Pretty cool: In 1964, Jim Alder was alternate for Tokyo Olympics - He went out and ran 2 hr WR to blow off steam

xvnbd wrote:

2:45 track WR holder wrote:

Kind of interesting article, but it seems a bit silly to talk about how the record still stands. Of course it does. It is probably literally never contested.

Probably literally?

Yes, probably literally. As in, the 2-hour run is literally never contested any more. But I'm not 100% sure of that, so I say it is "probably literally never contested". Is that so difficult?

dgwergw wrote:

c*mming bricks wrote:

Ritz would have probably went for it if he hadn't made the 10k team in 2012..

His legs would have exploded though.

It's "would have probably gone".

Your welcome.

.....because I know you're the same guy that made this response, too. Just thought I'd point out that you wrote "your welcome" instead of "you're welcome". So the lesson is, be sure to remember: it's fun to bust people's chops on grammar, but then if you f*ck up your own grammar, you look like a real c*nt.

David Graham wrote:

I, too, had not heard of the 200m World Best hurdle time - 22.5! Most impressive. That would be a record worth attacking for today´s 110m or 400m hurdle specialists.

State of Iowa runs this in middle school. It's 4 barriers on the markings for the 400m hurdles. Boys 8th grade "state meet" record is 25.71. That boy went on to take 3rd in the high school meet his senior year in the 400H. Girls 8th grade record is 25.39. She went on to win just about every race she ever ran. Her best Open 200m time was 24.48.

Obviously, the hurdle height is different, but 22.5 is soft.

There was an interview with Jim Alder along with his training at the link below, but it has disappeared. If anyone has a new link, please post it.

http://www.runnerslife.co.uk/guest-runners/jim-alder-mbe

pv runner wrote:

HRE wrote:

British distance runners seem to have a penchant for writing autobiographies. In addition to the four you mention here, Charlie Spedding, Don MacGregor, John Tarrant, Roy Fowler, Stan Eldon, and Arthur Keilly all have autobiographies out. Some of the latter names are probably recognizable to a fairly limited audience now.

And Paula Radcilffe (though less obscure than the others). And on the more obscure end, don't leave out the Irish:

"Irish Marathon Legends"—by Noel Henry (great title)

"From Boghall to Bethlehem and Beyond: The Bertie Messitt Story"

Thanks for the tip on these bios. I already have the bios for Alder, Hill (1 and 2), Adcocks, Hogan, Spedding, Tarrant (the newish Bio -- not his autobiography), and Keilly. I would also recommend "Plimsolls On, Eyeballs Out" (Jim Peters biography). I am currently reading "British Marathon Legends of the 1980's" which is a collection of Q&A's with British Marathoners from the author's work toward a thesis on the decline of marathoning in Britain.

I knew there was a book about Peters but I was only listing autobiographies and didn't know if his was a bio or autobio. The same is true for Brendan Foster. I also have the British Marathon Legends book and enjoyed it.

2:45 track WR holder wrote:

dgwergw wrote:

It's "would have probably gone".

Your welcome.

.....because I know you're the same guy that made this response, too. Just thought I'd point out that you wrote "your welcome" instead of "you're welcome". So the lesson is, be sure to remember: it's fun to bust people's chops on grammar, but then if you f*ck up your own grammar, you look like a real c*nt.

You're missing the point. His "your" was on purpose. You must be new here.

My fav part is how he slowed down to the yell at the two "brickies" who were slacking off watching him run. Can you imagine someone doing that now?

They don't make people like this anymore. Hard working at running and a job. No excuses. Now the equivalent article would be some spoiled athlete whining about losing lottery funding and how they really want to be a DJ in Ibiza. What they really want is a "job" that's as easy as possible so they can drink and party. It shows.