Who is the best ever runner from your state?

trackcoach248 wrote:

Texas: Leonard Hilton, hands down followed by Manzano, who moved to Texas as a child.

If sprinters included, Michael Johnson is tops. For preps, add Roy Martin who holds the 30-year-old 200 meter record.

For biking / tris - add Lance Armstrong

George Young definetely comes close to making the list, he is after all, NM's only Olympic distance medalist.

Back to the NM list, let's go with milers first:

Krummenacker: 3:31?, indoor 800m gold medalist, multiple national champs

Maas: Adams State 1500m record holder, All-American, sub 4, etc etc

Graham: Adams State, two-time indoor naia mile champ, one of Vigil's orginals

McNiff: Adams State again, sub four guy

Aragon: 3:51 mile

George Young: steepleer, but sub 4 miler.

Others:

Tony Sandoval, 1980 trials winner and record holder until recently

Rick Rojas, stud high school miler then went on to be a top road racer

Lynn Bjorklund, 9min, 8 sec for 3k as a high school girl!

Gachupin, total stud of a trail runner and marathoner

Waquie

Gonzales

Can go on and on. Not bad for a state with one of the lowest populations

north carolina

brad carter

You can't include Mohammad Noor with True, Luchini, Masters or Joanie. Eric Nedeau needs to be listed as well. Mohammad does not belong in the conversation of best runners from Maine.

Kentucky

Bobby Curtis (born in Wisconsin) Villinova/Reebok/Hansons

Thomas Morgan UK/ZAP Fitness

Jim Sapienza Dartmouth for Vin Lannana

All ran under 13:30 for 5000

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Actually, Mark Nenow, former 10k American record holder from 1986 through 2001, should top the Kentucky list.

CT

Amby Burfoots got to be up there!

DedicatedRunner wrote:

Kentucky

Bobby Curtis (born in Wisconsin) Villinova/Reebok/Hansons

Thomas Morgan UK/ZAP Fitness

Jim Sapienza Dartmouth for Vin Lannana

All ran under 13:30 for 5000

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Actually, Mark Nenow, former 10k American record holder from 1986 through 2001, should top the Kentucky list.

No, Mark Nenow is on the Minnesota list, which should also include Bob Kempainen, Dick Beardsley, Garry Bjorklund, Steve Plasencia, Hassan Mead, Will Leer, Elliot and Garrett Heath, Van Nelson and others, some of which were named on a prior post.

The Educator wrote:

DE (In no particular order)

Men:

Vic Zwolak

Bruce Harris

Dan Foran

Mike Monagle

Steve Sinko

Women:

Vicki Huber Rudawsky

Juliet Bottorff

Denise Marini Lougheed

Haley Pierce

Meredith Lambert

This list is off. Mike Monagle definitely doesn't deserve to be on there - 16 minute 5k runner. Steve Sinko ran 2:24 once so he was a solid marathoner but I don't think he ever broke 32 for the 10k or 15:30 for the 5k. They do not belong on the list.

Harris was a great 800m man. Zwolak yes because he went to the Olympics. Dan Foran was really good, he's up there on the list.

Womens list looks good but Lambert lived in PA and actually just went to HS in DE.

MN Guy wrote:

Minnesota:

Dick Beardsly

Ron Daws

Mark Nenow

Kara Goucher

Carrie Tollefson

Garrett Heath

Elliott Heath

Hassan Mead

Bob Kempainen

Garry Bjorklund

Steve Plasencia

Van Nelson

Steve Holman

Will Leer

Well, I'm from a territory (Puerto Rico) and the best runner ever here was Hugh Janus

I am using the idea of where they lived while in high school or where they lived when they were in their prime:

1. Alberto Salazar

2. Shalane Flanagan

3. Lynn Jennings

4. Bill Rodgers

5. Bruce Bickford

Scharsu went to Penn State and finshed top 10 twice as the top American finisher in the NCAA in the era of the UTEP older Kenyans dominated.

