Gerry Lindgren is absolutely full of $hit

He has my full respect as runner.

"Most people are too stupid to see what he has been doing all these years is trying to make others believe they can do the impossible like he did in college and high school."

I disagree. By saying he ran these ridiculous 3 times ultramarathon distances, he is actually making it seem he did something is impossible and that nobody would have a chance doing the same. Thats what hes doing.

dsffsdadfsa wrote:

Welcome to the world of ultra. We run extreme distances because we enjoy the challenges and it brings us closer to nature. When we run extreme distances, it doesn't feel like work: it feels like play.

Then why aren't you running sub 9, 2 miles and winning the Oly Trials 10k???

Jerry Cohen wrote:

Gerry is bat-shit crazy. What sane person ups and leaves their wife and kids? Let me rephrase that, what sane person ups and leaves their kids?

Reminds me of Paul Gauguin...suffered a mid-life crisis, battled alcoholism and relocated (leaving a family behind) to tahiti to pursue his art (and beautiful women).

maybe suffered from a "deep depression" that could better explain lindgren's case.

I read a great story on his 10k win over the Russians at a USA-USSR dual meet a few years ago. I can't seem to find it, though. Dude may be a little off and he didn't have the longest career but when he was good he was really good.

So has Gerry told these stories (lies) so many times he now believes them as truths? Or does he know he is embellishing the truth? (lying)?

The 8:40 at the smoked filled Cow Palace 11 laps to the mile wooden track is probably 8:30 at the Armory. The 13:44 was on a cinder track (and he broke the previous American record and lost to Schul, who would win the Olympic 5000, by only six seconds). Then he beat the Russians at 10,000 (if you weren't around then, in the Cold War/Sputnik days, it would be hard to understand just how big that was). But most amazingly, I've not the slightest doubt but that had he not hurt his ankle, he would have won the Olympic 10,000. He was a screwball then and a fruitcake now, and I feel quite sad whenever I read about his life. But almost 50 years later he is far and away the best long distance high school runner we've ever seen.

Lets be Honest wrote:

I would certainly hope modern day HS distance runners could equal if not better Lindgren's records with all of the advantages they now have. Lindgren ran an 8:40 2 mile as a 17yo HS kid in leather "cleats" on a crappy board track with none of the training and nutrition knowledge available to athletes today. Pretty focking amazing if you ask me.

Nutrition and training hasn't really changed, as if high schoolers were using ultra hi tech diets to get ahead. If anything the old timers had it easy, since they could run mediocre times and be world class and famous and rake in under the table money.

Definitely ahead of his time. While I don't understand or agree with his personal life decisions, we have no business judging others. Lots of fathers abandon their family for God knows what reasons. Seems to me that everyone knows Gerry lives partly in a fantasy world, but his running and running tales can inspire.

quick question wrote:

is every dad in the military sane or insane to you?

Military dads do not abandon their kids. They leave and then come back like lots of dads do. Not even close to what GL did.

I'm with this guy. His stories are fairly ridiculous, but the truth of what he did is probably ridiculous enough to even the best of modern runners that he may as well embellish. Think about the non-runners you know. Telling them you ran 15 miles versus 26 miles makes no difference to them; they have no grasp of the scale. So when Gerry tells even real-deal runners that he ran 150mpw versus 230mpw most can't comprehend the idea other than to say it's beyond them.

Whether his stories are true or not, he created a world few can fathom.

Lets Really Be Honest wrote:

Lets be Honest wrote:

I would certainly hope modern day HS distance runners could equal if not better Lindgren's records with all of the advantages they now have. Lindgren ran an 8:40 2 mile as a 17yo HS kid in leather "cleats" on a crappy board track with none of the training and nutrition knowledge available to athletes today. Pretty focking amazing if you ask me.

Nutrition and training hasn't really changed, as if high schoolers were using ultra hi tech diets to get ahead. If anything the old timers had it easy, since they could run mediocre times and be world class and famous and rake in under the table money.

B-shit. Nutrition and training haven't really changed? Are you serious? We know a hellava lot more about the impact of good nutrition today then we did 50 yrs ago. Training modalities are much more advanced. Hell, many of the professional athletes used to smoke back then. Trust me, things have changed. Which makes Lindgren's HS performances all the more amazing.

Lets be Honest wrote:

B-shit. Nutrition and training haven't really changed? Are you serious? We know a hellava lot more about the impact of good nutrition today then we did 50 yrs ago. Training modalities are much more advanced. Hell, many of the professional athletes used to smoke back then. Trust me, things have changed. Which makes Lindgren's HS performances all the more amazing.

I agree with that they haven't really changed also.

I nor any one fast that I know pays attention to their "nutrition". We just eat whatever looks good and then go train. Ask your average NCAA runner if they really plan out their diet, and I bet that most don't.

Many runners smoke now. Smoking might not even be that much of a hindrance.

And training? First, what about training has change since then? Second, no one trains the same way anyway (ex: Lagat vs Farah vs Verzbikas). This is like saying "the way Americans train". Which way exactly is that?

Gerry is a pathalogical liar, and people are truley twisting that by trying to say he is attempting to inspire.

Left his young kids

refused to acknowledge paternity of another

Lied about his coaches treatment of him

Ran a 1:58 26.1

Let's Run is much harder on Kip Litton for a lot less.

The Devil Dogs are one of my favorite bands.

Lindgren indeed has mental stability issues and to expect the kind of consistency and rationalism from his as you do other people is unrealistic. It is not like he is all of a sudden going to get better. People making fun of him of being critical of some of his statements should really take a long look in the mirror and be thankful that they have not had to live with the demons the Lindgren has.

But he is also a guy that beat the USSR runners in the 10,000 meter race in a dual meet in 1964 as an 18 year old. This was a truly astonishing accomplishment. Then just a year later was placed in a ridiculously untenable situation for anyone, let alone an 18 year old kid, during the NCAA-AAU quest for control. The pressures he received from both sides was also astonishing. Then of course he disappeared for all those years.

I wish him well, happiness, and hopefully some contentment, for the remainder of this life. I don't really care whether he did a 147 mile run or not, or whether he thinks he did and did not, or whatever. It just does not matter right now.

At least half the people that post in Lets run lie about their best mile or 10K times anyway.

G_D

How the heck does someone run a 380 mile week, or average 240 miles a week for a year? I think he did his math wrong or used km or something. That is 12,480 miles in a year!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerry_Lindgren

I was always a little suspicious of others training logs and the amount of miles they were putting in. Gerry is a running legend no ifs ands or buts about it. When is the last time you seen a distance runner win 11xNCAA championships and on the Olympic Team at age 18? No matter what his mental state is in now, you have to give him credit for his accomplishments. I don't care if you state, "well it was a different era". His times are still remarkable by today's standards.

"Many runners smoke now. Smoking might not even be that much of a hindrance."

Are you high? No decent runner smokes, and smoking is definitely a hindrance.

conficious wrote:

quick question wrote:

I agree with that they haven't really changed also.

I nor any one fast that I know pays attention to their "nutrition". We just eat whatever looks good and then go train. Ask your average NCAA runner if they really plan out their diet, and I bet that most don't.

Many runners smoke now. Smoking might not even be that much of a hindrance.

And training? First, what about training has change since then? Second, no one trains the same way anyway (ex: Lagat vs Farah vs Verzbikas). This is like saying "the way Americans train". Which way exactly is that?

"Many runners smoke now. Smoking might not even be that much of a hindrance."

Are you high? No decent runner smokes, and smoking is definitely a hindrance.

No, I'm not high. I know plenty of sub 4:10 milers that smoke