Running in History

• 1926-05-24 Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi sets world 3000m record (8:25.4) in Berlin, Germany
• 1926-07-13 Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi sets world record 3000m (8:20.4) in Stockholm, Sweden
• 1954-05-29 British runner Diane Leather becomes first woman to run the mile in under 5 minutes; 4:59.6 at Alexander Sports Ground in Birmingham, England
• 1968-10-20 Kenyan runner Kip Keino wins 1,500m gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics in 3:34.91 despite a severe gall bladder infection
• 1972-06-24 South African runner Danie Malan sets a new 1,000m world record 2:16.0 in Munich, Germany
• 1972-08-10 Finnish runner Lasse Virén wraps up the 5,000/10,000m double at the Munich Olympics; runs Olympic record 13:26.42 for the 5k gold medal
• 1972-08-31 Finnish runner Lasse Viren runs Olympic and world record 10,000m (27:38.4)
• 1972-09-03 Finnish runner Lasse Virén scores a famous victory in the 10,000m at the Munich Olympics in world record 27:38.35
• 1972-09-09 Soviet runner Lyudmila Bragina with a world record 4:01.38 wins the women's 1,500m gold medal at the Munich Olympics
• 1973-08-26 10-year-old Mary Boitano is 1st woman to win 6.8-mile Dipsea Race in Marin County, CA, beating a field of 1,500 runners

• 1980-09-06 French runner Chantal Langlacé sets women's 100k world record (7h 27m 22s) in Amiens, France
• 1989-06-07 23-year-old olympic barefoot South African runner Zola Budd retires

• 2004-08-24 Kenyan runners sweep the medals in the 3000m steeplechase at the Athens Olympics; Ezekiel Kemboi wins gold ahead of Brimin Kipruto and Paul Kipsiele Koech
• 2016-08-17 Kenyan runner Conseslus Kipruto records an Olympic record 8:03.28 to win the men's 3,000m steeplechase gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Games

• 2019-05-01 Two-time South African Olympic champion runner Caster Semenya loses appeal against proposed rules to limit her testosterone levels; medically reducing levels the only way to continue competition
• 2022-07-04 Minneosta Twins turn 1st 8-5 triple play in MLB history as centerfielder Byron Buxton makes a catch and third baseman Gio Urshela tags one runner out in the basepath and doubles-off another runner by tagging second base against White Sox in Chicago

Birthdays 1 - 100 of 219

• 1875-01-15 Tom Burke, American athlete (Olympic gold 100m, 400m 1896), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1929)
• 1882-03-16 Jim Lightbody, American athlete (Olympic gold 800m, 1500m, 2590m Steeplechase 1904), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 1953)
• 1882-05-30 Wyndham Halswelle, British athlete (Olympic gold 400m 1908), born in London, England (d. 1915)
• 1884-04-12 Tenby Davies, Welsh athlete (world half-mile professional champion 1909), born in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales (d. 1932)
• 1891-01-21 Francisco Lazaro, Portuguese marathon runner (1st person to die during a modern Olympics - during 1912 marathon), born in Lisbon, Portugal (d. 1912)
• 1892-06-23 Abel Kiviat, American athlete (Olympic gold 3000m team race, silver 1500m 1912), born in New York City (d. 1991)
• 1892-11-14 Ted Meredith, American athlete (Olympic gold 800m in world record 1:51.9s 1912), born in Chester Heights, Pennsylvania (d. 1957)
• 1896-02-22 Edvin Wide, Swedish runner (Olympic silver 1924 and world record holder), born in Kimito, Finland (d. 1996)
• 1897-03-15 Jackson Scholz, American athlete (Olympic gold 4 x 100m 1920, 200m 1924), born in Buchanan, Michigan (d. 1986)
• 1898-02-15 Allen Woodring, American runner (d. 1982)
• 1898-04-15 Harry F. V. Edward, British 100m/200m runner (Olympic bronze 1920), born in Berlin (d. 1973)
• 1901-06-25 Adolf Brunner, Swiss composer (Markus-Passion), born in Zurich, Switzerland (d. 1992)
• 1902-01-16 Eric Liddell, Scottish 400m runner (Olympic gold 1924) and Christian missionary in China, born in Tianjin, China (d. 1945)
• 1903-10-04 Ernst Kaltenbrunner, Austrian nazi (SS/SD), born in Ried im Innkreis, Austria-Hungary (d. 1946)
• 1903-10-08 Lina Radke, German 800m runner (Olympic gold 1928), born in Karlsruhe, Germany (d. 1983)
• 1907-08-28 Phil Edwards, Canadian-Guyanese runner (Olympic bronze 1928, 32, 36), born in Georgetown, Guyana (d. 1971)

