WTF: Did this really happen? In 1981, the entire Ethiopian xc team kicked a lap too early at Worlds? Virgin won title

Considering it comes from a legit source, I would go out on a limb and say yes.

This YouTube video is pretty cool. It includes his 1980 / 1981 victories. His 1980 kick was pretty awesome! Thanks for asking it. I enjoyed learning about Craig. How can we get back to crowd support at the 1980 World Cross Country Championship? It was amazing to that many cheering a XC championship!

https://youtu.be/Ti1PP0aKCqg

Yeah, he was flying those last 200 meters!

BlackSwanGroup262 wrote:

This YouTube video is pretty cool.

INCREDIBLE VIDEO. Thanks so much for sharing. I've emailed and talked to Craig several times over the years but my goodness, I never fully appreciated what he did until I saw that. So great. I think I'll put it where the QOD normally appears next week to get US fans pumped for World XC.

Virgin,, way underrated.

crosscountry way underrated.

the purest sport of them all.

add cross country to diamond league. now.

"Oh what a tragedy for the Bristol boy. What a tragedy! "

US 10,000m Championship, meet record progression

mark / name / venue / meet / date / record

32:15.00 Fred Faller (USA) Cambridge, MA AAU Championship 17 Jul 1920

31:28.40 Joseph Ray (USA) Cambridge, MA AAU Championship 07 Jul 1928 NR

31:06.90 Donald Lash (USA) Princeton, NJ AAU Championship 03 Jul 1936 NR

31:05.70 Fred Wilt (USA) Fresno, CA AAU Championship 24 Jun 1949

30:33.40 Curtis Stone (USA) Long Beach, CA AAU Championship 20 Jun 1952 NR

30:11.40 Allan Lawrence (AUS) Bakersfield, CA AAU Championship 24 Jun 1960

30:11.00 Peter McArdle (USA) New Brunswick, NJ AAU Championship 27 Jun 1964

28:47.00 Tracy Smith (USA) Sacramento, CA AAU Championship 21 Jun 1968

28:08.00 Gregory Fredericks (USA) Seattle, WA AAU Championship 16 Jun 1972 NR

28:02.17 Frank Shorter (USA) Eugene, OR AAU Championship 21 Jun 1975

27:39.40 Craig Virgin (USA) Walnut, CA AAU Championship 17 Jun 1979 NR

27:36.49 Mebrahtom Keflezighi (USA) Sacramento, CA USA Championship 09 Jul 2004

27:25.33 Galen Rupp (USA) Eugene, OR USA Championship 22 Jun 2012

note: NR = national record

cheers.

worth reposting......Craig senior year of High School.....!!!!!!!!!!!!

Craig Virgin - 1973

Lebanon HS in Lebanon, IL

4/07 8:50.4 2 mile & 4:17 relay leg

4/24 8:55.6 & 4:16.6 St Clair County meet

4/28 8:59.0 Granite City Invite

5/02 9:24.2 O'Falon Relays

5/03 4:27.9 & 2:02.1 Conference meet

5/05 8:46.6 & 4:11.8 relay Orphan Relays

5/15 8:54.0 Cahokia Invite

5/18 8:53.6 & 4:10.9 District

5/21 8:48.6 & 4:08.5 Meet of Champions

5/25 4:10.0 State meet heat

5/26 8:42.6 & 4:12.2 State finals

6/01 4:05.5 Top 10 meet

6/09 8:40.9 Intl Prep Invite - HS 2 mile record

6/23 13:36.8 3 mile at Ntl Jr AAU

7/04 4:06.1 Freedom Mile (5th)

7/14 8:10.2 3000 for 3rd vs West German Jrs

7/20 8:16.0 3000 win vs Poland Jrs

7/28 13:58.2 5000 win vs USSR Jrs

All-time IL boys hs 1600 list

#4 4:04.1c Craig Virgin '73 - Lebanon. was 4:05.5 mile win at Top Ten meet at Thornridge HS.

Jr, '72 state mile champ in 4:09.2

Sr, state mile 2nd in 4:12.2 after state 2-mile win and 5th in Freedom mile in 4:06.1

All-time IL boys hs 3200 list

#1 8:37.9c Craig Virgin '73 - Lebanon. was 8:40.9 2-mile to win International Prep Invitational (IPI).

Fr, '70 state 2-mile 7th in 9:31.9 for new national freshman and age-14 records.

So, '71 state 2-mile 2nd in 8:57.4 for new national soph & age-15 records & '70 state XC 6th.

Jr, 8:54.2 indoors in '72, state 2-mile win in 8:52.0 for new ntl age-16 record & '71 state XC champ in 13:59 (#4 all-time IL state meet).

