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The odd distances were very common in the 19th century. One of the earliest record listings I can find right off the bat (1877 New York Clipper annual) lists running records for the following distances (all yards): 100, 120, 125, 130, 140, 150, 200, 220, 250, 300, 350, 400, 440, 500, 600, 700, 800, 880, 1000, 1320, 1 mile, 1-1/4, 1-1/2, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 18, 19, 20, 27, 35, 40, 50, and 52 miles. In following years, records were given for many more distances than these...
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Would that be "strike while the iron is hot" or "go to the shadow while the sun shines or it'll boil your brain out"? :wink:Originally posted by rasb
Yes, Paavo Nurmi liked making WRs. It's a running joke here that the only reason he never officially went below 30 in the 10000 was that he always wanted to make a new half-hour run WR in the same race.
And usually, he wouldn't have any trouble getting any WR he wanted - other than the unfortunate 2 mile and 3 mile records.
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Charley Paddock also spent much of the mid- and late-1920s running odd distances for the sake of setting "records."Comment
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A contemporary of Smith's, Ron Clarke, held at least 8 or 9 at one time.
He held world records in at least 11 events, but I am not sure how many he held at one time.
Here are the WRs I can find :
2 mile indoor WR 1966 San Francisco 8:28.8
3 mile indoor WR 1964 New York 13:18.4
2 mile WR 1967 Vasteras 8:19.8
2 mile WR 1968 London 8:19.6
3 mile WR 1964 Melbourne 13:07.06
3 mile WR 1965 Los Angeles 13:00.4
3 mile WR 1965 London 12:52.4
3 mile WR 1966 Stockholm 12:50.4
5000m WR 1965 Hobart 13:34.8
5000m WR 1965 Auckland 13:33.6
5000m WR 1965 Los Angeles 13:25.8
6 mile WR 1963 Melbourne 27:17.8
6 mile WR 1965 Oslo 26:47.0
10,000m WR 1963 Melbourne 28:15.6
10,000m WR 1965 Oslo 27:39.4
15km WR 1965 44:13.0 Geelong
10 mile WR 1965 Melbourne 47:12.8
20km WR 1965 Geelong 59:22.8
1 hour WR 1965 Geelong 20,232mComment
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two tommie questions
Originally posted by ccnuggets
If my memory is accurate INDOOR world records were not accepted by the IAAF until about 20 years later.noneComment
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Too bad they didn't run the half marathon then, because if he had continued for 866 meters at Geelong, he would have run about 62:30, well under Miruts Yifter's 1977 world record.
It looks like Clarke had eight outdoor individual world records in 1965, tying Smith.Comment
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Re: two tommie questions
And even then, they did not (and do not) recognize indoor records at 2 miles or 3 miles.Originally posted by GleasonComment
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What can be said other than....WOW!......about SJS back in the late 50's to the early 70's when it comes to speed?
How about Olympians/world record holders....
Ray Norton
Dennis Johnson
Tommie Smith
Ronnie Ray Smith
Lee Evans
John Carlos
Now add......
Kirk Clayton
Sam Davis
Ron Whitaker
Bill Gaines
Wayne Herman
Vince Breddell
Ken Thomas
What a shame Tommie had to get a job after 68. If he (and Hayes) could have stayed in the sport up into their late 20's no telling what they might have accomplished. I definately see a 9.8ish for Hayes and a 19.6ish for Smith.Comment
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Don't forget Bobby Poynter.Comment
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Clues about the 10th and 11th world records?
From pp 150-151 of Silent Gesture:
"Of the 11 simultaneous world records I once held, four were at the 200-meter or 220-yard distances, on the straightaway and the curve.
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I also teamed up for some of the great relays of that time; teams I ran on held outdoor and indoor records in the 1,600 meter, the one-mile, the 880, and the 800 meters."Comment
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