• 1908-01-01 Kinue Hitomi, Japanese athlete (World record women's 100m, 200m, long jump, triple jump; Olympic silver 800m 1928), born in Okayama, Japan (d. 1931)
• 1908-12-26 Ralph Hill, American athlete (Olympic silver 5,000m 1932; same time as winner Lauri Lehtinen), born in Klamath Falls, Oregon (d. 1994)
• 1912-04-08 Alois Brunner, Austrian Nazi, assistant to Adolf Eichmann (convicted in absentia for crimes against humanity), born in Nádkút, Austria-Hungary (d. c. 2010)
• 1913-05-24 Audrey Brown, British 4 X 100m runner (Olympic silver 1936), born in Bankura, India (d. 2005)
• 1913-11-26 Foy Draper, American athlete (Olympic gold 4 x 100m relay 1936 WR 39.8s), born in Georgetown, Texas (d. 1943)
• 1915-02-21 Godfrey Brown, British athlete, 4 X 400m runner (Olympic gold 1936), born in Bankura, India (d. 1995)
• 1916-05-21 Tinus Osendarp, Dutch runner (d. 2002)

• 1917-07-06 Arthur Lydiard, New Zealand running coach, born in Auckland, New Zealand (d. 2004)
• 1918-02-25 Barney Ewell, American athlete (1948 Olympics 1 gold, 2 silver), born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (d. 1996)
• 1920-03-25 Arthur Wint, Jamaican runner (d. 1992)
• 1920-12-08 McDonald Bailey, British-Trinidadian athlete (Olympic bronze 100m 1952; 100m WR 10.2s 1951-56), born in Williamsville, Trinidad (d. 2013)
• 1922-07-10 Herb McKenley, Jamaican athlete (Olympic gold 4 x 400m relay 1952; 3 x silver 1948, 52), born in Pleasant Valley, Clarendon, Jamaica (d. 2007)
• 1923-07-08 Harrison Dillard, American athlete (Olympic gold 100m, 4×100m relay 1948; 110m hurdles, 4×100m relay 1952), born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 2019)
• 1927-02-07 Vladimir Kuts, Russian runner (d. 1975)
• 1927-04-24 Josy Barthel, Luxembourgish 1500m runner (Olympic gold 1952), born in Mamer, Luxembourg (d. 1992)
• 1928-05-23 Nina Otkalenko, USSR, 800m runner (9 world records)
• 1929-06-09 Keith Gardner, Jamaican athlete (Olympic bronze 1960)
• 1930-02-08 Catherine Hardy Lavender, American 4x100m runner (Olympic gold 1952), born in Carroll County, Georgia (d. 2017)
• 1930-03-10 Sandor Iharos, Hungarian runner, born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 1996)
• 1932-01-15 Dean Smith, American athlete (Olympic gold 4x100m relay 1952) and actor, rodeo cowboy and stuntman, born in Emporia, Kansas (d. 2023)
• 1932-01-15 Lou Jones, American athlete (Olympic gold 4x400m relay 1956), born in New Rochelle, New York (d. 2006)
• 1932-04-10 Mae Faggs, American athlete (Olympic gold 4 x 100m 1952), born in Mays Landing, New Jersey (d. 2000)
• 1932-06-17 Derek Ibbotson, English 5K runner (Olympic bronze 1956), born in Huddersfield, West Riding of Yorkshire (d. 2017)
• 1933-07-07 Murray Halberg, New Zealand athlete (Olympic gold 5000m 1960; WR 2 miles: 8:30.0 1961; WR 3 miles: 13.10.0 1961), born in Eketāhuna, New Zealand (d. 2022)
• 1934-01-07 Charles Jenkins Snr., American athlete (Olympic gold 400m, 4x400m relay 1956), born in New York City
• 1934-09-24 John Brunner, Britsih sci-fi author (100th Millennium), born in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, England (d. 1995)
• 1934-10-28 Jim Beatty, American athlete (first to break 4-minute mile barrier on an indoor track 3:58.9 1962), born in New York City
• 1934-11-26 Lyudmila Shevtsova, Russian athlete (Olympic gold USSR 800m 1960), born in Taman, Krasnodar Krai, Russia
• 1935-03-06 Ron Delany, Irish 1500m runner (Olympic gold 1956), born in Arklow, Republic of Ireland
• 1937-02-21 Ron Clarke, Australian athlete (17 x WRs, 5,000m, 10,000m, 20,000m; 2, 3, 6, 10 miles) and politician (mayor Gold Coast), born in Melbourne, Australia (d. 2015)
• 1938-02-25 Herb Elliott, Australian athlete (Olympic gold 1,500m [WR 3:35.6] 1960; WR mile 3:54.5 1958), born in Perth, Australia
• 1938-07-03 Shin Geum Dan, North Korean athlete (400m/800m disputed world records 1962), born in Riwon County, North Korea
• 1938-07-15 Enrique Figuerola Camue, Cuban 100m runner (Olympic silver 1964), born in Santiago de Cuba
• 1938-08-02 Brunhilde Hendrix, German relay runner (Olympic silver 1960), born in Langenzenn, Germany (d. 1995)
• 1939-03-10 Irina Press, Soviet 80m hurdles runner and pentathlete (Olympic gold 1960, 64), born in Kharkiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (d. 2004)
• 1939-05-08 Paul Drayton, American athlete (Olympic gold 4x100m relay 1964), born in Glen Cove, New York (d. 2010)
• 1940-09-30 Harry Winston Jerome, Canadian 100m runner (Olympic bronze 1964), born in Sask, Canada
• 1942-03-08 Ann Packer, British 400m/800m runner (Olympic gold 1964), born in Moulsford, Oxfordshire, England
• 1942-12-20 Bob Hayes, American athlete (Olympic gold 100m, 4x100m relay 1964) and Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver (3 x Pro Bowl; Dallas Cowboys), born in Jacksonville, Florida (d. 2002)
• 1943-07-24 Lyudmila Bragina, Russian athlete (Olympic gold USSR 1500m 1972 WR 4:01.38), born in Yekaterinburg, Russia
• 1944-03-21 Charles Edward Greene, Pine Bluff Ark, 4x100m runner (Olympic gold 1968)
• 1944-05-15 Miruts Yifter 'Yifter the Shifter', Ethiopian runner (Olympic golds 1980), born in Adigrat (d. 2016)
• 1944-07-06 Donald Ritchie, Scottish ultrarunner (world record 100 miles 11:51:11 1979), born in Lossiemouth, Scotland (d. 2018)
• 1944-07-06 Gunhild Hoffmeister, East German 800m/1500m runner (Olympic silver 1972), born in Forst, Germany
• 1945-08-29 Wyomia Tyus, American 100m runner (Olympic gold 1964, 68), born in Griffin, Georgia
• 1945-10-09 Naftali Bon, Kenyan 4x400m runner (Olympic silver 1968), born in Kapsabet, Rift Valley Province, Kenya
• 1945-11-29 Roger Bambuck, French 4X100 runner (Olympic bronze 1968), born in Guadeloupe
• 1945-12-23 Richard Wohlhuter, 800m runner (Olympic bronze 1976), born in St. Charles, Illinois
• 1946-04-07 Colette Besson, French runner (d. 2005)
• 1946-05-25 Irena Szewińska, Polish 200m runner (Olympic Gold 1964, 68, 76), born in Leningrad, Russian SSR, Soviet Union
• 1947-02-25 Lee Evans, American athlete (Olympic gold men's 400m, 4x400m relay 1968), born in Madera, California (d. 2021)
• 1947-04-29 Jim Ryun, American 1500m runner/broke 4 minute mile (Olympic silver 1968)
