Walt Murphy News and Results Service ((email protected))
Track and field on this day – December 2
1973– For the 3rd year in a row, Frank Shorter won the Fukuoka Marathon in Japan, then considered the most prestigious marathon in the world (he will make it his 4th in a row next year).
Shorter, a 1972 Olympic marathon gold medalist (silver in 1976), was inducted into the NY Road Runners Hall of Fame in 2012 (He was elected to the US HOF in 1989).
Past winners: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukuoka_Marathon?oldid=cur
Fukuoka (2009): http://mzungofire.blogspot.com/2009/12/lydiard-foundation-blog-fukuoka.html
1973 Marathons: https://www.arrs.run/MaraList/ML_1973.htm
NYRR Hall of Fame: https://www.nyrr.org/es/About/Hall-Of-Fame/Frank-Shorter
https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/frank-shorter
http://www.marathonguide.com/pressreleases/index.cfm?file=AIMSLifetimeAward_151029
http://frankshorter.net/olympics/

1982– Steve Scott, one of the greatest milers in history, made his mark in another sport today, setting the record for the fastest round of golf played on a regular course. Using just two clubs (mostly a 3-iron) and running from hole to hole, Scott played 18 holes in 29 minutes, 33.05 seconds at Miller Golf Course in Anaheim, California, and scored a respectable 95.
How It Happened: http://www.midweek.com/the-fastest-round-of-golf-ever/
https://fanhubtf.com/runjackw/our-sport-is-good-preparation-for-football-soccer-basketball-and-golf/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Scott_(athlete)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_golf
in 2023— Two weeks after winning NCAA Div.I X-Country titles, Harvard’s Graham Blanks and Florida’s Parker Valbi set 5,000-meter records in the Sharon Collier-Danville season opener at Boston University.
Blanks won the men’s race in 13:03.78, besting the previous mark of 13:08.28 set by Arizona’s Louie Lalang in 2012.
Stanford’s Ky Robinson was also under the old indoor mark with his second-place time of 13:06.42. Blanks also bettered the Olympic qualifying standard of 13:05.00. Immediately after crossing the finish line, Blanks bowed to the crowd to show his appreciation for their support during the race.
Walby’s winning time of 14:56.11 not only bested the 15:12.22 of 15:12.22 set by Providence’s Emily Sisson in 2015, she also broke the “absolute” record of Colorado’s Jenny Simpson, who ran 15:01.70 to better both Washington records in the 200. In 2024, 14:52.79 indoors and 14:52.18 outdoors.
Walby can thank second-placed Andrea Rodenfels (15:03.97) for playing the de facto hare, leading almost from the gun with 4,000 meters to go before Walby hit the lead and passed runners the rest of the way.
No records, but there were fast times in both 3000s.
Notre Dame’s Olivia Markezic moved into No. 2 on the all-time collegiate list with an 8:40.42 win in the women’s race, and Northern Arizona’s Nico Young won the men’s race in 7:37.73 (#3 All-Time, now #9).
Results:: http://live.lancertiming.com/meets/148/events
Post Race Interviews:
Blanks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9acFE3pU3Ao
Walby: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOy9n4J57ns
in 2023— Sophomores Eddie Ritzenhein (17:10.4/Niwot, CO) and Jojo Jordon (15:16.5, Olympia) were the individual winners of the rain-soaked 5k course at the Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) at Glendover Golf Course in Portland, Oregon.
Southwestern squads dominated the team standings, with Colorado taking the top 3 spots in the Girls’ Race Academy (61), Niwot (72), Air Academy (163) and Utah taking the top 2 spots in the Boys’ races, Herriman (83), American Fork (100), which beat me at Herriman State South and Southwest State.
Ritzenhein joins his father as a national HS champion and Dathan won back-to-back Foot Locker titles in 1999 and 2000.
