It's rare to see a successful distance runner come from Alaska due to extreme weather limitations but Trevor Dunbar etched his name in Alaska running history by becoming the first Alaskan to run a sub-four-minute mile.
The first Women's Olympic Marathon saw a courageous move by young Joan Benoit of the Unites States. A few months removed from surgery she dared the field (and herself) to follow an early blistering pace in the 1984 LA Olympics. No one came close.
Dathan Ritzenhein won back-to-back regional (Midwest) and national titles in the Foot Locker high school championship races in the fall of 1999 and 2000. There was major build-up to the 2000 championships due to the impending clash between Ritz, Webb, and Hall. Ritz scored a resounding victory over Webb and Hall. Defending Champions never have it easy.
In one of the most memorable races in Olympic history Derek Redmond of Great Britain finishes his 400m Semi-Final crying on the shoulder of his father.
Prefontaine set the American record in the 5000 meters race, the event that took him to the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich. In the finals, Prefontaine took the lead in the last mile and ended the slow pace of the first two miles. He held the lead until the last 150 meters before battling for first against Lasse Virén and silver medalist Mohammed Gammoudi. Britain’s hard-charging Ian Stewart moved into third place within ten meters of the finish line, depriving Prefontaine of an Olympic medal. He was the United States’ best hope in Distance running. He died tragically in a car accident in 1975 before he could make it the next Olympics to fulfill his dream of setting the world record in the 5000 meters.
The Ironman Triathlon tests every physical and mental limit in an athlete and then some: 2.5 mile swim, 112 mile bike followed by a 26.2 mile run. Some don’t finish and some crawl over the finish line. What is the difference between 4th place and 5th place? ….Everything.
Gebrselassie was born as one of ten children in Asella, Arsi Province, Ethiopia. As a child growing up on a farm he used to run ten kilometres to school every morning, and the same back every evening. This led to a distinctive running posture, with his left arm crooked as if still holding his schoolbooks. In the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Gebrselassie came from behind to win Gold in .09 seconds in the 10,000 meters.
