How have I never heard of Mark Croghan?

for the same reason henry marsh is rarely mentioned: no one really gives a shit about the steeple. that, and the fact that he ran during bob kennedy's heyday.

mark croghan was indeed a stud, though, (warning: name-dropping alert) and maybe one of the funniest dudes i've ever met...

Never heard of it before.

Arman Tanzarian wrote:

The guy was a baller in a pretty low time for US distance running. 8:09.76 PR several 8:10's 11's 12's etc. 5th in the Olympics and 5th and 6th in two world champs. Why isn't he talked about more?

Funny, he was my favorite runner back in the day.

Can I see Arman's copy of Swank?

Why? Because the 90's has taken such a brutal beating for being the low point in U.S. distance running. All who competed during this era are often thrown out the same window, regardless of international accolades or fast times. Everyone except for Bob Kennedy, that is. And even though the 90's was indeed a low point, it did have folks like Croghan, Williams, Kennedy, Gray, Holman, Everett, and this skinny, white 800 guy whose name I can't remember right now. Heck, the more I think about it, the 90's may have been one of the best decades for US 800 runners (behind the 80's by far though).

is that you mark?

Rich Kenah for the 800

Because he wasn't a high mileage runner.

It's the steeple chase.

The event doesn't get discussed much.

I am surprised Moses Kiptanui doesn't get discussed much and he held the world record in the steeple chase (first under 8), open 3000 and the 5000.

On the other hand, Henry Rono does get discussed a lot.

Also, Croghan never got Marsh's American record.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people say that Kennedy and Williams carried American distance running in the '90s without also mentioning Croghan. The guy was awesome and mixed it up as much as Kennedy and better then Williams.

Kennedy, Croghan, and Williams were all Olympians in their respective events, very inspirational to my generation of runners, and the lone bright spots in an era otherwise devoid of depth. I believe Kennedy and Croghan were both Olympic finalists. Amazing to think that Kennedy ran 12:58 back then (the amazing Said Aouita took forever to dip under the fabled 13:00 mark), and that time is still well respected some 15 years later, with a very few Americans running a tiny bit faster. Along with Lincoln's 8:08, Croghan's 8:09 still holds its merit against any of the current crop of contemporary steeplers.

Quite possibly because Mark is one of the humblest guys you'd ever want to meet and doesn't toot his own horn. He's about family and not about promoting himself. I'm proud that he coaches at my Alma Mater and isn't looking over the horizon to the greener grass in other pastures.

He's really a great guy to be around!

Go Kent State!

How have I never heard of Mark Croghan?

Because his real name is Seymour Skinner?

I remember seeing Mark Croghan at the '96 trials with a friend of mine. He was doing strides and looked really focused and then my friend and I yelled out,"WE LOVE YOU MARK!" He had his head down as he attempted to stay focused, but then he started to laugh. Aah good times.

mark is one of the nicest guys you'll meet

I'm happy to see some people getting the Simpson's reference. Looks like a have a new favorite runner, a humble, bad ass steeple who doesn't get the recognition he deserves.

The most amazing thing is, as far as I can tell, his diet has and always will consist of sweet-tarts, chocolate milk, mini pops, and any other junk food you can get at a gas station.

Anyone know why Croghan left coaching at his alma mater, during which time Robert Gary became an All-American himself, to essentially take the same job at Kent State? He'd probably be head XC/track coach at OSU now, unless there were politics, which there always are.