Mile News


Mile legend Jim Ryun didn’t want Olympic glory - he just wanted to make his high school team

May 26, 2019

Less than three years after taking up the sport, then nearly quitting it, he was running on the biggest stage in the world.

By Jenni Carlson, The Oklahoman

Back in the 1960s, there weren’t many athletes who were a bigger deal in our neck of the woods than Jim Ryun.

His exploits on the track were chronicled in the sports pages. His records and races in the Mile were celebrated in Sports Illustrated, including 7 coveted covers. His story was the thing of legends, a lanky kid from Wichita, Kansas, pushing the bounds of what anyone thought was possible.

A high schooler running the Mile in under 4 minutes?

A young man from the heartland setting world records?

Ryun was a Middle America hero.

But to hear him tell it all these years later, his journey began because he was just looking for a sport where he could make the team.

“I was the guy who was cut from every team he tried out for,” Ryun said the other day from his home in Kansas. “That includes the church baseball team, so you can see that’s not a bright future."

He chuckled.

“When I entered high school, I went out for a team I’d never heard of before — cross country,” he said. “I must have been pretty desperate because I’d never run before, and all of a sudden, I’m running 40 or 50 miles a week.

“I was desperate.”

In running, Ryun found his calling. It’s still among his biggest passions all these years later.

Continue reading at: oklahoman.com

Tags: olympics (67) , jim ryun (93)

Facebook Comments

Return the Mile to prominence on the American & worldwide sports and cultural landscape by elevating and celebrating the Mile to create a movement.

ELEVATE
Bring Back the Mile as the premier event in the sport, and increase interest in and media coverage of the Mile for both those who love the distance as well as the general public.

CELEBRATE
Bring Back the Mile to celebrate the storied distance and to recognize the people who made and make the Mile great and to promote Mile events and the next generation of U.S. Milers.

NATIONAL MOVEMENT
Bring Back the Mile to create a national movement for the Mile as America’s Distance,
to inspire Americans to run the Mile as part of their fitness program and to replace the 1600 meters at High School State Track & Field Meets across the country.

Become a Mile Maniac member or a BBTM sponsor today! Join us, and go Mile!

Join Us

Thanks for joining the movement and being a Mile Maniac. We'll keep you up to-date with our Mile wires as well as exclusive contests and opportunities. Help us spread the word by sharing our site and joining us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram!