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Running Shots |  |
By 1958 U.S. High School Record for two-miles was 9:21.4 and only 3 preps had ran under 9:40. In the Fall of 1963 - 9:10 was broken. Anatomy of the U.S. High School Two-Mile Record... |
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Nov. 16, '63 Jim Ryun (East, KS) a junior betters the Nat'l prep 2M record in his final meet of the XC season (Two-Mile Postal) when he blazed eight laps in 9:11.5 *Bests the 9:11.6 of Tracy Smith (Arcadia, HS) |
Dec. 7, '63 Mike Ryan (Wilcox HS), the 16-year-old junior, establishes a new Nat'l mark of 9:09.8 at the 2M postal in Woodside CA. |
Dec. 27, '63 San Francisco, CA Indoors Gerry Lindgren (Rogers HS) demolishes all recorded prep 2M marks either indoors or outdoors -9:00.0. 1/18/64-L.A. CA In his second attempt on the boards -8:46.0n -O (2nd place)!! Feb. 15, '64 -8:40.0n -O (2nd place)!! |
A 9:24 prep two-miler last spring Lindgren, a 5'5" 118 pound senior, moves outdoors: 4/17/64 -Lindgren becomes the first prep to go sub-9 for 2M- 8:56.5 (Dual Meet).
6/5/64 -lowers NR to 8:53.6n -O (enroute to 5k in Compton Invite, 4th place with a 13.44.0m). Represented the US at Tokyo Olympics (10k)!! |
May 28, '66 Washington State track meet: Rick Riley (Ferris, WA) becomes the new Prep Outdoor record holder with 8:48.4 (Above, with Lindgren cheering him on). Riley was 9:11.2 for 2M as a junior. |
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April 25, 1969 Corvalles, Oregon Corvalles Invitational Steve Prefontaine (Marshfield, OR) took his two mile time from 9:01 to a NR of 8:41.6 in one season. Errr... one race!! |
June 9, 1973 Mt. Prospect, IL -International Prep Inv. Craig Virgin (Lebanon) races 8:40.9 HSR!! Virgin became the first prep soph to crack 9:00 in 2M with 8:57.4 in '71. |
Feb. 16, 1979 Jack in the Box meet - Indoor -8th with 2 laps to go Nelson's kick carries him to 6th place -his 8:42.7n -O is the 2nd-fastest indoor time behind only Lindgren!! May 6, 1979 UCLA Pepsi Inv. @ Westwood. 6th at the bell, Jeff Nelson (Burbank) rips a 61.4 final lap giving him 3rd place and the record 8:36.3n -O for a full 2 miles!! |
June 20, 2008 - Nike Outdoor Nat'l German Fernandez (Riverbank, CA) sets a new prep record of 8:34.40 for 2 Miles!! 400 / Cumulative Time 4:19.4 / 4:15.0 |
June 4, 2011, Eugene, OR, Prefontaine Classic Lukas Verzbicas (Sandburg, HS) 8:29.46n -O -Running in a field with some of the world's elite distance runners, including double world champion Bernard Lagat (US), Verzbicas hung onto the back of the pack until the final three laps. Lagat won in 8:13.62. |
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Mike Ryan (Wilcox) winner of the Nat'l two-mile postal in '63 in 9:09.8 -a short lived US prep record. -Next year... Nov 7th '64 @ Stanford - Nat'l Two-Mile Postal: Ryan becomes the 2nd prep to break 9 minutes with his 8:57.8 in becoming a repeat winner among the individuals. (Dec. 4, ran 8:58.9). As a Jr, Ryan was the CA state mile champion ('64) with a 4:11.2! |
Ryan (U.S. Air Force Acad.), as a junior, won the NCAA Cross Country Title in 29:16.8 (CR), Van Cortlandt Park, Monday, November 25, 1968. Photo courtesy/available at: runmoremiles.com |
Mile - US Prep Record ProgressionHigh School Only - Participants4:23.3⁄5 +Ed Shields (Mercersburg, PA).......................5/20/1916 4:22.2 Bill Cox (Edison Tech, NY).......Chicago Interschool...6/6/25 4:21.2 Louie Zamperini (Torrance, CA)...So Section...........5/19/34 4:21.0 Bob Seaman (Reedley, CA).........State................5/29/53 4:20.4 Max Truex (Warsaw, Ind)..........State................5/22/54 4:20.0 Tod White (Newport Harbor, CA)...State................5/28/55 4:19.5 Tom Skutka (Morris Hills, N.J.)..State.................6/4/55 + Ed Shields' record was thrown out in 1935, when the National Federation HS Athl. Assoc. new rules required marks be made by state association members. By the standards now in place, Shields was overage (21yrs) and attended a non-state assoc. member (Mercersburg HS) at the time of his 4:23.3⁄5. n = non winning mark * = Junior O = Non-High School Field. |
Mile Record ProgressionNon Winning Prep Marks in Open Competition4:23.3⁄5 +Ed Shields (Mercersburg, PA).........................5/20/16 4:20.4n -O Chesley Unruh (El Monte, Ca)......So Pacific AAU...5/16/25 4:18.2n -O Rudy Simms (DeWitt Clinton, NY)...Met AAU...........6/5/43 4:17.8n -O Deacon Jones (Boys Town, Neb).....Nat AAU..........6/18/54 |
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4:16.1 - Jim Bowers (DeKalb, IL) (64,65,65,62.1) 5/ 25/1956 -N IL Conference meet Age-17yrs 6Mo |
4:13.2 - Dyrol Burleson (Cottage Grove, Ore) 4/25/1958 -Corvallis Relays 4:12.2n -O (63.8, 61.1, 62.4, 64.9 ) 6/20/1958 -AAU (heat) (jr - 4:24.4-'57-10th best). |
4:11.0 - Dale Story (L, Orange, CA) 5/29/59 in winning CA state mile. (62.6, 62.6, 66.1, 59.7) - (As a junior, Dale ran 4:22.6 -15th best). -------- 4:08.9n -O Archie San Romani jr. (R, East, KS) 6/5/1959 Compton Invite(above) -bested Story in race (62.5, 64.2, 64.5, 57.7). - (As a junior, Archie ran 4:18.2 - 3rd best). |
4:03.5n -O Tom Sullivan (St. George, IL) (62, 62.2, 60.9, 58.4) 6/2/1961 -Compton Invit. (Open Race). Also tied NR 880-1:50.6 - Set Junior class records for 880/mile last year (60) 1:53.1/880 (11th) & led the nation in the mile - 4:11.7. |
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4:10.0 - Morgan Groth (Alhambra, CA) 6/17/61 - Winning Golden West Invite.
