Who Is the GREATEST American Distance Runner of All Time? Submit your 64 nominees now for our tournament

Bob schul country wrote:

That is why I posted these 4 criteria a few pages ago:

think the criteria to be a top ranked runner:

1. RECORDS< RECORDS< RECORDS!!!! You got to own the best time when you were in your prime.

2. Head to head. You have to be able to beat someone.

3. Gold medals.

4. Range- able to win at multiple distances

If you cant check all these off, maybe you are top 5-10 best but to be top couple you have to have those 4

Off of this criteria off the top of my head webb, lagat, and rupp immediately come to mind

For the women Shelby Houlihan, Simpson, an Rowbury come to mind

Range:

Alan Webb 1:43.8, 3:30/3:46, 13:10, 27:34

Rupp: 1:49, 3:50, 12:58, 26:44, 59:47, 2:06 in modern marathon era

Lagat: 1:46, 3:27, 12:54, 27:49, 2:12(modern marathon)

Houlihan: 1:59, 3:54, 8:26, 14:34, XC win

Simpson: 2:00, 3:57, 8:29, 9:12 Steeple, 14:56

Rowbury: 1:59, 3:56, 8:29, 14:38, 32:43

Shalane: 2:09, 4:05, 8:33, 14:44, 30:22, 1:08 half, 2:21 Marathon

Medals:

Rupp or Lagat..I think they even trump someone like Chelimo or older runners. But Lagat won in between the Bekele, Mo Farah era.

Main problem in this category is that someone like me puts less weight on the much older dudes who had the mile/5k record when it was like 3:59/13:30 or something and reset the record a whole bunch of times. Sure they might have been alot better with modern training but I am a believer of better athletes over time. For example older nba players were not nearly as skilled as players today.

Rupp:

Olympic bronze

Olympic silver

Chicago marathon champ

10 national titles

Lagat:

2 world/olympic golds

2 world/olympic silvers

1 World/olympic bronze

2 Golden league wins as american

3 diamond league wins

14 american national titles

Webb:

4 national titles

1 golden league win

Centrowitz(def contends here):

Olympic champ

World silver

World Bronze

7 national titles

1 diamond league win

Houlihan:

FASTEST 4th place EVER she needs credit for that

2 Diamond League Wins

12 National titles

Simpson:

World Champ

2 World Silvers

1 World Bronze

5 Diamond League wins

11 National Titles

Rowbury:

2 World Bronzes

2 Diamond League wins

6 National Titles

Flanagan:

Olympic Silver

New York Marathon champ

World Cross Bronze

6 National Titles

Head to head:

Lagat or Rupp lol I think Webb beat Lagat a few times too but this is where it gets subjective. We mean head to head vs other americans or vs top world talent. P

Rowbury and Simpson had pretty good rivalry Maybe Simpson has 1 or 2 more wins.

Houlihan has pretty much dominated Simpson but we can probably argue that Simpson has not been in her prime although she has been close to it. Not many of these runners will have overlapping careers anyways tbh.

Inspiration:

Webb all day. fyi I am 26.

Houlihan or Flanagan for inspiration.

I will also add in if this was a contest on potential and ability brazier is up there too. he has the potential to be on of the best 800 runners ever. I remember me and a teammate in college were talking about how Murphy kinda became the best american 800 runner ever in one season kind of jumping over Symmonds and Solomon but then Brazier has surpassed that by a good bit. Wish he ran more 1500s though.

What does Meb not being an American citizen while at UCLA have to do with anything? You've included Lagat in the mix, yet he kept his American citizenship secret to run for KENYA. Sorry, that's an automatic DQ from this list. Maree's citizenship was one of selfishness, not of the heart. As soon has his mercenary status had no personal benefit he renounced it and became a SA citizen again. DQ'd. Sitting in a SA prison might have been the worst case of Karma..

Only three Americans have ever been ranked #1 in the world in the 10,000. One of them is conspicuously absent from consideration by the ignorenti .

Another name from the past who deserves mention is Dick Buerkle....versatile/ miler/5k in early 70’s.

Mr.Perspective wrote:

This list is silly. Other than dropping in a Ryun and Malmo you have to historical perspective sir.

Jeez, I have AR's and top ten world rankings. That's nowhere near what should be considered. WR's, OG or WC medals, and top 10 World rankings, especially #1 rankings

Ryun had multiple world records, set the AR when he was in HS, #1 world rankings and a silver medal. Neither Ryun nor Marty Liquori could walk through an airport without being noticed. They were rock stars!

World Rankings 5000 meters

1978 2nd Liquori

1977 1st Liquori

1975 3rd Liquori,

World Rankings 1500 meters

1975 5th Liquori

1971 1st Liquori

1970 7th Liquori

1969 1st Liquori

1972 9th Ryun

1971 6th Ryun

1969 7th Ryun

1968 2nd Ryun

1967 1st Ryun

1966 1st Ryun

1965 4th Ryun

800m World Ranking

1966 1st Ryun

Ryun was

1966 & 1967 Track & Field News Athlete of the Year, the first athlete to win this award two years in a row.

1966 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year award.

