I'm going to be in Wichita for work this week and would like to check out the track where Jim Ryun broke 4:00 in high school. I understand he did this twice... 3:59.0 as a junior, and then 3:58.3 as a senior at the state meet.
Does anyone know where each of these races was run?
Thanks
Wichita State.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inQMlhR9r_w
1962-63 15 year old sophomore
- 5:38 mile time trial
- 11:51 2 mile XC first time trial
- 11:23 4th is first JV race
- won the next JV race
- 10:36 in first varsity race, eventually becoming Wichita East's top runner
- 6th at State meet, leading the team to victory.
- 4:40 self-timed time trial during the winter of his sophomore year
- 4:32.2 loses his first mile race by 0.2 to defending State champ Charles Harper
- 4:26.5 down 15 meters with 100 to go, Ryun digs deep and finds that kick of his, winning his first mile over Harper.
- 4:21.7 leads from gun to tape for win #2
- 4:21.3 wins again, runs first 880, a leg of winning 2mi relay team
age 16
- wins another mile
- 4:16.2 wins state meet
- 4:08.2 MVAAU loses to college runner, doubles back with 1:54.5 880 (5th)
- 1:53.6 5th again, behind four college kids
- 4:07.8 USTFF 6th to college kids
during the Summer he ran 5 miles every day at 5:30am. The harder he worked, the more talented he became. Will YOU run 5 miles at 5:30 am this Summer? Will you?
1963-64 Junior year 16 years old
- Undefeated in cross country
- 4 mile AAU XC meet against college runners he finished 3rd
- indoor meet at Cow Palace (SF) Lindgren in race. Ryun stumbles off track then finishes well back in 9:22.6
age 17
- 4:06.4 wins state meet in national hs record time.
- 4:01.7 3rd in Modesto behind Burleson and O'Hara
- 3:59.0 8th in Compton, first ime that 8 runner had broken 4:00 in the same race, and the first time a hs kid broke 4:00.
- 1:50.3 5th in open competition
- 9:06.5 in KS allcomers
- 3:39.0 4th at AAU 1500m
- 3:46.1 4th NY Randalls Island OT
- 3:41.9 3rd LA Olympic Trials
- 3:44.4 4th Tokyo heats
- 3:55 DFL Tokyo semi
1964-65 senior year 17 years old
- 4:07.2 State Indoor meet
- 4:04.4 Wichita East Invite
- 4:02.0 Hutchichson Invite
age 18
- 3:58.3 State meet win, first and only sub 4:00 in all hs competition
- 3:58.1 1st California Relays
- 3:56.8 Modesto 3rd behind Snell and Grelle
- 4:04.3 Golden West HS 1st
- 9:04 Golden West HS 1st
- 3:55.3 1st San Diego American Record, defeats Snell
- 3:40.4 2nd US/USSR dual meet
- 3:49.9 1st US/Poland dual meet
- 3:41.6 1st US/Germany
thanks. you never hear about his 3:39 junior year!
The venue was Veterans Field. It was razed in 1969 and Cessna Stadium now stands at that location.
He was one of the great American milers, but lasted no near as long as Steve Scott, who even posted a 3:35 at 35 years of age.
Many said he would have been the first to post a sub 4:00 mile at 40 until Cancer slowed him down.
malmo wrote:
- 3:58.3 State meet win, first and only sub 4:00 in all hs competition
I know people at letsrun hate him but Lukas V did it last year.
King Kong 1933 wrote:
Many said he would have been the first to post a sub 4:00 mile at 40
Ah! That marvelous distinction belongs to Eamonn Coghlan.
come at me BRO wrote:
I know people at letsrun hate him but Lukas V did it last year.
Malmo was just copy and pasting an old post.
Nonetheless... we can still say that it was the only sub 4 mile in high school only competition without a rabbit. Jim led every step of the way....without anyone to push him....and ran on a cinder track....and still ran faster than Lukas did!
Didn't Ryun have a fellow teammate (mike something?) take out the first 880 hard? Not 100% sure if he "led every step of the way". Drew? Ned?
I beat drew at words w friends wrote:
Didn't Ryun have a fellow teammate (mike something?) take out the first 880 hard? Not 100% sure if he "led every step of the way". Drew? Ned?
Nope
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaGDIKoh-g8Ryun was his own pacer, he led every step of the way just as he did in his 3:51.1 world record on a cinder track with massive negative split! Ryun was the man!
I beat drew at words w friends wrote:to t
Didn't Ryun have a fellow teammate (mike something?) take out the first 880 hard? Not 100% sure if he "led every step of the way". Drew? Ned?
No. I posted a link to a video of his race.
Watch the video of the race....Ryun lead the whole way. His team mate was trying to push the pace from behind, or better put, was trying to keep up with him for the first 880y.
Great run.
malmo wrote:
1962-63 15 year old sophomore
- 5:38 mile time trial
- 11:51 2 mile XC first time trial
- 11:23 4th is first JV race
- won the next JV race
- 10:36 in first varsity race, eventually becoming Wichita East's top runner
- 6th at State meet, leading the team to victory.
- 4:40 self-timed time trial during the winter of his sophomore year
- 4:32.2 loses his first mile race by 0.2 to defending State champ Charles Harper
- 4:26.5 down 15 meters with 100 to go, Ryun digs deep and finds that kick of his, winning his first mile over Harper.
- 4:21.7 leads from gun to tape for win #2
- 4:21.3 wins again, runs first 880, a leg of winning 2mi relay team
age 16
- wins another mile
- 4:16.2 wins state meet
- 4:08.2 MVAAU loses to college runner, doubles back with 1:54.5 880 (5th)
- 1:53.6 5th again, behind four college kids
- 4:07.8 USTFF 6th to college kids
In reference to the 4:40 time, there was a team time trial where Ryun ran 4:49, the week before the invitational.
I saw the Southeast Invitational where Charlie Harper lost to Merle Gray the year before, 4:46 to 4:49. Gray looked very strong. Harper later in the season ran a series of 4:30 miles, and was picked to get 3rd at the state meet to John Lawson and Gene Mclain, but followed them along and outkicked them in the last 50 years. There was a big photo of the finish in the Wichita paper. It was a "shocker" the following year to see this 10th grader almost beat Harper, the defending state champion, then of course he didn't lose a race in Kansas after that.
The summer after his 10th grade track season, Ryun and a teammate ran and walked to win a 50 mile challenge.
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