Rick Wohlhuter wrote:
I read and appreciate all the comments posted. Hopefully I spelled my name correctly, but anything close is fine. There were many great runners competing during my career (mid '70s) that likely you will never see on this site. ...(Lots of Great Stuff)... Good running to all!
Wow! The real Rick Wohlhuter!
Thanks for sharing that.
- Highest Regards
it is awesome to occasionally see one of the greats come on here, dispel all the b.s. and give us an account of how it really was. Thanks, Rick Wohlhuter!
If I were an 800m runner, I would be doing a lot more short rest fast intervals in his style. Cram (1:42.88 over Cruz and a high 2:12 in windy conditions) wouldn't do as low mileage or quite as fast intervals, but he would do a lot of race pace intervals on short rest, 15 seconds per 100m run. So, that would be just 30 seconds rest on 200 intervals, which he would probably do at 25-26, and 60 seconds rest on 400 intervals in 57 (training for the mile) or presumably 51-52 before an 800 race.
I hope Rick is still reading.
My brother had Rick W. pictures all over his walls in his room. There were several pictures of Rick in his white singlet that said Chicago in black letters with red trim. Pictures of Rick on the curve with his feet way off the ground, sprinting. Pictures of Rick breaking the tape to win the race. I don't know where he got these pictures from--there weren't many running publications in those days.
He also had a few pictures of Prefontaine and one of UNC's Tony Waldrop. But it was Rick W. all the way with him.
A couple years later, my brother became a state champion.
Surprised people do not know Rick Wohluter. He was the dominant 800 meter runner in the mid 70's. I think students of the sport need to study the other eras. Even though I never saw these guys run, I know about Mal Whitfield, John Corbett even Ted Meredith etc. Anyway, I ran in the race where Rick tied the American record for the 800 m 1:43.9 I got fourth in a PR 1:46.00 at the time for me, but obviously Rick was way ahead. Even though that time tied the American Record, his world record for the 880 was emperically faster, converted to a 143:5.
Very underestimated!
This is what I wrote about him last week on a Steve Ovett website.
Wohlhuter was a very underestimated runner. His 1000m time is still in the all time top 10 and remains the US record. It's a shame his best 2 seasons, '73/74, fell between Olympics. If the Americans ran 800m races rather than 880yds, he would have been a 3 x world record breaker.
In 73, he ran an 880 in 1:44.6, which was worth 1:44.0 for 800m. The WR at time was 1:44.3 shared between Snell and Wottle. But like Ryun's 1:44.9. 880 in 66, the Americans didn't take an official time at 800m, so the record couldn't stand for 800m. The same thing happened in 74, when Wohlhuter ran a half mile in 1:44.1, an intrinsically superior run to the then WR of Fiasconaro's 1:43.7. In fact Wohlhuter's run would be equivalent to the 1:43.5 that Juantorena ran in Montreal. Shame the Americans didn't take metric more seriously!
Surely Rick Wohlhuter wasn't too disappointed that the majority of the posters here couldn't spell his name correctly.
Indeed - he himself couldn't spell the names of both athletes who have beaten him in his most important race correctly!!
So, some difficult 800m-podium 1976 in Montreal...
What a great thread! I can't remember if it was feb of 72 or 73 but one of my high school teammates who was a solid 800 runner dragged me to an all-comers meet on the old clay track at the univ of chicago. That was just such a great environment. We ran our slower heats in our races and then rick was to run in the fast heat of the 880. No special treatment whatsoever from coach hayden. I think there were at least 12 if not more guys in his heat. Rick did not get out very well but patiently worked his way to the front by the 400m mark and then easily pulled away for the win in 147 or low 148 (i plead ignorance) i just remember he was flyin on a relatively slow track. I was a huge fan forever after that and later had his olympic poster up in my dorm room. Lots to learn from these old pros
Mark Robinson wrote:
Surprised people do not know Rick Wohluter. He was the dominant 800 meter runner in the mid 70's. I think students of the sport need to study the other eras. Even though I never saw these guys run, I know about Mal Whitfield, John Corbett even Ted Meredith etc. Anyway, I ran in the race where Rick tied the American record for the 800 m 1:43.9 I got fourth in a PR 1:46.00 at the time for me, but obviously Rick was way ahead. Even though that time tied the American Record, his world record for the 880 was emperically faster, converted to a 143:5.
Is the THE Mark Robinson of Catholic U. and DC Striders?
I know I am going backwards in this threada bit, but one another amazing fact about Rick Wohlhuter is that as far as I know, he is still The American Record holder in the 1000, from 1974. I have a picture of running in the same race as Rick at Drake stadium at UCLA. He is finishing first and myself and the rest of the field are out of focus way back. It is John Walker, James Robinson, myself Bryon Dyce and others. I actually ran a great race for me that day at 1:46.00 got smoked so bad by Wohluter that I am hardly distinguishable. What a great great runner. I may have worked against myself in trying to figure out how to get closer to him in races, because I was honestly just in awe of him. Kind of decided rightly or wrongly that the gap from being very good to great was too big of one to cross. Then I see Juantorena able to hold off Rick in Montreal while also winning the 400 and I am thinking this is a type of running of which I am not familiar. Lol.
