All time High School Marathon List

I am quite sure that Chuck Smead and another Southern Cal HS runner were sub 2:30 in '68-69. Back in those days, many of the marathons in that area had HS team trophies.

Glenn

Dec 7, 1975, Culver City Marathon.

Overall place

11) Hunt - 2:24:04.

24) Hulst - 2:30:56.

January 10, 1976 - Mission Bay Marathon

Eric Hulst placed 13th, 2:27:25.

Hulst went through the first 10 miles of the San Diego race in a quick 53 minutes!

Glenn McCarthy wrote:

Back in those days, many of the marathons in that area had HS team trophies.

The HS team I coached won the overall 1978 Madison Marathon team title. It's the only trophy I have in my living room even though it's hidden behind pictures now.

The late 60's and 70's was the golden age of HS distance running as many HS runners were doing marathons.

I ran 2:23:04 in 1969. Also ran 2:29 that same year. Fred Ritcherson ran 2:27 also. Do not know any other sub-2:30 in that time period.

2:24:32 Tom O'Neil 1977

From:

http://jesuittrack.org/jesuitroadrecords.html

Does anyone remember a kid from San Jose CA Leigh High School..Soph who put in some 1500 miles over the summer and then another 500 in September..and after his So. XC season ran a marathon in the Bay Area, cant remember the race..but placed third over-all right behind Brian Maxwell and posted a 2:21 or 2:22. He didnt get credit for being a high school kid in that race because he had registered unattached..only realized this at the awards. Wish I could remember his name.

from High School Track, 1979

All-time Marathon list

2:23:05 Clancy Devery South Salem, Oregon 77

2:2:23:47 Mitch Kingery (sophomore) San Carlos, CA 73

2:24:06 Thom Hunt Henry HS, San Diego 75

2:24:32 Tom O’Neil Jesuit, Carmichael 77

2:25:16 Chuck Walker Prescott Ariz 71

2:25:26 Kirk Pfeffer Crawford, San Diego 74

2:27:05 Vito Perrone Glendale, Ariz 77

2:27:25 Eric Hulst Laguna Beach, 76

2:27:52 Ajim Baksh Hollywood 74

2:28:11 Mark Stevenson Palos Verdes 75

2:28:11 Robert Lopez Glendale, Ariz 76

2:28:22 Clayton Craig Eau Gallie, Fla 72

2:28:45 Jay Johnson Lakeville, Minn 77

2:29:30 Stuart Jenkins Principia, St. Louis 78

2:29:31 Chris Hughes Monte Vista, Spring Valley, Ca 76

Smead and Ritcherson's marks appear in the 1970 Annual but disappear beginning with the 1972 Annual. Wasn't the course's distance brought into question and hence their deletion?

Sage Canaday went 2:21 while still in high school.

My husband Stuart Jenkins was a high school senior in 1978 when he ran Boston in 2:29.37

He qualified for Olympic trials 5 years later in 2:19.00

robert planta ran low 2:30's i think 2:31 in the 9th grade.

Didn't Brad Hudson run 2:17 after his senior year? I guess that doesn't count but holy crap

Chuck Walker who is No 3 on list was in HS 1971-74 in Prescott Arizona. In 80 or 84 he came in 4th in the Olympic tryouts in Los Angeles

Wow, great thread! The comments like "A lot of high school kids ran marathons in those days..." certainly ring true with me. I am a decade or so younger than those in that 'Golden Age' but the culture of teenagers in road races including marathons was still strong in the late '70s and early '80s. I remember many of the names mentioned. They were some of the pros when I was a kid. Not all were known specifically as marathoners but apparently dabbled in it as teenagers, as did my peers and I a few years later.

Doing a marathon or 2 just seemed like a right of passage or an initiation into real distance running or something like that. I suspect some of the guys I went to high school with just went due to peer pressure. I remember my dad driving 4 of us to a marathon just like a dad might drive to baseball or soccer. It's funny that it's exactly the opposite now: strong pressure (peer, parental, coach, LRC MB, etc.) NOT to run one exists. Kind of a bummer from a fan perspective to see that today's youth doesn't do that kind of thing much anymore.... Anyway, great nostalgic topic!

No, he did not.

I think Fred Richardson or Ritchertson is the other one, 2:27 maybe?

I ran 2:34 as a 16 yr old Torrance High sophomore in 1973 Culver City Marathon. Was my 3rd and last marathon after Palos Verdes Marathon twice.

Palos Verdes was a tough one. As a 14 year old, I crawled my way to the finish and wasn't sure I would try another. Things did get better though.

Tierney Wolfgram - 2:40:03 marathon in October 2018 as a sophomore