Covert Mile honors a special coach and special athlete
April 07, 2016
Nearly half a century after he left, he’s remembered not just for winning titles but for changing lives.
By Nancy Haggerty, LoHud
The Mile once captured the country’s, if not the world’s, attention and imagination.
So many became legends running it.
Roger Bannister. Jim Ryun. Kip Keino. Sebastian Coe.
John Covert also ran it.
Even though he preferred longer distances -- he didn’t even begin running track until his senior year of high school -- Covert clocked 4 minutes, 6 seconds running the Mile in the Marine Corps after college. At that point, that was only six seconds slower than the top time ever run in the world.