• 1947-06-12 Ron Freeman, American athlete (Olympic gold 4x400m, bronze 400m 1968), born in Elizabeth, New Jersey
• 1947-07-28 Barbara Ferrell, American runnerr (Olympic gold 1968), born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi
• 1947-07-28 Miguelina Cobian, Cuban 4x100m runner (Olympic silver 1968), born in Santiago de Cuba
• 1948-01-03 Manfred Kokot, East German athlete (world record 50m indoor sprint 5.61s 1973), born in Templin, Germany
• 1948-01-11 Madeline Manning-Mimms, American athlete (Olympic gold 800m 1968), born in Cleveland, Ohio
• 1948-04-24 Eddie James Hart, American 4x100m relay runner (Olympic gold 1972), born in Martinez, California
• 1949-01-06 Mike Boit, Kenyan 800m runner (Olympic bronze 1972), born in Eldoret, Kenya
• 1949-03-28 Ronnie Ray Smith, American athlete, 4 X 100m relay runner (Olympic gold 1968), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2013)
• 1949-04-29 Eddie Hart, American 100m runner (Olympics, 1972)
• 1949-06-08 Hildegard Falck, German athlete (Olympic gold 800m 1972 FRG), born in Nettelrede, Germany
• 1949-07-22 Lasse Viren, Finland, 5K/10K runner (Olympic gold 1972, 76)
• 1949-09-11 Marty Liquori, American runner (AAU 3 mile-1979 (13:14.7)), born in Montclair, New Jersey
• 1949-10-20 Wayne Collett, American 400m runner (Olympic silver 1972), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2010)
• 1950-06-03 Marlene Elejarde, Cuban athlete 4x100m runner (Olympic silver 1968), born in Havana, Cuba
• 1950-07-29 Maricica Puica, Romanian 2K runner (world record)
• 1950-08-07 Dave Wottle, American athlete (Olympic gold 800m 1972), born in Canton, Ohio
• 1950-08-16 Hasely Crawford, Trinidad, 100m runner (Olympic gold 1976)
• 1950-09-12 Gustav Brunner, Austrian Formula One designer and engineer, born in Graz, Austria
• 1950-12-03 Alberto Juantorena, Cuban athlete (Olympic gold 400m/800m [WR 1:43.50] 1976; only athlete to win that double), born in Santiago de Cuba
• 1951-01-23 Margaret Johnson Bailes, American 4x100 runner (Olympic gold 1968), born in The Bronx, New York
• 1951-01-26 Jarmila Kratochvilova, Czech athlete (World C'ship gold 400/800m 1983; Olympic silver 400m 1980), born in Golčův Jeníkov, Czech Republic
• 1951-02-25 Don Quarrie, Jamaican runner
• 1951-07-20 Larry Black, 4x100 runner (Olympic gold 1972), born in Miami, Florida
• 1951-11-02 Kathy Hammond, American athlete (Olympic bronze 400m, silver 4x400m relay 1972), born in Sacramento, California
• 1952-06-28 Pietro Mennea, Italian runner (200m world record), born in Barletta, Apulia, Italy (d. 2013)
• 1952-09-05 Graham Salmon, British blind runner (fastest 100m by a blind man) (d. 1999)
• 1952-09-29 Monika Zehrt, East German 400m runner (Olympic gold 1972), born in Riesa, East Germany
• 1952-11-21 Eamonn Coghlan, Irish 1500m runner (Olympic 4th 76)
• 1952-11-23 Francie Larrieu Smith, American 1.5/3/10K track runner (AAU 1 mile-1979), born in Palo Alto, California
• 1953-02-13 Suleiman Nyambui, Tanzanian runner (world record 5k indoor), born in Tanzania
• 1953-08-17 Kevin Rowlands, British rock vocalist (Dexy's Midnight Runners - "Come On Eileen"), born in Wednesfield, England

