Gerry Lindgren's 16:08 four miler

ray wrote:

Maybe you should all just give it a rest. Or better still, accomplish half of what this guy did before you continue with the stone throwing.

___________________________

Lest we be damned Jesus?

This works out to about a 12:30 5K split...

Wow, now I've heard it all! On pace for a 2 hour marathon, twice!!! Once until 24 miles and once with less than a 1/4 mile to go. Sure, Gerry was cruising along faster than 4:35 per mile pace, ahead of schedule (sub 2 hour pace) zinging along hitting 1/2 half way in under one hour (and feeling good mind you from the easy pace), with no clocks, timers or even humans present, then he continued on to hold that pace for another 11 miles, with another 10 mile split from 13 to 23 in or around 45:50 with only roadkill (a squirrel) as a witness, and then fell apart the last 2 miles and finished in what time that has been officially recorded by who?

Who won this phantom race? Was it the Trails End Marathon and where are the results? Who was there to remember passing him at such a torrid pace? Where are the people who picked him up near the finish of his 2nd marathon after he passed out "after" hitting the 26 mile point? Where are these people who can verify the clock was under 2 hours at that point? Those people are in one place and one place only, the mind of Gerry Lindgren. Beyond that, they don't exist. Why didn't he run another one and jog it in 2:06?

Gerry's best 10,000 for a cross country course is 28:59, which is roughly 4:40 per mile. Yet he claims to have run 4:02 pace for 4 miles over a hilly cc course and sub 4:35 pace for 24 miles of marathon before bonking and then yet "another" sub 4:35 paced marathon before passing out with just yards to go. Of course, he never mentions the name of that 2nd marathon, the year he ran it or any other important details. At the time, the recognized wr for a marathon was Clayton's 2:08:33/34.

Gerry was a great runner for his time, but no where near as good as his claims. By his standards, Galen Rupp should be able to do the same if not better, since Galen broke his 5,000 hs record by 6 plus seconds! Yeah, I remember watching Galen throw in 2 sub 4:05 miles during his NCAA 10,000 win a couple years back. Let's not even compare Galen's hs 10,000 time to Gerry's.

Dathan ran 60:00 flat in an all out effort with a great field shortly after running a new ar of 12:56 for 5,000. Gerry's 5,000 pr was what? Now we are to believe that Gerry ran faster than Dathan's 1/2 pr during a marathon split and it felt easy! And he averaged 50 miles a day for 7 days, but doesn't like to run marathons and only needed this "huge base" for his great 5,000 & 10,000 races!

Again, there are some really bright people on this board, aren't there, or are they all trolls?

the next thing you know, this Lindgren guy will be telling us that he was an NCAA champion, beat Pre and was an Olympian! The nerve of this guy. Sounds like most of the wanna bees that are on this website. Frustrated losers.

Your post is the dumbest post that I have read on this entire thread. The point is he said, yes he himself, that he ran 16:08 for a 4 mile cross country race and twice was running a marathon at sub 2 hour pace, all of which are untrue. It is no different than a 40 minute 10k person saying they ran 35. They are both lies but unless you personally know the 40 minute 10k runner, nobody cares. But if someone makes a claim that they were running almost 9 minutes faster than the then wr for the marathon, but passed out, people respond. When that same runner claims to have run 16:08 on a cc course, but couldn't come close to that pace for 1/2 the distance (that'd be 2 miles) on a track, people respond. That makes no one a frustrated loser but you for making such a dumb post. Are you like 13 years old?

Here's the link for proof.

http://www.howtobefit.com/gerry-lindgren.htm

The link, combined with the video that someone so kindly posted, should help. If not, seek help immediately or quit running and move onto a sport you can understand.

GL: When I first got to college, there was a war going on between the NCAA and AAU. They had been at it for over 50 years. Because I was not running for myself, I could easily stand up to all the powers that be who hurt running by their abuse of power. I HAD to take a stand. The NCAA threatened me so strongly I was scared to death. But I knew I had to break their boycott or athletes would be stopped from competing for another 50 years. I was honored to give up my life for such a worthy cause.

I really like this quote from thr RW interview. Especially the last line, he is talking like he wants a purple heart or something.

Yes, I believe it was the Trail's End Marathon. Runner's World had a short-lived newsletter called Racing Report which covered the race and their story said that Lindgren was on world record pace for much of the race. I don't believe they mentioned a 2 hour pace but I've not read the story in decades.

And I absolutely believe you. I even believe that he could have been running sub 2:08:33 pace at 13.1 or further. But a 2 hour marathon pace even at halfway, absolutely not! If it was a certified course and flat as a pancake, Gerry could still not have hit 13.1 in 1 hour flat or anywhere realistically close to that time and continue running at the same pace for another 11 plus miles, or 13 in the case of his second marathon. Didn't happen. But boy I sure do wish you could dig that story up. Good day HRE!

