My candidates are Webb's high school record at Hayward Field, Bob Kennedy at Big Ten XC or Rupp's medal in London.
Kennedy looked god-like when I saw him up close as a high schooler and Webb's race was historic but I've got to go with Rupp for medaling in the big stage.
From the perspective of someone who has never been to a big meet:
so cal cush running 3:42 or 3:43 1500 at UCLA Drake Stadium in dual or tri meet? Only ~4:00 mile equivalent that I have seen in person.
Jason Balkman winning Footlocker West Regionals.
Daniel Sikiric running 1:52 solo 800 in a high school meet.
Daniel Sikiric winning CA State XC meet over Michael Stember.
MJ's first 200m WR @ Atlanta Trials.
Webb's high school record at Hayward Field
Webb making the OT in 2004, crushing the field.
Probably seeing Steve Lewis win the 100/200/400 at a track invite in dominating fasion. Man amongst boys, and about two years later he was winning 400 gold in Seoul.
I went to see my dad run NYC in 1983 and I was at the park when Dixon passed Smith in the legendary finish. It was intense and I have been watching races ever since.
Pro...
2012 Olympic Trials, women's 5000 final. Julia Lucas just missing Olympic spot to Kim Conley.
College...
Jimmy Wyner getting DQ'd at Outdoor Heps in 2009 (I think?) and almost getting DQ'd in indoors was pretty memorable.
HS...
Any NY State Section II alum on here will appreciate the 4x8 at State Quals in 2006. Great battle to qualify; something like 8 teams sub-8. Winner was 7:4x.
1. Eaton's 1500m at the Trials this year. I still get goosebumps thinking about that.
2. Seeing Rupp hold off Lagat for the first time ever at the Trials this year was pretty cool too despite the fact that I cant stand Rupp.
3. Verzbicas's sub 4 at the Adidas Grand Prix two years ago.
Saturday 4th August.
Rutherford, Ennis & Farah, 3 golds in 46 mins.
As a Brit, that was pretty special.
1996 19.32
i saw every one of the 18 medals that so cal kids won in person in london this past summer. my wife and i cried every day. it was the most fantastic meet ever. we're so happy and proud to have officiated thoudsands of meets and marathons in los angeles all these decades.
There are two. First was watching Pre run a fast ladder workout early in '73 and the second was watching Paul Stemmer and Charlie McMullen team up against Dick Buerkle and Craig Holm in a 10 mile two man relay. Charlie's brother, Tim and I got lapped and we averaged something like 71's I think. It was incredible. Paul and Charlie prevailed.
1. In 1994 at Harvard, Eamonn Coghlan becomes the first man over 40 to run a sub-four mile.
2. The epic 1999 Massachusetts high school indoor state meet 2-Mile with Franklyn Sanchez (8:49) coming from way behind to nip Andy Powell (8:50).
Many others involving kids I coached that mean a lot to me, but probably not to most here.
Joan Benoit (Samuelson) turning the corner after breaking away from Grete Waitz at the first women's Olympic Marathon in 1984. Unbelievable and courageous
1 - Rudy Chapa winning the 1978 NCAA 5000m
2 - Joan Benoit winning the 1984 marathon Trials so soon after knee surgery
In fall of 1984, I watched Mark Croghan and Scott Fry win individual boys state championships in Cross Country on the Ohio State course. Fry won in 14:50 which was crazy.
zzzz wrote:
From the perspective of someone who has never been to a big meet:
Jason Balkman winning Footlocker West Regionals.
Daniel Sikiric running 1:52 solo 800 in a high school meet.
Daniel Sikiric winning CA State XC meet over Michael Stember.
Damn, is that you, Sikiric? I was there for his 1:52--Top 8 in Los Gatos, right? 52/60 splits.
I was also in Balkman's western regional win, where he passed me 1000m or so into the race and i said, "C'mon, Balkman!"
But my most memorable moment was Usain Bolt's 9.58 at the 2008 World Champs in Berlin. I didn't qualify for the final and was watching from the second deck. :D
2008 NJ MOC Boys 3200. I've seen a lot of pro races in person but none top this one
Khalid Khannouchi setting a WR in the marathon Chicago 1999
2:05 ish
Diamond League Stockholm (DN Galan) 2010:
Watching Tyson Gay hand Usain Bolt his only loss of the season, and his last for a long time.
Same meet had four guys under 12:55 and six under 13:00 in the 5000 (including Solinsky in 12:55). Pretty sure Rupp dropped out of that race, although honestly it got hard to keep track of his DNS and DNF results back then.
I'll go with seeing the filming of the match race between Hethcliff "Combustible" Huxtable against Sanford B. "Tailwind" Turner in season 1 of The Cosby Show.
The episode was filmed during the Olympic Invitational Indoor meet in the Meadowlands. It was memorable in that it showed that track still mattered as a big time sport in 1984. Not only could New York annually support 3 big time indoor meets (between Millrose, Olympic Invite and TAC Nationals) with TV coverage, but the sport could actually be featured on the most popular TV show of the era.
Now only Millrose survives, and that as a shell of itself.
Now I am cranky. I'm going to chase some damn kids off my lawn.