Jim Ryun Proves Good Guys Do Not Always Finish Last
I served in Congress with Jim Ryun, a Republican from Kansas. He is a conservative. He is one of the real guys. He is open and transparent about his faith.
We are the same age. I was in high school in Hobbs when he was a high school runner in Kansas. I watched the papers for what he was doing. It was electric. Here was a guy my age, 17 years old, who broke the 4 minute mile, still the only high school junior ever to do that. He was at the top of the world. As a senior he ran 3:55! Then, he finished second at the Mexico City Olympics in ‘68…at the ’72 Olympics, he was bumped by another runner and fell. He was on the cover of Sports Illustrated 7 times. Set world records. He was the best.
I never thought I might know him personally, but when I got to Washington, there he was, leading a Congressional Bible Study. We were also both in the Congressional Prayer Caucus.
We both played on the Congressional Baseball team.
His knees have long since gone from all the years of running. I still have deceptive speed; I am slower than I look.
During a Congressional Baseball game, Jim Ryun came into the game in the late innings as a pinch hitter and got a single. I was put in to run for him. Me, the slow catcher from Hobbs, NM substituted as a pinch RUNNER for Jim Ryun, the Olympic runner, the BEST High School Athlete of all time. Eventually, I got around to 3rd and scored when Shelly Moore Capito R-WV hit a little nubber. The first RBI in a Congressional Baseball game by a woman. (Shelly is the one to my left)
I went in as a replacement runner for Jim Ryun! If you wait around long enough in life, anything is possible.
I thought of Jim recently. He is featured in an interview in World Magazine. http://www.worldmag.com/articles/16174
You can read the full article with the link. His high school records are posted below that.
He is a great American, a great Patriot and a great guy. And he did not finish last.
From Wikipedia
High school athletic achievements
- In 1964 Ryun became the first high school runner to break four minutes for the mile, running 3:59.0 as a junior at Wichita High School East in Wichita, Kansas.
- Established the high school and U.S. open mile record 3:55.3 as a senior in 1965, a record that stood as the high school record for 36 years until broken by Alan Webb's 3:53.43 in 2001. It is also the last time an American male high school athlete broke an open American record in a major outdoor track and field event. In this record race he beat the reigning Olympic champion and former world record holder Peter Snell of New Zealand.
- His 3:58.3 to win the mile at the 1965 Kansas High School State Meet is still the record for the fastest time ever in a race that includes only high school competitors.
- Today he still holds five of the six fastest mile times in U.S. high school history (all sub-four minute), with Alan Webb’s record race holding the other spot.
- With five sub-four minute miles he is the only high school athlete in history with more than two such times. (Alan Webb has two, and Marty Liquori and Tim Danielson have one each.)
- He is the only athlete to run a four minute mile as a high school junior.
- After his junior year he qualified for the 1964 Summer Olympics in the 1500. He made it to the semifinal round, where he was eliminated.
- As a high school senior he was voted the fourth best miler in the world by the experts at Track & Field News.
- ESPN.com has him rated as the number 1 high school athlete of all time, beating out people such as Tiger Woods and LeBron James.[2]