Why are you taking this so seriously? No one who knows anything about running, with the POSSIBLE exception of Gerry himself, believes that he really ran 16:08 for four miles or sub-2:00 marathon pace for 24 miles or 26 miles.

Gerry is hilarious. Maybe he's crazy; maybe he's not. But he's one of the great characters of this sport. Enjoy him while he's still alive and kicking.

Great Post Avacados Number! I enjoy reviewing what I know Gerry Lindgren has run and ignore the other phantom stuff. His 13:44 at 18 in his first 5,000 meter race, race that was a "Classic", was a superb run. He led much of the way and went through the 3 mile marker 19.6 seconds under his best. 3 athletes bettered Bruce Kidd's Open American record of 13:43.8; 3 US Citizens, including Gerry, bettered Jim Beatty's US National record of 13:45.0; ten of the eleven runners ran their best times, Gerry became the 13th best performer ever by running the 19 best performance. For a high school novice that is racing!

By the way he also broke Danny Murphy's 1961 high school record by 80.6 seconds and became the first high school runner to break 15 and 14 minutes for 5,000 meters.

Genius? That's a good one. Actually, if you read and listen to him, he exhibits all of the hallmark traits of paranoid schizophrenia. He is truly mentally ill.

For the record, I'm not saying he was on a 2 hour pace or that he wasn't and I don't think you're attributing wither statement to me but I want to be clear. I'm only chiming in to say that it was documented that he did once run in a documented marathon at a pace which would have given him the fastest time ever time (no WRs for the marathon then)for the distance. I have a pile of old Racing Reports somewhere. This may possibly get me to try to figure out exactly where "somewhere" is in this case.

...thank you Sir!

Problem lies in that these 'simpleton's' weren't even thought of by their parents to fully understand that hey, that there were actually life-like runner's back in the day that ran fast-on what's called a 'cinder track'!

Lindgren was one of them, as was a guy named Ron Clarke-27:39 10k, solo...

Gerry simply did run to the 'beat of a different drummer' back in the day and did run high volume miles and let his legs/running do the talking~

Isaac Newton wrote:

Genius? That's a good one. Actually, if you read and listen to him, he exhibits all of the hallmark traits of paranoid schizophrenia. He is truly mentally ill.

You clearly don't know the definition of the word genius. You probably don't even know the definition of the words "mentally ill." "Hallmark traits," hardly a term to be intelligently connoted with "paranoid schizophrenia" another term you clearly don't know the definition of.

Possibly you should not be allowed to play with words that you really do not know the actual meanings of. You know, just cos you heard them while watching TV, doesn't mean you know how to assess or apply them with accuracy.

Now I wonder what psych term you would mis-use to describe your own problems?

Who won this phantom race? Was it the Trails End Marathon and where are the results? Who was there to remember passing him at such a torrid pace? Where are the people who picked him up near the finish of his 2nd marathon after he passed out "after" hitting the 26 mile point? Where are these people who can verify the clock was under 2 hours at that point? Those people are in one place and one place only, the mind of Gerry Lindgren. Beyond that, they don't exist. Why didn't he run another one and jog it in 2:06?

I have a near photographic memory and I can picture the article in RW or T and F News regarding Gerry running the Trails End Marathon in 1971 +/-. He was wearing a vertically striped singlet and he ended up running 2:22.

This is a very good thread because it reminds us all of how amazing this guy was in his day. Big props to Orville for reminding us of the dual with Mike Ryan and Pre.

Of course he never ran 4:02 pace for a cross county race. I bet if he was pressed he would say he ran real fast..or that is was 4:02 pace the way the course was measured, meaning it was short. Who cares, he ran faster than most Americans could now. Keep it positive, the guy was clearly brilliant.

older guy.... wrote:

Who won this phantom race? Was it the Trails End Marathon and where are the results? Who was there to remember passing him at such a torrid pace? Where are the people who picked him up near the finish of his 2nd marathon after he passed out "after" hitting the 26 mile point? Where are these people who can verify the clock was under 2 hours at that point? Those people are in one place and one place only, the mind of Gerry Lindgren. Beyond that, they don't exist. Why didn't he run another one and jog it in 2:06?

I have a near photographic memory and I can picture the article in RW or T and F News regarding Gerry running the Trails End Marathon in 1971 +/-. He was wearing a vertically striped singlet and he ended up running 2:22.

What? Why are you bringing facts into this? I'm going to insult you as a runner and a human being, and then offer up some mumbo-jumbo about Lindgren being a positive person and a "character".

All true all true, great post! Listen the guy was sub 13 min for 3 mi in his day 1960's, flying!! Lindgren was a horse...