Walt Murphy is one of the finest track geeks that I know. Walt does #ThisDayinTrack&FieldHistory, an excellent daily service that provides true geek stories about our sport. You can check out the service for FREE with a free one-month trial subscription! (email: WaltMurphy44@gmail.com ) for the entire daily service. We will post a few historic moments each day, beginning February 1, 2024.
by Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service (wmurphy25@aol.com), used with permission
This Day in Track & Field–September 26
1967—A fund-raising dinner was held in Vancouver, British Columbia, the site of the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games that featured the Miracle Mile, the race in which history’s first two sub-4 minute milers met in a classic duel.
England’s Roger Bannister beat Australia’s John Landy in that race and both were the featured guests at the affair. Joining them were Canadian sprint legends Percy Williams, the 1928 Olympic gold medalist in the 100 and 200, and Harry Jerome, the 1964 NCAA Champion while at Oregon, and…comedian Bob Hope!
http://www.miraclemile1954.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Williams_(sprinter)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Jerome
1981— In the inaugural Pepsi Challenge Fifth Avenue Mile on New York City’s famed thoroughfare, Sydney Maree defeated a stunning field that included Eamonn Coghlan, Steve Scott, John Walker, Steve Cram, Ray Flynn, and runner-up Mike Boit, by two seconds in 3:47.52, which remained the fastest time in the history of the event until Scotland’s Josh Kerr ran 3:44.3 in 2024! Over the next four years, Maree would go on to set American records at 1500, the mile, and 5000 meters. American Leann Warren won the women’s race in 4:25.21.
Maree’s fast time, 2nd only to Sebastian Coe’s track WR of 3:47.33 at the time, is attributed to the fact that once the runners reached the crest of the one uphill section of the course, they could see the finish line and started kicking—with 600-meters still to go!
Ross Donoghue, the designated rabbit, led the field through the first 1/4-mile in 53.2, while Tom Byers led at the half-way point in a sizzling 1:52.8. Maree soon took the lead, passing the ¾ split in 2:52.6 before pulling away to his impressive win.
“I’ve never gone into such oxygen debt,” said Walker. Boit said, “It was so difficult. I could see the finish. I was sprinting as fast as I could. But I was not gaining ground.”
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