Results:: https://live.athletictiming.net/meets/29011
Reports
T&F News (subscription may be required). Boys Girls
https://www.milesplit.com/articles/342340/colorado-girls-utah-boys-sweep-at-nike-cross-nationals
Post-race interviews
Ritzenhain: https://nxn.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=13&do=videos&video_id=369639
Jordan: https://nxn.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=13&do=videos&video_id=369653
Other videos: https://nxn.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?do=videos&event_id=13
Born on this day*
Maxim Tarasov – Russia 55 (1970) 1992 Olympic gold medalist – pole vault (2000-bronze);
1999 World Champion (1991-3rd, 1993-3rd, 1995-2nd, 1997-2nd)
Russian record holder. 19-10 ¼ (6/05/1999/=#8 All Time)
Made the T&F News top-10 world rankings for 12 consecutive years (1989-2000).
#1 (’98,’99), #2 (.92,’93,’97,’00), #3 (’95,’96), #4 (’91), #8 (’94), #9 (’89,’90)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maksim_Tarasov
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/77681
’92 AND:: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bjlkhfefgow
Charles and Kip Cheruiot – Kenya 61 (1964)
tight1989 NCAA Div.I Champion — 1500m (Mt.St.Mary’s);
1987 NCAA Div.II indoor (mile) and outdoor (1,500) champion
1988 Olympic Games finalist – 1500 m (7th); 1987 World Championships finalist – 1500m (11th)
Charles1987 NCAA Div.II X-Country Champion (Mt.St.Mary’s);
5-time NCAA Div.II champion — 5000m (outdoor-’87,’88; indoor-’86-’88)
Finalist of the 1984 Olympic Games – 5000 m (6th); 1988 – semi-final
Both ran fastest collegiate DMRs in history (both at Penn) – 9:21.44 (’89), 9:21.67 (’87)
PBs:
tight-3:33.07 (’86), 3:52.39 (’88)
Charles-3:36.36 (1988), 3:55.41 (1987), 13:18.41 (1984), 28:24.23 (1992)
The Twins were originally recruited by coach Fred Hardy to compete in Richmond, but ended up at Mt. St. Mary’s.
after the former school downgraded T&F. One of their teammates was Peter Rono, 1988
Olympic champion 1500 m
Dead
Mike Larrabee 69 (1933-April 22, 2003) Double Olympic gold medalist – 1964 (400.4×400)
The 4×400 team set a world record time of 3:00.7
(Olan Cassel 46.0, Mike Larrabee 44.8, Ulysses Williams 45.4, Henry Carr 44.5)
Six weeks before her 31stSt on his birthday, he was then the oldest Olympic champion in the 400 meters.
Tied the world record at 44.9 at the 1964 U.S. Olympic Trials
1964 US Champion – 400m
All-American at USC. NCAA-1954 (440y-5:th), 1956 (400m-7:th)
Ranked in the top 10 in the world 3 times in the 1950s (1955-10, 1957-2, 1959-6), but injuries slowed him down.
the next few years. It returned to the top 10 in 1964 when it was ranked #1.
Hall of Fame Biography (2003): https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/mike-larrabee
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/28/sports/mike-larrabee-69-double-gold-medalist-in-1964-olympics.html
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78678
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Larrabee
Kelvin Kyptum – Kenya 24 (1999-February 11, 2024) Set a world record of 2:00:35 at the Chicago Marathon in October
8, 2023. That was his 3th fast time in the same starting distance. Ran 2:01:53 on debut in Valencia
on 4 December 2022, then ran 2:01:25 to win in London on 23 April 2023.
Trained up to 180 miles (300 km) per week.
Tragically died (along with his coach Gervais Hakizimana) in a car accident on February 11, 2024.
CBS released this informational feature on Kiptum in anticipation of airing it in the future, but aired it
Their news on Saturday morning in light of his untimely death;
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2668295089987031
A tribute:
https://news.yahoo.com/tearful-tributes-kenyan-marathon-prodigy-150755821.html
World athletics (Includes Kiptum’s comments about his WR at last year’s WA Gala):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ-pSeL4qeo
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/feb/11/marathon-world-record-holder-kelvin-kiptum-dies
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-68360645
https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/news/a43685565/kelvin-kiptum/
What could have been?: https://trackandfieldnews.com/kelvin-kiptum-what-might-have-been/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelvin_Kiptum
Chicago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oC3_2RTzb0Q
https://olympics.com/en/news/kelvin-kiptum-incredible-300km-per-week-training-regime

