19-Year-Old Ryun Runs Mile In Record 3:51.3

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31115, 19 July 1966, Page 19

19-Year-Old Ryun Runs Mile In Record 3:51.3

LV.Z.P..I. Reuter—Copyright) BERKELEY, (California). A Kansas University student, J. Ryun smashed the world record for the mile on Sunday night—running with a blistered right foot. His record-breaking time of 3min 51.3 sec was set at the All-American track meeting at the University of California Stadium in Berkeley.

It clipped 2.3 seconds off the old mark of 3min 53,65ec set by M. Jazy, of France, at Rennes, France, in June, 1965. Ryun, a 19-year-old dedicated athlete, revealed after the race that he started with a couple of taped blisters on the inside of his right foot—-

and developed another during the race. However, he said they did not cause him any trouble. All three official timekeepers clocked Ryun's mile time of 3min 51.3 sec. He was timed at 3min 36.1 sec at the 1500 metres mark—a new American record and only half a second behind the world record of 3 min 35.65ec set by Austra-

lia’s H. Elliott at Rome In 1960. Second World Record Ryun, who also bolds the American two-mile record of Bmin 25.25ec, last month set a new world record for the half-mile in a time of Imin 44.95ec. A cover story in “Newsweek” magazine—which went to press before his recordbreaking achievement—noted that two years ago Ryun became the first high school boy to beat the four-minute mile. “Now the Kansas kid has done it nine times.” it said. Sunday’s race made it 10. Ryun brought the world record back to the United States for the first time since 1934. Then another Kansas athlete, G. Cunningham, set a record of 4min 6.Bsec. Previous Best

Ryun’s previous best time for the mile was 3min 53.75ec on June 4.

The lean 6ft Ilin runner tips the scales at list 11b and, according to a college room mate, has only three things in his life—“track, school and his girl friend.” He goes to church twice a week and does not drink or smoke.

“Newsweek” quoted Jazy, whose record Ryun smashed, as saying: “I think Ryun will be the first man to run the mile under 3min 50sec.”

Ryun launched his big-time career a year ago when he won the A.A.U. title with 3min 55.35ec for a mile while a student at East Wichita High School in Kansas.

Ryun said after Sunday’s race he would take part in a star-studded athletic meeting in Los Angeles next week-end. He would probably run in the half-mile at Los Angeles and then take a holiday from running until the (northern) autumn.

When asked whether he thought he could have done the mile in even better time, he replied: “When you win a good race, you always feel you could have done better. I felt a little heavy from 600 to the half-mile, then felt great I got heavy again after threequarters but felt I could set a record and sprinted in.” T. von Ruden and R. Romo, of Texas, set a blistering pace and Ryun took it from there. He sprinted the final quarter in 56.35ec to gain his record. Ryun was third at the quar-ter-mile in 57.75ec. second at the half in lmin 55.45ec, and first at the three-quarters in 2min 55sec. C. Weisiger finished second in 3min 58sec, followed by Romo at 4min oL4sec and P. Traynor in 4min 02.6 sec. A crowd of 1500 stood and cheered Ryun’s effort in the meeting, which substituted for the scheduled United StatesPoland match.