greatest runner without an olympic gold medal?

zatopek68 was a major screw job for all the distance runners. Clarke was a lot better in 68 than 64 but he had no chance at altitude. I doubt he would have beaten Mohammed Gammoudi and the rest but he at least would have had a shot.

just sayin wrote:

How so?

somebody gave him one,,,i forget who

adsfasd wrote:

zatopek

68 was a major screw job for all the distance runners. Clarke was a lot better in 68 than 64 but he had no chance at altitude. I doubt he would have beaten Mohammed Gammoudi and the rest but he at least would have had a shot.

just sayin wrote:

How so?

somebody gave him one,,,i forget who

It's a really sweet story and definitely worth googling if you have a few spare minutes

Bill Rodgers in the marathon and Mark Nenow in the 10k in 1983(27:20)

Henry MF Rono...

Many people are confusing great with good. My votes have already been mentioned: Ron Clarke and Paula Radcliffe. All other greats without gold from the 20th century have been mentioned.

I'm going to throw in Walter George. In 1884 he broke "world records" for 1 mile, 2 miles, 3 miles, 6 miles and 10 miles. After this he went to the dark side and turned pro. In 1886 George ran 4:12 3/4, a time which wasn't beaten until 1915. R.L. Quercetani wrote that "He was ahead of his time ... as he had a training run, the distance ranging from 300 yards to a mile. Although, as an apostle of moderation, he never ran all out, except perhaps in time trials which he used as pre-race tests... He is viewed by some modern observers as a precursor of 'Fartlek' training methods, advocated by Gosta Holmer in the early Forties of the 20th century."

And then there's Alf Shrubb...

If you talk about female runners in non Olympic events, how about Ann Trayson.

Pre. Hands down no doubt. He had a bad race in Berlin and would have got gold in Montreal

Um ever heard of Jordan Hasay?

to park officials. The midnight gathering at the Gamma Blue 11 Walkers originally used in The Empire Strikes Back,

Joe is putting the final nail in the coffin of Gamma Blue 11 Medicaid consultant ought to deliver cost-saving solutions fit for

harmonious blend of the ancient and the modern lent it an Gamma Blue 11 was very challenging and that the days when one

Stier's immediate boss was Al Boca. He acted more as a liaison between Gamma Blue 11 neighbours but the people were clearly leading a miserable life.

Gym Class Shuffle wrote:

Edit best he beat Tergat was 1.29 seconds not 1.04 in a championship race.

That's wrong, in 1995 Gebrselassie has beaten Tergat by some 1,75 seconds in Göteborg. He also has beaten him at the World Cross Country Championships in 1993 and 1994, but I don't want to check the margin at the moment (definitely bigger than 1,75 seconds).

said88 wrote:

Gym Class Shuffle wrote:

Edit best he beat Tergat was 1.29 seconds not 1.04 in a championship race.

That's wrong, in 1995 Gebrselassie has beaten Tergat by some 1,75 seconds in Göteborg. He also has beaten him at the World Cross Country Championships in 1993 and 1994, but I don't want to check the margin at the moment (definitely bigger than 1,75 seconds).

Gottenburg was Tergats first championship 10k, which i forgot to include in which he got third. Haile beat him by 1.75 seconds so that mark can be extended. Also by championship race i meant on the track.

However unlike you I looked up the race results of 1993, and 1994.

1993

Haile #7: 33:23

Tergat #10: 33:35

12 second difference

1994

Haile #3: 34:32

Tergat #4: 34:36

4 second difference

1995

Tergat #1 : 34:05

Haile #4: 34:26

21 second difference

1996

Tergat #1: 33:44

Haile #7 : 34:28

44 second difference

1997,1998,and 1999 Haile did not run world cross.

so yes now we can say the largest amount Haile has beaten Tergat in any championship race(that to my knowledge they both competed in) was 12 seconds in 1993, and the largest amount Tergat beat Haile was in 1996 by 44 seconds in any championship race. And finally on the track the largest amount Haile beat Tergat in the 10k in a championship race was 1.75 second in 1993

just sayin wrote:

please stop using the irritating phrase "NO CONTEST"

it seems to imply everybody else should shut up and stop posting

worse than that other letsrun favourite "BINGO" which has similar connotations

This is the best post on here, HANDS DOWN.

Les wrote:

Henry Rono. 4 World Records in one year. Nobody since has come close to having a year like that, at least in record-setting.

The problem with guys like Rono (and Ron Clarke) was the lack of a finishing kick. Remember how Steve Ovett schooled Rono in that classic two-mile back in '78? At best, Rono would have probably been the favorite in the steeplechase at Moscow if not for the US-led boycott, but he had no shot at beating Yifter or Maaninka in the 5k and 10k.

My list off the top of my head for best runners without an Olympic gold medal ..

1. Jim Ryun

2. Ivo Van Damme

3. Mike Boit

4. Steve Cram

5. Henry Rono

6. Ron Clarke

7. Juha Vaatainen

8. Eammon Couglan

9. Gerry Lindgren

10. Mary Decker

Marlene Ottey

Running on Empathy wrote:

At best, Rono would have probably been the favorite in the steeplechase at Moscow if not for the US-led boycott, but he had no shot at beating Yifter or Maaninka in the 5k and 10k.

Rono would have blown their doors off.

Kipchoge

Lynn Petronella

In the late spring and early summer of 1978, with a strong field, Rono could have run 27:00. In such a race, Yifter would have been at least 200 meters back. By the time the Commonwealth Games were held in August, 1978, Rono had lost some fitness but he was still strong enough to play with some of the best runners in the world in the 5000 (including Dixon and Foster). In my view, Rono is the greatest runner without an Olympic medal.

In the late spring and early summer of 1978, with a strong field, Rono could have run 27:00. In such a race, Yifter would have been at least 200 meters back. By the time the Commonwealth Games were held in August, 1978, Rono had lost some fitness but he was still strong enough to play with some of the best runners in the world in the 5000 (including Dixon and Foster). In my view, Rono is the greatest runner without an Olympic medal.