Gerry Lindgren's 16:08 four miler

I think the obvious problem with the more preposterous claims Lindgren has made which, if true, would make him the greatest distance runner ever is that they are completely unverifiable.

You shouldn't believe Lindgren for the same reason you shouldn't believe me if I have a 5K PR of 16:00, but I tell you I ran a 10K tempo run in 28:00.

Im sure you are a troll but if you aren't you're and idiot for believeing that story. I would point out that KB's 5k record is like 4:04 pace so 4:02 pace for an extra 0.9 miles on a xc course 45+ years ago is just retarded.

4:02/mile ~ 4:00/1600m --> 12:00 for 4800m + 200m = ~ 12:30 5k

so he ran WR pace for 5k and then ran another 1400m on top of that at the same pace. not even bekele could do that in his prime. what a load of b.s. sorry, but i can only ride the lindgren train so far until his shadow begins to escape logic and reason.

i'm sure it was a good run for however long and hilly the course was, and i'm sure it would've been inspiring to watch, but it would have to be more inspiring as an act of skill and determination and grace as opposed to inspiring because of the time for that distance, simply because that is not believable.

i don't even think anyone had run 2 miles @ 4:00 mile pace at that point in history. komen ran 7:58 in 96?/97?

No chance.

This is from "The Gerry Lindgren Story", a booklet of the month published by Runner's World in 1971. Much of the booklet was written by Lindgren. "The toughest of the national collegiate races was the 1969 cross country championship--my last NCAA race. The first mile of an NCAA meet, with 300 runners on the line, has to be a sprint all the way. We ran our first mile in about 4:15, I think. Steve Prefontaine hung tough for a long time (he had beaten me earlier in the year), and Mike Ryan was very, very tough ALL the time. I only beat him by a couple of seconds. That was some of the toughest running I ever did."

Lindgren beat Prefontaine and Mike Ryan in the 1969 NCAA Cross-Country Championships in Bronx, N.Y. in a time of 28:59.4.

Tony Soprano wrote:

I did "Letsrun research" on this topic and found the thread where Jack Daniels verified Lindgren's 350-mile week.

Isn't that just as unbelievable as a 16:08 4-mile race?

Not even remotely. People routinely run that far and more in six day races. I'll hazard a guess that there are many people on this board who could run 350 miles in a week if they took it slowly and carefully, but they are too smart to try (this may be the first time LRites have been called "too smart"). 16:08 for 4 miles is more like claiming 900 miles in a week.

I started to read this thread and thought that it was an archived thread that just got dug up. It may as well be, the same blasters, the same defenders and the same ridiculous commentary about a whole bunch of crap. Believe me, leaving your family is a whole lot of nothin on the morality scale in the scheme of things. Better leaving when the pressure's on, than killin them and eating them for breakfast, then coming on to Let's Run and bragging about it. Now that's fked up!!

I agree with the above post. At least he didn't eat his family.

^This is the correct response.

did he run the 4 miler in 16:08? maybe he did maybe he didn't. But when you consider that he was a very high mileage runner on a small frame, it does sound plausible. I give him the benefit of the doubt on this one folks.

the43Omiler wrote:

did he run the 4 miler in 16:08? maybe he did maybe he didn't. But when you consider that he was a very high mileage runner on a small frame, it does sound plausible. I give him the benefit of the doubt on this one folks.

this troll is just trying to stir it up. don't bite on this; he doesn't believe it.

Here's a classic:

http://www.masterstrack.com/movies/gerry24.mov

Just look at that beautiful face when he gets questioned.

Gerry is a good guy. I believe him.

I believe.

ok but.... wrote:

NOT ONE person who has mocked the great Gerry Lindgren on this thread has done anything close to what he has done in the track and cross country. most of you dilweeds probably never even broke 420 for a mile or 930 for a 2 mile. Losers like you need to keep quiet.

This is kind of the point though, isn't it? Why does he feel compelled to make up these lies and exaggerations when the truth is nothing to be ashamed of?

It's one thing to lie about how good you are when you suck, but when you're great, you should be proud of how great you were. It certainly doesn't seem that he's proud of his actual accomplishments, which is strange, because they are great.

It kind of reminds me of how Michael Jordan is still bitter about all kinds of things despite the fact that he is universally recognized as the best ever. And yet he doesn't seem to be able to take pleasure even in that.

I'm not saying my life is better than Michael Jordan or Gerry Lindgren's, but at least I can take pleasure in my achievements and be comfortable with my shortcomings. If not being able to do those things is what makes you great, I'm not sure I wouldn't rather be average.

With all that mileage I find a 16:08 4mile disappointing.

Yeah, I remember watching him talk about those marathons.

I don't know what's going on in his head. He does seem to have a complicated relationship with truth and reality. But as far as I know, he doesn't have a malicious bone in his body.

When I see him talk like that, I'm reminded of Wordworth's observation that the child is father of the man. The scrawny, goofy little kid who was made to feel like such a loser eventually wrenched himself into a great athlete, but that little kid remains, with all of his enthusiasms, vulnerabilities, and magical thoughts.

Gerry Lindgren. Who does he think he is? I remember back in the day I was training with him on a 32 mile run when I decided to race another 26.2 on top on the 32. I was on world record pace but nobody believed me. Later, Gerry took the credit for MY run!! Can you believe that ASSHOLE?!?

This was the Gerry I knew. Funny, generous, positive, best natural entertainer I've ever seen.

In person he is a very cool guy, anyone who meets him will get that he is not crazy, he's entertaining, and probably the most positive person you will ever meet.