Why did Ryun quit during last lap of 1968 Olympic Trials final?

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Check this video out:

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=2282110

I've never seen a track besides this one and the Nike Campus track that has trees in the middle. I'm on the east coast, and every time I see a video like this I'm awestruck. Maybe someday I'll have the pleasure of running on one.

Was the track in that video near lake Tahoe? Does it still exist?

Yes, at Echo Summit fairly close to Tahoe. Doesn't exist anymore.

Considering Doubell equaled the world record in the Olympics I don't think Ryun would have SURELY beaten him.

From "The History of the Olympic Trials" by Richard Hymans:

Ryun, who had been suffering from mononucleosis throughout the summer, was on the outside in third place but gave up on the final curve when he realized his fitness and acceleration was deficient

Rock Opera wrote:

Was he already stale from a chronic lack of recovery between brutal workouts? Surely, the Ryun of 1967 would have beaten Ralph Doubell in Mexico City. Did his stellar high school career cost him an Olympic gold medal?

So why didn't Ryun run any 800's in 1967...or 1969-1971?

I can't think of any. Other than his 1966 WR half mile I can't think of many 800's that Ryun ever ran.

If he had more experience at 800 he surely would have made the 800 team for Munich (he finished 4th at 1972 trials).

How often did he run the 800/880 at NCAA champs?

Note: by 1972 (3rd Olympics) Jim Ryun was still only 25 - staggering statistic.

Ryun's performances at 1972 trials (including the 800) far surpassed anything else he had ever done IMHO...when you realise all he had been through.

Rock Opera wrote:Surely, the Ryun of 1967 would have beaten Ralph Doubell in Mexico City. Did his stellar high school career cost him an Olympic gold medal?

unfortunately, it wasn't the ryun of '67 who was going to mexico

as a kid in '67 he ran 1'44.3wr on a semi-synthetic track, with a prelim coupla hours earlier & -ve splits forced by illness ( he talks about it on youtube )

now, a semi-synthetic track is probably worth in the ballpark of 1s/race to a full synthetic - that gets him down to 1'43.3 in '66

factor in energy depletion from a prelim coupla hours before, illness & running worst -ve splits ever in a wr ( or elite calibre race ) & you've got to figure these were worth easily another 0.5s & maybe upto 1s

so, that '66 run has to be around ~ 1'42.3 - 1'42.8 on a synthethetic track, fully rested , not ill & semblance of +ve splits

then factor in that in '67 he was immensely stronger ( & i'm sure that woud filter to faster over 800 ) - he improved his 1500m time by ~ 3s ( & in reality probably lot more considering circumstances of that 3'33.1 )

the 1500 improvement had to be worth minimum of 1s better over 800 from '66 & more like 1.5s ( 1/2 of his 3s improvement over 1500 )

so his '67 range is probably :

1'40.8 - 1'41.8

my feeling is that he woud have been close to quicker end of range & probably about 1'41-flat shape in '67

the '67 ryun wouda blown that 800 field away

Hmm HS career or racing at altitude? I know which one I would pick for costing him a gold. How about justing calling it bad luck. If the olympics were in 66/67 he has a great chance at 2 golds.

Rock Opera wrote:

Was he already stale from a chronic lack of recovery between brutal workouts? Surely, the Ryun of 1967 would have beaten Ralph Doubell in Mexico City. Did his stellar high school career cost him an Olympic gold medal?

ventolin^3 wrote:

as a kid in '67 he ran 1'44.3wr

......

so his '67 range is probably : 1'40.8 - 1'41.8

Lol! Watch out David Rudisha, here comes a 1:44.3 guy out to get you!

ROFL.

You are the biggest bullshitter EVER. Utter nonsense from someone clearly deranged.

moron

posting under your 6th handle after

dean/grandslam/ukfa/middle distance/epodick...

find a flaw in the argument or otherwise f*** off back to crying in your sleep that coe hasn't held a wr for 11 years

I was a 1:56 half miler at my best, but using your logic I can probably claim I was really a sub 1:50 hale miler

South Tahoe Middle School had a state-of-the art track while it lasted.

As was pointed out Ryun was recovering from mono when he ran the Trials at Lake Tahoe. He hadn't run since the Big 8 championships in Boulder that May so he was not race fit. Although I would point out that he ran close to 50 flat in winning the 1500 at the Trials.

Ryun did run some 880 relay legs but he was a miler in Timmons eyes so that's pretty much what Jim stuck to.

As for being finished in 1972 at age 25 you've got to remember he was married with children and he couldn't support his family as an amateur. Jim was trained as a photographer by profession but the AAU refused to allow Ryun to take a good paying job with Sports Illustrated which Rich Clarkson had lined up for him because they believed he was only offered the job because he was "Jim Ryun." Jim was a first rate photographer having learned from Clarkson, one of the best photojournalists in the U.S. over the last 50 years.

Not Sure wrote:I was a 1:56 half miler at my best, but using your logic I can probably claim I was really a sub 1:50 hale miler

eh ?

ryun had a virtually unique set of mitigating circumstances ( try this for starters : 3s pb feeling ill with a prelim before & having to go out at a pedestrian pace because he felt unwell - that apply to you in your 1'56 ?? )

all of this + other mitigators, offer him possibility of 2.5 - 3.5s improvement, so where do you find your personal 6s+ ???

V3

What's your conversion of Ryun's 880yard 144.9 record to 800m

Do you know his 400m or 440y pr's

ventolin^3 wrote:

moron

posting under your 6th handle after

dean/grandslam/ukfa/middle distance/epodick...

find a flaw in the argument or otherwise f*** off back to crying in your sleep that coe hasn't held a wr for 11 years

What?

A paranoid idiot as well then. I don't know what your bitching about but I only use one handle. Go see your doctor because your in need of help.