Sr, '73 state champ in 8:42.6 for new national age-17 record, 13:58.2 5000 meter win in dual meet vs. USSR Jr team (3rd all-time ntl HS, still 4th) & '72 state XC champ in 13:50 (#1 all-time IL state meet).

Thank you for the video! Craig Virgin, World Champion runner. I'd like to read about his progression obviously he had the talent trait But what did he do after being bed ridden until 13?!

You need to pick up his book "Virgin Territory". Great read.

historysfinist wrote:

worth reposting......Craig senior year of High School.....!!!!!!!!!!!!

6/09 8:40.9 Intl Prep Invite - HS 2 mile record

.

cotton shirt wrote:

27:39.40 Craig Virgin (USA) Walnut, CA AAU Championship 17 Jun 1979 NR

.

The amazing this is that both of these records were run on the hottest days imaginable! i know people who were actually at the race when Craig broke Pre's 2 mile record. They said it was so hot that afternoon that the asphalt track was sticking to the runner's feet. An amazing run. His 10k AR at nationals in 1979 had the same formula. Oppressively hot and windy. Craig obliterated the field from the gun. Paul Geis and Bill Donakowski foolishly hung on for two laps.

27:39 the hard way.

65.1

2:09.5

2:41.9 1000 (26:59.0 pace)

5:26.4 2000 (2:44.5, 27:12.0)

8:11.4 3000 (2:45.0, 27:18.0)

10:57.7 4000 (2:46.3, 27:24.3)

13:44.9 5000 (2:47.2, 27:29.8)

16:31.4 6000 (2:46.4, 27:32.3)

19:20.3 7000 (2:48.9, 27:37.6)

22:09.5 8000 (2:49.2, 27:41.9)

24:58.3 9000 (2:48.8, 27:44.8)

27:39.4 10000 (2:41.1)

13:44.9/13:54.5

1979 Walnut California

1. Craig Virgin 27:39.4 MRm,ARm

2. Ric Rojas 28:24.2

3. Frank Shorter 28:26.6

4. Robbie Perkins 28:26.8

5. Marc Hunter 28:40.8

6. Tom Wysocki 28:43.8

ethiopian athletes still talk about craig virgin in interviews. The story above is true .... that team was called the green flood. There was a lot of talent but little coaching at the time. Kedir was one for the ages... would have made a heck of a marathon runner. Yifter, Kedir, Tolossa Kotu.... man that team was SOLID>>

malmo wrote:

[quote]historysfinist wrote:

1979 Walnut California

1. Craig Virgin 27:39.4 MRm,ARm

2. Ric Rojas 28:24.2

3. Frank Shorter 28:26.6

4. Robbie Perkins 28:26.8

5. Marc Hunter 28:40.8

6. Tom Wysocki 28:43.8

Drew's dad^

The story is true.

During the early 80's I worked on events with Craig. He had a promotional company - Front Runner Inc. that put on several running events. I was his technical guy.

Craig was one of the most talented distance runners every to come out of the USA. He would have been a definite Silver Medalist + in the Moscow 10,000. On paper, he was faster then Yifter but not sure anyone could have beaten the Ethiopian in the Games.

D.Katz wrote:

The story is true.

During the early 80's I worked on events with Craig. He had a promotional company - Front Runner Inc. that put on several running events. I was his technical guy.

Craig was one of the most talented distance runners every to come out of the USA. He would have been a definite Silver Medalist + in the Moscow 10,000. On paper, he was faster then Yifter but not sure anyone could have beaten the Ethiopian in the Games.

Yifter owes jimmy carter big time

rojo wrote:

BlackSwanGroup262 wrote:

This YouTube video is pretty cool.

INCREDIBLE VIDEO. Thanks so much for sharing. I've emailed and talked to Craig several times over the years but my goodness, I never fully appreciated what he did until I saw that. So great. I think I'll put it where the QOD normally appears next week to get US fans pumped for World XC.

Classic. rojo takes a post about something totally unrelated to him, and name drops. Next we'll get an "article" about rojo and his years long friendship with "Craig," as rojo calls him.

D.Katz wrote:

The story is true.

During the early 80's I worked on events with Craig. He had a promotional company - Front Runner Inc. that put on several running events. I was his technical guy.

Craig was one of the most talented distance runners every to come out of the USA. He would have been a definite Silver Medalist + in the Moscow 10,000. On paper, he was faster then Yifter but not sure anyone could have beaten the Ethiopian in the Games.

Had the boycott not happened, Yifter would have had to deal not only with Virgin, but Henry Rono. I'm convinced that this could have been the greatest 10000m of all time.

Are you high. Virgin was no match.... to yifter and shifter.

https://youtu.be/Gn4aDPOV_40