Jeff Benjamin originally wrote this for the 45th anniversary of the first sub 3:50 mile! Sir John Walker was the 1974 Commonwealth silver medalist at 1,500 meters and the 1976 Olympic gold medalist at 1,500 meters.
In August 1975, John Walker was in great shape, and he convinced the meet organizers in Goteborg, Sweden, to change a 1,500m race into a mile race, and he would go for the World record. 20 years later, Goteborg, Sweden would host the World Outdoor Athletics Championships (August 4-13, 1995).
This is his story.
Jeff Benjamin, who is sitting in Reykjavik, Iceland, waiting for a flight to JFK, had just spent last week at Paris Olympics with his photographer, Tony Gulata, as they covered the social media world for RunBlogRun from the Stade de France, PUMA House, adidas House, and ASICS House.
John Walker is the 1976 Olympic gold medalist in the 1,500m. John was also the silver medalist at the 1974 Commonwealth Games 1,500m in Christchurch, New Zealand.
The piece below is by Jeff Benjamin and his questions with Sir John Walker. As an aside, my favorite quote by John Walker was in TFN, the sport’s bible. The late Jon Hendershott once asked Sir John who he would prefer in the Montreal 1976 Olympic 1,500m final? Walker’s reply was classic: “Senior citizens”.
August 12th, 1975 – The 40th Anniversary Of John Walker’s 3:49.4 World Record Mile Race!!
By Jeff Benjamin
Still active with the laser-like focus that drove him to be the first man on earth to run a mile under 3 minutes, 50 seconds, New Zealander John Walker has also had to face the challenge of Parkinson’s Disease since the 1990s.
But the drive is still there.
The 1976 Olympic Gold Medalist at 1500 Meters and the first man to run 100 (!) sub-4 minute miles has never left his Kiwi roots either, having also left an enduring legacy outside of Athletics as a noted public servant and the leader of his “Field of Dreams” organization.
This writer is hugely grateful to John and his wife Helen for the help and interest in reminiscing about that magical and historic night in Gothenburg, Sweden!!
1. Before the World Record, you were on an undefeated streak – 19 straight victories – any memorable races?
“No memorial races. Because I came from NZ, I had no choice but to keep running. The meet promoters paid for my accommodations and food, and I needed a base to return to between races. That was just the way it was that season.”
2. For 3 weeks before the attempt, you didn’t race –…
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