Adam Goucher (Colorado) won the Footlocker Nat'l XC title as a HS senior and then took 2^nd as a Colorado frosh (BW pic) @ the NCAA XC Nat's in "94."

The following XC Nat's, Goucher was 6^th in "95" (redshirted in 96) & 4^th in "97." Adam concluded his collegiate career by winning the NCAA XC title (color pic) in "98."

As a sophomore, Lindgren gained enough stamina to finish second in the state cross-country championships and clocked a 4:36.1 in driving rain in August (Boy's Highland Games).

The region's experts began to wonder about his potential.

Gerry was one of the top milers in the spring track season until suffering a broken foot after running a 4:32.2 mile.

Lindgren missed most of the '62 spring campaign but came back in the fall to obliterate cross country marks and win the individual title at the state meet lowering the state cross-country course record by 21 seconds!

October 4, 1962, Lindgren, the John Rogers junior, sped an amazing 9:17 for a two-mile cross country course at Shadle Park breaking the city high school record by 32 seconds. Lindgren started as if running a 440 and burned the first mile in 4:28, nine seconds off the state mile record. Three watches caught Lindgren at 9:17. The course was measured for the two miles and found to be 16 yards short.

Lindgren's rise to National prominence started here (above) -just three weeks after discarding crutches for a broken foot, Lindgren made a sensational stretch comeback to nip Jim Simons (Shadle Park) to win the state meet mile in 4:18.3 (State Meet Record). Six weeks later, July 4, he duplicated the courageous finish, nosing out CA state champ Tracy Smith in a special mile race at Eugene, in 4:12.9.

Gerry has a tendency for foot injuries. In two track seasons, he's made just four of 13 league duel meets.

Senior year: During the fall, the 5-foot, 6-inch, 115 lbs, Lindgren destroyed the course record on every course he raced.

Gerry last bout with Shadle Park was another CR. (above R) With a crowd of several hundred, broke the "nine-minute barrier" with nobody in sight behind him, hit the tape in 8:59.5. The time breaks his CR by 5.3 seconds and is 36 seconds better than any other prep has ever done. Lindgren went out in 4:22, a time only 4 Spokane preps, Gerry included have ever beaten for a one-mile race!

That fall, Lindgren broke 9:10 three other times on the Shadle Park course and a 9:23 on the 2.1 mile Moss lake course a time that converts to about a nine-flat two mile.

Sat, November 16, Lindgren won his second state title running the 2⅜ Green Lake xc course in a record 10:47.5 winning by 300 yards. Lindgren (hacking another 18 seconds) easily broke his CR of last year of 11:06!

Lindgren's performances are totally confined to Northwest tracks until now... Gerry is invited to an exhibition 2M. A select field of the nation's finest two-milers in a featured event of the San Francisco Examiner's Holiday Invitational Indoor Meet.

12/27/63 - Examiner Indoor -2M

The Friday night meet, is the brainchild of Bert Nelson (publisher of Track & Field News and Examiner meet director). Earlier in the month, Nelson extended the invitation (+ $50 toward expenses) to Lindgren and his John Rogers High School coach Tracy Walters, contingent upon their obtaining partial financial backing locally. The backing, $75 from the Athletic Round Table and $25 from the Sports Writers and Broadcasters, came quickly. Walters obtained the sanction of the Washington State High School Activities Association providing Gerry is not presented as an "official" representative of Rogers HS and the trip was on...

Included in the elite field of competitors:

Jim Ryun (East, Wichita, KS, Junior) has excited attention as a miler, where he's been near the National record of 4:08. In the 2M he's run a 9:11.5.

Ralph Gamez (Foothill HS, Sophomore) just 15 years old, set an age-group record of 9:13.2 earlier in the month (7^th).