He ran for AW. I think 13:30 was his lifetime best. Moved to San Diego where I think he still lives and was still running 15:20 5k road races 10 years ago when he would have been in his mid 40's.

In high school he was the two mile prodigy that came after Craig Virgin who beat Pre's HSR. I don't like how when Ohio and most states went to metric his 2 mile of 8:44.0, a solo effort at a district meet, is not listed in the state meet records lists in the programs. Kids today don't even know about him.

The fastest 3200 time by Ricky Pittman is the official record and it was worth over 5 seconds slower than Scharsu.

stretching it wrote:

Georgia wrote:

Maybe someone has already addressed Georgia's greatest runners, but I'm not going to read this entire thread.

1. Benji Durden. He ran for the University of Georgia and lived in the Atlanta area during most of his prime years.

If we used that criteria then Colorado could claim a bunch of people, like Jenny Simpson, Alan Culpepper, Ritz, the Gouchers, etc. Oregon could claim a lot of the top professional runners.

Then by all means claim these people for Colorado and Oregon. It wouldn't bother me at all. Many of these runners have strong ties to multiple states. It's like asking if Reggie Jackson is an A or a Yankee or an Angel?

Durden ran for UGA and lived in Stone Mountain during his years as top marathoner. Galloway came to Atlanta in the early or mid 70's when he was still a relevant competitor and has been a key figure in the Georgia running scene ever since. These are good enough criteria for me.

DE Realist wrote:

The Educator wrote:

DE (In no particular order)

Men:

Vic Zwolak

Bruce Harris

Dan Foran

Mike Monagle

Steve Sinko

Women:

Vicki Huber Rudawsky

Juliet Bottorff

Denise Marini Lougheed

Haley Pierce

Meredith Lambert

This list is off. Mike Monagle definitely doesn't deserve to be on there - 16 minute 5k runner. Steve Sinko ran 2:24 once so he was a solid marathoner but I don't think he ever broke 32 for the 10k or 15:30 for the 5k. They do not belong on the list.

Harris was a great 800m man. Zwolak yes because he went to the Olympics. Dan Foran was really good, he's up there on the list.

Womens list looks good but Lambert lived in PA and actually just went to HS in DE.

You're right, Monagle doesn't belong on that list. He has no PRs that are worth talking about. I believe that he's broken 16 but just barely. Guys like Nick Pyle and Pat Riley and George Vernom are light years better than that dude. He's only good at pretending that he's good and bragging about doing things that aren't true.

As far as Sinko goes, you're wrong about him. He was an 800m runner in high school and I believe still owns the state record for the 800m indoor. His marathon time is the state record also. He's run a 67 or maybe a little faster or slower 1/2 marathon time as well. His 5k or is from the road and it's 15 low which isn't great but it's not bad considering he was never a 5000 runner and never trained for it. He was a mid d runner and then after college just moved up to the marathon so he never trained for the 5/10. He has the best range ever in the state so that's worth something and he belongs on this list. When it's all said and done Andy Weaver will more than likely have the best range but he's not done yet. So yes, Sinko belongs.

The running store I ran for used to run against their store and Sinko was always a good racer. Have not raced against him or Monagle in years. But Monagle was always a putz and Sinko was a gamer.

Utah- Ed Eyestone

BC Boyz wrote:

British Columbia, Canada

1. 800m Gary Reed 1:43.68

2. 10000m Cam Leavins 27:27.96

3. 1500m Graham Hood 3:34.98

Hood was born in Winnipeg, Raised in Ontario (Burlington) for HS anyway, went to College in Arkansas - his sojourn out west was at the end of his career. Hood also ran 3.33 (CR at the time).

Doug Padilla

Exactly right, George.

Other noteworthy additions

Willie Davenport

Edwin Moses

Butch Reynolds

Bridget Franek

Tonya Buford-Bailey

Angela Bizzarri

Lavonna Martin

Doe anyone else think this thread has strayed a bit afield of THE best runner idea.

soon we'll see Lynn Petronella and wineturtles name pop up.