Rick Wohlhuter wrote:
I read and appreciate all the comments posted. Hopefully I spelled my name correctly, but anything close is fine. There were many great runners competing during my career (mid '70s) that likely you will never see on this site. For me, time and the fact that other runners have surpassed my efforts diminishes my accomplishments. If I had won a gold medal, a few more people would remember me.
Let me speak to my experience racing in the '76 Olympic Games, particularly the 800 meters. When I competed in the Games, I was a very experienced runner. I had run against the world's best numerous times and developed an effective stategic and tactical approach to racing realizing that each race has its own ebb and flow. I believe the first real race in the Games is the semi final(certainly, do not take the first round for granted.) By this stage all the so-so runners have been eliminated leaving the best all sriving furiously to make the final. To say the least, competition is keen! My stategy is simple; stay in contention near the front of the race and finish in one of the two quaranteed spots. Too often, many good runners stay too far off the pace and end up not qualifying for the final especially when the race is slow. How disappointing for them. In other words, you must treat the semi like it is the final or there will be no final. Of course, your semi time will be fast expending more energy, but that is better than being well rested while watching the final from the stands. All of the above is the same for the 1500, my other event. By the time I made the 1500 final, I had run six races in seven days. Moreover, I was tired and consequently not really a contender for a medal. However, I still made the final.
OK, let's look at the 800 final, step-by-step from my vantage point. Like most Olympic events, everyone knows who likely will get a medal; we actually run the race to determine who gets which medal. For the first time in Olympic history we ran the initial 300 meters in lanes. For me, I saw neither an advantage nor disadvantge in this. It did mean that no one would be bumped or shoved early in the race. This is a good thing. I had the fastest time in the semis so I was given the middle lane. Alberto Juanterano was outside of me. Also a good thing; I could keep an eye on him. Lining up to start the race is a stressful time so you have to control it or it will consume you. After all, there are 80,000 fans in the stadium and a few hundred million viewing on TV. I knew the race would be fast; I was hoping to win, of course, but also in an Olympic and world record time. Hey, you have to have goals in mind! We are off. Stress is gone, now time to go to work. At 300 meters out, where we broke for the inside, Juanterano took the lead, It was clear to me at that point he was going to run the race from the front. Seemed OK to me. All I had to do was slide in just behind or off his shoulder and let him do the pacing. At 400 meters, another runner temporarily took the lead. OK as long as no one else moves up too. I looked up at the stadium clock to get my 400 spit, 50 point. Great, looks like we will have fast race. So far all to plan. Going up the back stretch past 500 meters to 600 meters the pace was very quick, maybe a little too quick over that hundred meters. I was in second place going into and around the final turn. Felt good so far so I decided to move up a bit and challenge Juanterano. Nothing like a little pressure on your competitors. Suprisingly, he held me off as I wanted to pass him coming out of the final turn. Never hurts during the late stage of a race to have all your competitors behind you. But Juanterano held his pace. With some 50 yards or so to go all I could do is hold my form and see if he fades. Unfortunately for me, he ran strong through the finish and I being spent, ended up third. Ivo VanDame pasted me at the very end for silver before I could react to him. But all-in-all it was a great race, one of the best ever over 800 meters. Looking back today, I would not have done anything differently. Most importantly, I followed my plan (it was a good one) -- kept in contention giving myself a chance to win and went for the gold.
There is on bit of confusion regarding a 4X400 workout of mine. My intent was to run each 400 meters a little faster than the previous one with a short rest betwen. I would start with about 52 seconds and end with the last at about 49 point. The confusion is with the rest between each interval. I attempted to rest about 45-50 seconds, atleast less than 60 seconds. Not 20 seconds!! This work out is not too hard for the fist two or even three 400s. But by the fourth one, it is a bear. I remember attempting this work out perhaps once or twice because it is very hard to get all the way through and I didn't want to become injured. As a side note, I build my career largely on short-rest interval work, that is why I came up with this workout. Good running to all!
Rick pushes El Caballo:
https://fotos.subefotos.com/78b18cba84bf0afb27506618e4018ea1o.jpgYes. But ~1.39 was never a possibility for Kipkurgo. Nor I. Only Jimbo.
Maybe your just too young, or not a real track/middle distance buff.
Rick Wolhuter was one of America’s (USA) best middle distance runners of his time/my time(lol). He had to run against the great Alberto Juantorena of Cuba (400 & 800 gold) in the 1972 Olympic 800 final yet he still got the bronze.
I thought his records were in the 880, not the 800.
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