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• 1989-04-15 South African-British Olympic runner Zola Budd marries

• 1929-02-14 Tom Burke, American athlete (Olympic gold 100m, 400m 1896), dies at 53
• 1932-07-23 Tenby Davies, Welsh athlete (world half-mile professional champion 1909), dies at 48
• 1942-01-15 Mel Sheppard, American athlete (Olympic gold 800m, 1,500m, medley relay 1908; 4x400 metre relay 1912), dies at 58
• 1943-02-01 Foy Draper, American athlete (Olympic gold 4 x 100m relay 1936 WR 39.8s), dies in action as a USAF pilot at 31
• 1943-07-21 Charles Paddock, American 100m runner (Olympic gold 1920), dies at 42
• 1945-02-21 Eric Liddell, Scottish 400m runner (Olympic gold 1924) and Christian missionary in China, dies of an inoperable brain tumor at 43 while interned at the Weihsien Internment Camp in Weifang, Shandong, China
• 1946-10-16 Ernst Kaltenbrunner, Austrian Nazi (SS/SD), hanged at 43
• 1952-01-28 Thomas Hicks, English athlete (Olympic gold marathon 1904), dies at 76
• 1953-03-02 Jim Lightbody, American athlete (Olympic gold 800m, 1500m, 2590m Steeplechase 1904), dies at 70
• 1963-05-12 Robert Kerr, Canadian runner (1908 Olympics), dies at 80
• 1966-01-11 Hannes Kolehmainen, Finnish long-distance runner (Olympic gold 1912), dies at 76
• 1973-07-08 Harry F. V. Edward, British 100m/200m runner (Olympic bronze 1920), dies at 75
• 1982-04-26 Ville Ritola, Finnish 5/10km runner (Olympic gold 1924, 28), dies at 86
• 1983-02-14 Lina Radke, German 800m runner (Olympic gold 1928), dies at 79
• 1986-10-26 Jackson Scholz, American athlete (Olympic gold 4 x 100m 1920, 200m 1924), dies at 89
• 1991-08-24 Abel Kiviat, American athlete (Olympic gold 3000m team race, silver 1500m 1912), dies at 99

• 1992-07-07 Josy Barthel, Luxembourgish 1500m runner (Olympic gold 1952), dies at 65
• 1993-01-09 Alois Brunner, German/Syrian commandant of KZ-Lower Drancy, dies
• 1993-06-13 Gérard Côté, Canadian runner (b. 1913)
• 1995-02-04 Godfrey Brown, British athlete, 4 X 400m runner (Olympic gold 1936), dies at 79
• 1995-08-25 John Brunner, Britsih sci-fi author (100th Millennium), dies at 60
• 1995-11-28 Brunhilde Hendrix, German relay runner (Olympic silver 1960), dies at 57
• 1996-01-24 Sandor Iharos, Hungarian runner, dies at 65
• 1996-06-19 Edvin Wide, Swedish runner (Olympic silver 1924 and world record holder), dies at 100
• 1999-05-18 Betty Robinson, American runner, dies at 87
• 2000-01-27 Mae Faggs, American athlete (Olympic gold 4 x 100m 1952), dies from cancer at 67
• 2002-06-20 Tinus Osendarp, Dutch runner (b. 1916)
• 2004-02-21 Irina Press, Soviet 80m hurdles runner and pentathlete (Olympic gold 1960, 64), dies at 64
• 2004-12-11 Arthur Lydiard, New Zealand running coach, dies at 87
• 2005-06-11 Audrey Brown, British 4 X 100m runner (Olympic silver 1936), dies at 92
• 2006-02-03 Lou Jones, American athlete (Olympic gold 4x400m relay 1956), dies at 74

• 2007-11-26 Herb McKenley, Jamaican athlete (Olympic gold 4 x 400m relay 1952; 3 x silver 1948, 52), dies at 85
• 2010-03-17 Wayne Collett, American 400m runner (Olympic silver 1972), dies of cancer at 60
• 2012-03-28 Harry Crews, American writer and actor (Indian Runner), dies from neuropathy at 76
• 2013-06-27 Alain Mimoun, Algerian-French distance runner (Olympic marathon gold 1956; 3 x silver 1948, 52), dies at 92
• 2013-12-04 McDonald Bailey, British-Trinidadian athlete (Olympic bronze 100m 1952; 100m WR 10.2s 1951-56), dies at 92
• 2015-02-07 Dean Smith, American actor and relay runner (Olympic gold 1952), dies at 83
• 2015-06-17 Ron Clarke, Australian athlete (17 x WRs, 5,000m, 10,000m, 20,000m; 2, 3, 6, 10 miles) and politician (mayor Gold Coast), dies from kidney failure at 78
• 2016-12-22 Miruts Yifter 'Yifter the Shifter', Ethiopian runner (Olympic golds 1980), dies at 72
• 2017-02-23 Derek Ibbotson, English 5K runner (Olympic bronze 1956), dies at 84
• 2017-09-08 Catherine Hardy Lavender, American 4x100m runner (Olympic gold 1952), dies at 87
• 2018-06-16 Donald Ritchie, Scottish ultra-runner (world record 100 miles 11:51:11 1979), dies of health complications at 73
• 2023-08-17 Gudrun Pflüger, Austrian mountain runner (World C'ship gold 1992, 94, 95, 96), dies at 50

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