 3:59 as a junior, and look at him now! Just shows what hard work can do.
As a junior at the famous St Patrick’s School in Iten, coach Brother Colm O’Connell recalled, “He never went beyond district championships. When I look back now, I smile about it. I put him pacesetting for the girls. Little did I know that within another five years, Wilson Boit Kipketer would win the world title in the steeplechase and go on to break the world record”.
http://www.frankfurt-marathon.com/756.html?&tx_mininews_pi1%5BshowUid%5D=1731&cHash=ae231506da
Glenn Cunningham was the first guy who occurred to me, but Ted Corbitt, who was a sprinter/mid-distance guy in his youth and one of the least efficient "good" runners ever, really maximized his potential to become an Olympian in the marathon and the American recordholder in multiple ultra distances.
Ron Daws, who modestly billed himself as the self-made Olympian, also comes to mind. (I hope that's the right guy--my memory is fading.)
Anne Audain was born with club feet and had to have numerous surgeries to correct the condition. She was told to take up running as a way of strengthening her feet.
Peter Maher weighed something like 250 pounds and was a fairly heavy smoker.
You should get Running with the Legends. Priscilla Welch and Steve Jones come to mind. Priscilla was a smoker/Navy nurse who didn't start running until age 35 and went on to run 2:26:51 in the marathon at age 42 and was an Olympian! Steve Jones smoked for 7 years (ages 12 to 19), was a punk, joined the Royal Air Force at age 15, and got into running through the cadet races. He went on to become a world record holder in the marathon (2:08:05) and won London, Chicago, and New York.
My kid just read a story on him in her 7th grade literature book. She was very impressed. Wilma Rudolf overcame her childhood polio to become an olympian.
thewolf wrote:
Look up "Glenn Cunningham"
He was a world-class miler in his day, and his legs were burned severely as a kid, truely an inspirational story.
billy mills. orphan, raised on an indian reservation, 1964 olympic 10,000 meter champion.
Murray Halberg of New Zealand.
A serious injury playing rugby as a junior left him with a withered left arm.
He took up running, his left arm flapping uselessly by his side, but everyone who knew him commented what a great competitor and tough SoB he was.
He was a 4 minute miler back then when it still fairly rare - but mainly remembered for his epic race, beating the East European favourites when winning the 5000 at the Rome Olympics.
Looking for Inspiration wrote:
Thanks, I know overcoming poverty to be a world class runner is inspirational but I'm looking more for guys/girls that weren't supposed to be very talented and overcame perceived physical inferiorities.
I understand the reason you are asking the question, but this mythology about perceived talent really bugs me. You are only as good as your fitness and your confidence. In other words, you already have physical talent, it's what you do with it that counts. You could say that the desire to win races is a talent in itself, and that is certainly something that I would have to agree with.
Marcus O'Sullivan, 4:25 mile in high school.
Gilbert Tuhabonye
Reid Coolsaet from Canada ran something like a 15:56 5k in high school. He's since whittled that down to 13:21/27:56 and ran the 5k at Helsinki.