The Ryun Project - 7

How do you top a year like Jim Ryun enjoyed in 1966?  Ryun's freshman year ended with a slew of records and awards.  He was without a doubt the top amateur athlete in the United States.  Ryun was an athletic superstar when track and field could still garner headlines across America.

So going into his sophomore year at the University of Kansas the quest would begin in earnest to become the first miler to run 1760 yards under 3:50.  Jim came tantalizing close when he set his second world record in the mile running a near solo effort in capturing his 3rd AAU National Championship for the mile in Bakersfield.  One can't help think with a little help with the pace in the early going and his effortless 3:51.1 would have been just a click or two under 3:50.

The year would also begin the serious work of preparing for racing at altitude.  The Mexico City Olympics were just a year away and top distance runners knew that racing at altitude posed some terrible difficulties.  Little was known about racing at altitude.  Coach Bob Timmons believed it was mostly psychological.  But other experts knew better and Ryun was taking notice.

The benefits of altitude training showed itself in full glory when Ryun dispatched Kip Keino in Los Angeles in a world record 1500.  It was his third individual world record for 1967 to go along with his mark in the 880 and the mile.  Ryun looked unstoppable and marked himself as the man to beat for gold in Mexico City.

1967 stands as the greatest year of racing ever by an American middle distance runner.  In the course of eight months Ryun ran a staggering 47 races.  That's a mountain of racing to go along with the high intensity training that Timmons doled out to his distance runners.

For the second year in a row Jim Ryun was named Athlete of the Year by Track and Field News.  He was going into 1968 as the heavy favorite to win gold at the Mexico City Olympics in the 1500.  Unfortunately very few journalists who covered the sport and the fans who followed it understood the daunting prospect that racing at 7350 feet posed for distance runners used to running and racing at sea level.

Winter/Spring & Summer 1967

Date       Event      Time       Place      Splits

1-21-67   Mile        4:02.6      1^st            NA

Los Angeles Invitational    Los Angeles, CA

1-27-67   1000 yds 2:09.9      1st           NA

Oregon Invitational             Portland, OR

2-3-67     Mile        4:09.2      1^st            NA

                880          1:52.8      1^st            NA

S.I.U. vs. KU Dual  Allen Field House               Lawrence, KS

2-11-67   Mile        4:03.7      1^st            NA

                880          1:48.5      1^st            NA (anchor/2 mile relay)

Michigan State Relays        East Lansing, MI

2-15-67   600 yds   1:14.2      5^th            NA

                880          1:56.3      1^st            NA

Oklahoma State vs. K.U.      Allen Field House               Lawrence, KS

2-18-66   2 Mile     8:44.2      1^st            2:07.5-4:21.5-6:38.0-8:44.2

                880          1:48.3      1^st            53.0-1:48.3

Kansas Federation              Allen Field House               Lawrence, KS

3-3-67     880          1:54.6      1^st            prelim NA

3-4-67     Mile        3:58.8      1^st            58.2-1:59.6-3:01.0-3:58.8

                880          1:50.7      1^st            NA

Big 8 Indoor          Municipal Auditorium        Kansas City, MO

3-9-66     880          1:55.3      2^nd           prelim NA

Mile        4:08.0      1^st            prelim NA

880          1:50.7      2^nd           53.0-1:50.7

3-10-67   Mile        3:58.6      1^st            58.0-2:01.5-3:02.9-3:58.6

NCAA Indoor          Cobo Arena   Detroit, MI

3-25-67   Mile        4:05.1      1^st            NA

                880          1:48.1      1^st            NA

K.U. vs. U.C.L.A. Dual            Los Angeles, CA

3-31-67   880          1:46.1      1^st            (anchor/sprint medley relay) World Record

4-1-67     Mile        4:04.1      1^st            NA

Texas Relays         Austin, TX

4-8-67     100 yds   10.4         7^th            NA

1320        3:00.9      1^st            NA (distance medley relay)

Southwestern Relays          Lafayette, LA

4-15-67   880          1:50.9      1^st            NA

Mile        4:11.1      1^st            NA

K.U./Texas A&M/New Mexico Triangle             Albuquerque, NM

4-22-67   Mile        3:54.7      1^st            57.9-1:58.4-2:58.6-3:54.7

                440          47.0         1^st            (mile relay)

Kansas Relays      Memorial Stadium              Lawrence, KS

4-28-67   Mile        3:59.1      1^st            (4 mile relay) last 440 54.0

                880          1:50.8      7^th            (2 mile relay)

4-29-67   Mile        3:55.6      1^st            56.8-1:59.3-3:01.7-3:55.6 (anchor/distance medley relay) World Record

Drake Relays        Des Moines, IA

5-13-66   Mile        4:14.6      1^st            NA

                880          1:53.6      1^st            NA

                440          48.0         1^st            (mile relay)

K.U. vs. Oklahoma Dual      Norman, OK

5-19-67   880          1:52.6      1^st            NA

5-20-67   Mile        4:08.5      1^st            NA

880          1:49.1      1^st            NA

440          47.0         3^rd            (mile relay)

Big 8 Outdoors      Norman, OK

6-2-67     Mile        3:53.2      1^st            57.6-1:58.2-2:58.0-3:53.2

Compton Relays Olympic Coliseum  Los Angeles, CA

6-9-67     880          1:47.2      1^st            NA

6-10-67   Mile        4:09.3      1^st            57.8-1:58.6-3:02.8-4:02.8

USTFF Championships        Albuquerque, NM

6-15-67   Mile        4:09.6      1^st            prelims NA

6-17-67   Mile        4:03.5      1^st            3:10.9-4:03.5 last 220 23.9

NCAA Championships         Provo, UT

6-22-67   Mile        4:07.5      1^st           

6-23-67   Mile        3:51.1      1^st            59.2-1:59.0-2:57.6-3:51.1 World Record

AAU National Championships          Bakersfield, CA

7-9-67     1500        3:33.1      1^st            60.9-1:57.7-2:55.0-3:33.1 World Record (2:46.6 last 1200)

Commonwealth vs. U.S.A.   Los Angeles, CA

8-12-67   Mile        3:56.0      1^st            60.7-2:03.03:02.2-3:56.0

U.S.A. vs. Great Britian        London, England

8-17-67   1500        3:38.2      1^st            last 440 50.2

U.S.A. vs. West Germany     Dusseldorf, West Germany

8-19-67   5000        13:47.8    1^st            3 mile 13:21.0 enroute

U.S.A. vs. Italy       Viareggio, Italy