Lindgren had the roaring Cow Palace crowd of 12,117 on its feet and cheered him loudly the whole 22-lap distance. Lindgren (above) went to the lead immediately --per custom. He ran the first quarter in 59.7, hit the half in 2:07, and passed the mile mark in 4:26.5, with a half mile to go, his time was 6:44 flat. Finishing in 9:00.0!! His time surely would have been faster had he not been forced to the outside several times as he lapped the field of eight. The huge building was deafening roar as he sprinted through the last half-mile as he made a shambles of his heralded duel with Jim Ryun of Wichita Kansas. Lindgren won by a full lap, as Ryun stumbled on the first turn, Lindgren broke away from the field, fell 40 yards behind and never recovered. He scrambled back past the rest of the field but never threatened Lindgren. (2) Ryun-9:22, 3) Gamez-9:29.7)

Gerry Lindgren's stunning performance in the San Francisco Examiner race Friday night burst upon the sports pages of the nation like a bomb. Among the Nation's track coaches, the track & field fans of the Northwest and the sports page readers of the state it was, not a surprise.

1/18/64 -Los Angeles Invitational Indoor track meet -Open 2M

Saturday night, Lindgren held the lead early (4:21.2 at the mile). Early in the second mile, Lindgren fell back to fourth, then came on to finish 2^nd (forty yards behind) in a brilliant 8:46.0 The winner, in 8:41.4, Belgiums Gaston Roelants (the current World Record holder for the steeplechase), who is seen running second here.

02/15/64 @ Daly City, CA -SF - Indoors 2 miles

High schooler Lindgren pushed the pace and led Ron Clarke (Australia, WR holder 6M/10,000m) through a 4:19.7 mile, yielded the lead for a short time and was on top with 500 yards remaining. Then, Clarke went back in front and pulled away with a 60.4 final 440 to win in 8:36.9 but Lindgren still had a strong 63.5 for 2^nd in the renowned: 3,000 m./ 2 miles  8:06.3 / 8:40.0 (splits - 4:19.7 + 4:20.3)!!
*A scant 10½ months ago (May 3) -Lindgren finished 3^rd in the mile (4:41) in a duel meet against North Central. He was three days off crutches after healing a cracked foot bone.

2/22/64 -Saturday -New York, Madison Square Garden

National AAU Indoor Track & Field Championships - 3M

Ron Clarke won in a 13:18.4 effort (clipping six seconds off the listed record). Lindgren in making his first attempt ever at 3-Miles indoors ran 3^rd behind Clarke and New York veteran Pete McArdle, who was timed in 13:32.6. Lindgren stopped the clock at 13:37.8 just eight-tenths of a second over the American citizen's listed mark.

May 23, Lindgren sets a national prep mile record at the 54th Washington State High School Track & Field Championships.

Lindgren (R), cheered by the largest crowd ever to watch a top prep track meet in the state of Washington, clicked off four laps in 4:06.0 (splits: 60, 62, 60 & 64). Gerry's best 880 is 1:56.4 (against Lewis & Clark).

May 29,

Gerry graduates from John Rogers HS -Seven days later...

June 5, Compton, Compton Invitational. -New rule: Graduated HS performers remain eligible in the summer period following their graduation.

Gerry Lindgren runs his first competitive attempt at 5,000 meter race and it could be his last for some time... He is due to try the 10,000 meters event at the U.S. Federation Meet next week in Corvalles, Oregon.

Lindgren led at the mile at 4:20 (wanting a 4:23), and dueled with Bruce Kidd (Canada) for the first two. Lindgren hit the 2M post in 8:53.6. Lindgren passed the 3M mark in 13:18.2 (nearly 20 seconds faster than the indoor time 13:37.8, Feb 22), finally finished in 4^th with a 13:44.0!!! The race was won by Bob Schul in a new AR 13:38.0. (Bob Schul-Link) Gerry was also under the old AR! The WR is 13:35.0 held by Russian Vladimir Kuts since 1957. Lindgren's final 440 was a fine 60.4, only Schul blasted away with a 56 second last lap off of the killing pace.

(L) June 13, Corvalles, Oregon.

