Did "Pre" run against Shorter, Rogers, or Virgin? Is so...Who won?

Pre lost only two XC races, both to Gerry Lindgren.

Pre had 3 NCAA XC titles (the last of which was Virgins freshman year...5th or 6th for Craig as I recall) and 4 NCAA 3 mile/5k titles.

Three different questions.

Pre ran against Shorter in a track race on the last day of his life (and won), but I don't know if Pre ever ran against Shorter in cross-country. Shorter was the best cross-country runner in the U.S. those days, although a match-up against Pre would have been interesting.

I doubt that Pre ever ran against Rodgers. If he ever ran against Virgin, I assume that he won, but that would have been before Virgin became a truly world-class runner.

Rodgers was third in the world cross-country championships in 1975.

NCAA XC history:

http://espn.go.com/ncaa/almanac/mxc.html

interesting to hear that Rogers ran in the World XC championships...thanks

Maybe you could answer another question....how is it that Craig Virgin won the world XC championship (2x's) but never won the US XC championship? Did you have to qualified like today? If so...what place did Craig Virgin earn to get the World XC championships?

Nationals history. I don't recall Pre ever running. Don't think he'd have ever lost though.

1943 William Hulse

1944 James Rafferty

1945 Tom Quinn

1946 Robert Black

1947 Curt Stone

1948 Robert Black

1949 Fred Wilt

1950 Browning Ross

1951 Bill Ashenfelter

1952 Fred Wilt

1953 Fred Wilt

1954 Gordon McKenzie

1955 Horace Ashenfelter

1956 Horace Ashenfelter

1957 John Macy POL

1958 John Macy POL

1959 Al Lawrence AUS

1960 Al Lawrence AUS

1961 Bruce Kidd CAN

1962 Pete McArdle

1963 Bruce Kidd CAN

1964 Dave Ellis CAN

1965 Ron Larrieu

1966 Ron Larrieu

1967 Ken Moore

1968 John Mason

1969 Jack Bacheler

1970 Frank Shorter

1971 Frank Shorter

1972 Frank Shorter

1973 Frank Shorter

1974 John Ngeno KEN

1975 Greg Fredericks

1976 Ric Rojas

1977 Nick Rose GBR

1978 Greg Meyer

1979 Alberto Salazar

1980 Jon Sinclair

1981 Adrian Royle GBR

1982 Pat Porter

1983 Pat Porter

1984 Pat Porter

1985 Pat Porter

1986 Pat Porter

1987 Pat Porter

1988 Pat Porter

1989 Pat Porter

1990 Bob Kempainen

1991 Todd Williams

1992 Bob Kennedy

1993 Todd Williams

1994 Reuben Reina

1995 Brad Schlapak

1996 Reuben Reina

1997 Tim Hacker

1998 not held †

1999 Alan Culpepper

2000 Adam Goucher

2001 Mebrahtom Keflezighi

2002 Mebrahtom Keflezighi

2003 Alan Culpepper

2004 Bob Kennedy

2005 Dathan Ritzenhein

Did Pre ever race any of the three medalist that beat him in the Olympics in any other races? If so, how many times? and what was his record against them?

Illinoistrailrunner wrote:

interesting to hear that Rogers ran in the World XC championships...thanks

Maybe you could answer another question....how is it that Craig Virgin won the world XC championship (2x's) but never won the US XC championship? Did you have to qualified like today? If so...what place did Craig Virgin earn to get the World XC championships?

You qualified exactly the same way as today -- Winter Nationals. Virgin won both Winter Nationals the years he won worlds (then called "World XC Trials")

I don't recall Virgin ever running the Fall Nationals (except NCAA).

good to see you back malmo!

Virgin took 10th at 1973 NCAA's as a frosh.

He ran 13th (actually 12th if you listen to his version)at 1972 AAU cross-country, which Shorter won in snow. Virgin was a HS senior then.

Thanks....

a couple more questions please..

not to take anything away from "Pre's" 3 NCAA titles....but did Kenya or African's runners run during his three NCAA XC Championships?...if so...I am making a point for Craig Virgin. I have heard from some guys on my running club that if 26 year old Henry Rono (an some other older african runners) wasnt running in college Craig may of won 3 NCAA XC Championship races. Not to take anything away from Henry Rono but I would think that is the same a 22 year old still running in high school. When Craig Virgin was a Freshman in college he was only 17 years old?

do you know if there is any truth to any of this?

thanks again

he was 17 when he ran his 8:40.9 at the IPI meet

probably 18 as a frosh

you COULD do a Craig Virgin + born Google search

Rono didn't affect Virgin very much if I recall correctly. That's a long time ago.

back in 80 and 81 when CV won worlds, it was more euro dominated than african dominated.

world cc results are on IAAF world cc site--check it out

I have!

there is no resume' on Craig Virgin.....just stuff here and there....mostly accounts of his World XC, Charity events, and old road races.

some of the stuff I came up with..

only wins listed....between 1979 and 1981 he won very major road race at least once...Preachtree, Bay to Breakers, Falmouth, Cresent City etc.....

not counting his USA Trials wins, USA championships, XC Championships

You have been brainwashed wrote:

Did Pre ever race any of the three medalist that beat him in the Olympics in any other races? If so, how many times? and what was his record against them?

Yes. He was beaten by the bronze medalist on several occasions and never beat him once. I think it was like 0-4 versus Ian Stewart. Stewart actually laughs at how Nike has spun the Legend of Pre.

Craig Virgin

b. 2 August 1955

So he would've turned 18 just before entering college in the autumn of 1973.

twittering debutante wrote:

good to see you back malmo!

????? Back? Didn't go anywhere, that I'm aware of?

Twitdeb, Virgins birthday is a few days after mine. He didn't turn 18 until the Summer after his senior year.

I thought I remembered Virgin winning the xc trials selection race at Lane Community college in '79 or '80.

Defending champion Virgin was 3rd in 1976 NCAA xc to Rono, who ran 28;06 for 10,000m ... afterward, Craig said he did not think XC could be run so fast.

Malmo...you lived in Eugene for a bit...any thoughts about the aura of the town?

malmo wrote:

1982 Pat Porter

1983 Pat Porter

1984 Pat Porter

1985 Pat Porter

1986 Pat Porter

1987 Pat Porter

1988 Pat Porter

1989 Pat Porter

This looks fake or doctored it's so ridiculous.

A legend.