For my money, the best are Toni Reavis and Ron Pickering. As for Reavis, his calls are so great.
"The look behind he just gave was not a scared look...that was a goodbye kid look"
1995 Bloomsday 12K
I love Pickering calling Moorcroft's world record...so excited that he didn't realize he was going to shatter the world record until the final stretch. He's talking about Moorcroft possibly breaking Brendan Foster's European Record most of the race. I love that he was so excited he didn't even realize what he was seeing! A true fan calling a truly marvelous race.
The worst has to be Larry Rawson. Every time I hear him say, "the runners are in Indian file..." Really? It's SINGLE FILE Larry. We all know you lines. Stop with the leg turnover, local high school track, your steeplechase history, blah blah blah. I expect more from someone that has been calling races since the late 70s.
If all these guys would listen to Liggett and Sherwen's tour calls, commentating would be a better place.
Great thread idea original poster