In the elapsed time of 29:37.6, Lindgren completes his first 10,000 meters. In winning, Lindgrens time is under the Olympic qualifying standard of 29:40!

June 28, Sunday -New Brunswick, NJ.

Lindgren, the sensational schoolboy, finishes a strong 2^nd (about 12 yards behind Bob Schul with 13:56.2) in the national AAU 5,000-meter run in 13:58.6 (leading in splits 4:25.2 & 9:04 at 2M). By finishing second Gerry assures himself of a place on the U. S. team that will face the Russians in Los Angeles next month...

July 25, Los Angeles, Saturday, -The mightiest roar of the crowd of 50,519 -Was when the 18-year-old high school student from Spokane, Wash., who ran two Russian veterans to the ground in the 10,000-meters, in only his second try at 10k, winning in 29:17.6 (above). With 10 laps to go, Lindgren shot into the lead with with a blistering lap of 60.0 that brought him from 10 yards behind his Russian rivals to 10 yards in front. He kept lengthening the lead with every lap, winning by 150 yards or more over Leonid Ivanov. Lindgren was the first American ever to win a distance event at the U.S.-Soviet duel meet!

2) Ivanov 29:38.6, 3) Nikolai Dutov 30:51.8.
Gerry lapped his teammate John Gutknetch who finished in 31:22.2.

August 13, Kingston, Jamaica

Carreras Invitational Track Meet @ National Stadium

(R, July 3, Lindgren leads semifinal Olympic Trials 5k in NY (Schul won, Lindgren 3^rd).

Thursday night, almost on a lark, Lindgren raced the mile. Clocking a 4:01.5-finishing 3^rd in a stirring duel with Oregon State's NCAA champ Morgan Groth (4:00.4) and Canadian Champion Ergas Leps.

In the three-mile, Saturday (Aug. 15), Gerry took the lead from the start but was dogged by New York's Oscar Moore all the way through a 4:26 first mile and 8:55 at two, then as he had against the Russians, Lindgren tore off a fast, near 60-second lap, shredding away Moore. Lindgren breezed on to a 4:22 final mile, to clock 13:17.0!! -Moore faded to nearly 100 yards back clocking 13:42.8, his PB.

Gerry's time beats the existing American Record of 13:17.4 set by Jim Beatty in 1961, but is off the pending record of 13:15.8 by Bob Schul, June 5 at Compton, California.

In that Compton race, Lindgren clocked his all-time previous best, 13:18.2, enroute to a 13:44. Shul went on to set an American 5,000m record of 13:38.

Gerry Lindgren went to Washington State University. He became one of the most dominant collegiate athletes in history, Lindgren won 11 of the 12 NCAA events he contested while a student at WSU.

He won the outdoor three-mile and six-mile double three times, three harrier titles and two indoor two-mile titles. His only miss was was the 1968 indoor two-mile race, in which Jim Ryun outkicked him.

Pete Romero vs Marty Liquori

'67 San Francisco, CA, Indoors: Liquori(Essex Catholic) edges Romero (Reedley) at two-miles, both clocking 9:06.2.

Rich Kimball

@ Oakland Indoor, enroute to his HSR (at the time-74) 1500m (3:50.0).

Terry Williams (Lompoc, CA) placed 6th in losing to rival Curtis Beck in the 2 mile @ CA State meet in 72. In 73, Williams outran Beck, winning-state 2 mile.

Terry ran 4:08.4/8:54.8/14:08.4m (mile/2mile/5000m) in 73 and took his talents to the University of Oregon.

Matt Centrowitz & Terry Williams

finish together @ NIKE-OTC Marathon ("79").

2001 World X-Country

Senior Men's - Short Course

A junior, Bekele (182) sloshed through the mud for second place!!

3/24/2001 - © Allsport

2001 World X-C - Next Day

Bekele dominated the Jr race for his first world title. He pulled away from his last challenger barely halfway into the race and then romping through the mud giving no evidence to the fact he had 24 hours earlier taken the silver medal in the senior men's short race.

3/25/2001 - © Allsport