1966 James E. Sullivan Award, presented to the best amateur athlete in the U.S.

World 880y records indoors and outdoors

1500 WR

1 mile WR twice outdoors

1 mile WR indoors

I'm sorry that you take issue with the American immigration laws, but they are what they are and accomplishments as Americans are accomplishments as Americans. It's clear who the #1 is on the men's side, and it bothers a lot of people, hence the mental gymnastics.

I don't take issue with American Immigration Laws. I take issue with those who abuse them for selfish reasons. Why don't you?

As I stated before,

Frank Shorter. Gold

Bill Rogers. Silver

Galen Rupp. Bronze and still in progress.

Distance is 5k and up.

Frank has all the criterion and is clear of all others.

Boston Billy is an American icon for distance road racing in a time of the American running boom at its peak. I have a picture of both, side by side rack g to the finish line at the Bix 7 miler in Davenport, IA.

Rupp has incredible range, personal best times, national Championships and Olympic medals to his name. I was/am never influenced by social media vitriol by armchair runners on this site. Depending on how he finishes his career, he very well could possibly surpass Rogers in my mind. He probably should already be there but my age and Rogers influence on the running community creates a small bias for the blue collar grit.

It's great to read about everyone's input and who they think should be considered list worthy. I can appreciate the "how" and "why" because you wouldn't be on this site if you weren't inspired by someone and that is important. Especially if you have inspired others to become interested in running.

Considering the randomness of medals and elusiveness of Olympics, I would probably include World Championship medals and maybe even world indoor medals

AM Runner wrote:

Thats fair, but we all have our own criteria

Not saying he wasnt great - but best of all time means a bit more for me - his greatness and an american was really only 3 races over 2 years - yes fast for sure but those are his only titles and nothing in a USA vest

Meb on the other hand has been a US Citizen since 1998

won 4 NCAA Championships

Multiple National Championships (10 K and Marathon)

4 Olympic Finals including a 2nd and a 4th place

2 World Champ Finals

Won Boston and NY

So I would put Meb over Khaild - I respect both as Americans but for me Meb wins easily

Meb also held the 10K AR and won 3 USTAF xc titles. I could see either way. KK at his marathon peak was much better - he was the best in the world. But this is for the greatest distance runner not marathoner so I would give the edge to Meb for being one of the best in the US over a long period.

Horace Ashenfelter

If you're considering Morgan Uceny, I think Anna Willard should be considered as well -at one time world record holder in the Steeple.

You misunderstand due to my "typo" I think..... I meant to write:

'This list is silly. Other than dropping in a Ryun and Malmo you have NO historical perspective sir". The aforementioned list had very few athletes active prior to 2000. No Marsh, Wohlhuter, Bickford etc.. ..I felt that his mentioning of Ryun and yourself was his attempt at adding a semblance of historical perspective.

I completely forgot Bickford - which I should not have What a year 1985 was huh 3 Americans in the top 10 in the world at the 10,000

still here? wrote:

We need a section for Asian Americans too

Don't be thick. This is a running website that cover sport for both men & women. We should strive for equal coverage. The best races were skewed towards the men. Nobody is coming at you personally, the male species, or is saying men don't run interesting races. Just looking for the women to be covered in the same way. It doesn't have to take away from people who think like you.

Clayton Murphy was also #3 in the world in 2017 before injuring himself and trying to qualify for both 1500 and 800 (maybe one can blame the overexertion on him) . He also had a race somewhere on the DL circuit in the mile where he was maybe the #1 or #2 non-african finisher.

I'd say Murphy's story isn't really written. He's 3 years into a career that had one incredibly good year. That might be a challenge this competition faces with some of the newer entries.

Run7 wrote:

If you're considering Morgan Uceny, I think Anna Willard should be considered as well -at one time world record holder in the Steeple.

Anna Willard ran 9:22 in 2008 when steeple had just become an Olympic sport so not a lot of the world's best had gravitated towards it yet. Her record was bettered by 10 seconds the following year by Jenny Simpson. Considering technology hasn't changed that much between 2008 and 2016 when Coburn, Frerichs and Quigley were smashing the previous decade's US marks, it's hard to argue that Willard should go before those 3. In her favor, she did have very good 800 speed (1:58 pr) and pretty good 1500 speed (3:59)

But Lagat won in between the Bekele, Mo Farah era.

Bekele and Lagat were in their prime at the same time, but did not usually compete in the same events. Here are the head-to-heads I can remember.

2006 - Lagat destroyed Bekele in a mile at MSG

2006 - Lagat outkicked Bekele in a 5k in London

2009 - Bekele crushed Lagat in a 3k in Paris

2009 - Bekele outkicked Lagat in the WC in Berlin

2009 - Bekele outkicked Lagat again in the World Athletic Final

malmo wrote:

breit leit wrote:

I'm sorry that you take issue with the American immigration laws, but they are what they are and accomplishments as Americans are accomplishments as Americans. It's clear who the #1 is on the men's side, and it bothers a lot of people, hence the mental gymnastics.

I don't take issue with American Immigration Laws. I take issue with those who abuse them for selfish reasons. Why don't you?

I take issue with you continually deleting my valid responses to this.