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4:08.7 - *Dennis Carr (Lowell, CA) (62.6, 62.9, 64.2, 59-flat.) 6/2/62 - CA State Meet. Carr not only broke the jr class record (mile), he set the NR as well. His 4:08.7 at 16 yrs 7 months made him the youngest record holder and fastest 16-yr-old miler in history. |
**Jim Ryun (East, KS) led nation as a Soph -sets age 16 & Soph bests in 1963 with 4:07.8n -O. 6/8/63 @ USTFF Champs. |
4:06.4 - * Jim Ryun wipes out the Prep standard (+ Jr class record) of 4:08.7 by Dennis Carr. 5/16/64 @ Kansas State Meet. |
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4:06.0 - Gerry Lindgren (Rogers HS), running without competition as did Ryun, took away the prep record in his state meet @ Pullman 5/23/64.
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3:59.0n -O - *Jim Ryun 6/5/64 Compton Invite.The first eight runners were all under 4 minutes. Ryun, 17, was eigth but only 1.6 seconds behind the winner. (Dyrol Burleson).-Ryun was knocked off the track, lost at least one second. + 3:39.0n -O -1500 -4th in AAU Nats 6/27/64. Ryun rocks the world when he became the first prep in history to run a sub-four minute mile. He wound up the season Representing the US at Tokyo Olympics where he reached the semi-finals in the 1500m. |
1965 - 4:04.4 Jim Ryun It was no surprise when Ryun crushed the all time indoor mark (4:07.2 @ Kansas state Championships) and came back three nights later to debut outdoors (3/30/65, at the Wichita East Invite) and promtly crack the outdoor record. He clocked 4:04.4 with a 56-second last lap. 4:02.0 - 4/23/65 Hutchinson Invite 3:58.3 - 5/15/65 @ State Meet. (58, 63, 61, 56.3!!).
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3:58.1 -O 1st-Ryun -5/29/65 California Relays. 3:56.8n -O 3rd-Ryun 6/4/65 Compton Invitational. 3:55.3 (Above) 1st-American Record! 6/27/65 AAU Championships. 18 year old Jim Ryun defeats WR holder Peter Snell (L) and AR holder Jim Grelle (M) in a new AR! |
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3:53.43n -O 5th Alan Webb (South Lakes, VA) 5/27/01 @ Pre Classic. Photo: Lisa Coniglio Webb smashes Jim Ryun's 36-year-old High School record for the mile. Webb flashed past the 1500 post in 3:38.26n! -O to better an even older Ryun standard, 3:39.0 from '64! Earlier, Web became the first US prep under 4 minutes Indoors with a 3:59.86n -O. 3rd -1/20/01 @ New Balance Games. |
Hobbs Kessler (Skyline HS), was known locally as a solid cross country & track runner... but then, Feb 7, the high school senior, broke the national indoor high school record in the mile, running 3:57.66n-O! A month later, the now, nationally known, Ann Arbor, Michigan, native raced a sparkling 8:39.04; the fastest 2-mile time in Michigan history. Hobbs' dazzling trajectory to prep legend didn't stop there...May 29, 2021, Saturday night in Portland, Oregon, at Lewis & Clark’s Griswold Stadium, the 18yrs-76 day-old, Kessler raced a 3:34.36n-O to smash Jim Ryun’s American Junior Record of 3:36.1 (set 55 years ago); on the way, he demolished Alan Webb’s High School Record, of 3:38.26, set en route to his mile HSR of 3:53.43. Kessler’s mile time converts to a 3:51.51! *Hobb's time qualified him for the 2021 Olympic trials in the 1,500 and would also have been an NCAA record!! |
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Mike Stahr (Carmel, NY) vs John Carlotti (Bernards, NJ) In "83," Stahr was the nations top prep miler indoors(4:10.98) & out (4:06.3). 5/24/83, Stahr posted a 9:01.7 for 2 miles at White Plains HS. Carlotti ran the mile indoors (4:11.41) & outdoors ran 1:50.1/800m & 4:08.1/mile. |
As a high school sophomore, Alan Webb was well known in Virginia but at the National Scholastic mile, Webb garnered national attention by besting Jim Ryun's national soph-class record with his (then record) 4:06.94, in "99." |
7-21-07-Belgium Webb scorches 3:46.91 to break Steve Scott's 25-year-old U.S. record in the mile. Splits-56.1, 57.4, 56.8, 56.2 |
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Said Aouita (MAR) Olympic champion 1984 @ 5,000 meters. |
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