This Day in Track & Field-January 1, 2025-Happy New Year! Robert Fowler sets Marathon WR (1909), Robert J. Vlught wins first Cross City/Bay to Breakers (1912), Born on this Day: Sifan Hassan (1993), by Walt Murphy

This Day in Track & Field-January 1—Happy New Year!

1909—Robert Fowler set a World Record of 2:52.45.4 for the marathon in Yonkers,NY, in freezing conditions. The crowd of 10,000 made the finish area unmanageable and referee James Sullivan (namesake of the Sullivan Award) stopped the race after only 7 runners had finished.

The previous mark of 2:55:18.4 was set by fellow American Johnny Hayes at the 1908 Olympics in London, the first time the event was held at the current distance of 26-miles, 385 yards.

(From Progression of IAAF World Records)

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Fowler_(athlete)

1912 – Robert J. Vlught was the winner at the 1st running of San Francisco’s famed “Bay to Breakers” race (7.63 miles/12.3 km) (known as “Cross City” at the time)

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

https://baytobreakers.com

History

1964–Bob Hayes rang in the New Year by running 9.1 at the Orange Bowl meet in Coral Gables, Florida, to tie his own World Record in the 100-yard dash, but there was no wind gauge in operation. He also won the 220y on a straightaway in 20.1.

Born On This Day*

Sifan Hassan-Ethiopia/Netherlands (2013) 32 (1993)

        Triple medalist at the last two Olympics

2021/Tokyo: Gold (5000,10,000), Bronze (1500)

2024/Paris: Gold (Marathon), Bronze (5000, 10,000)

Almost pulled off another triple medal performance at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. Was on the

verge of winning at least the silver medal (if not the gold) in the 10,000 when she stumbled and fell just as

Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay drew even with her 20-meters before the finish line (Hassan wound up in 11^th place).

She went on to win bronze in the 1500 and silver in the 5000.

Made an impressive move up to the Marathon in 2023—won in Boston (2:18:33) in April, then won in Chicago  in

October with a European Record of 2:13:44

Won the 1500 and 10,000 at the 2019 World Championships in Doha (schedule prevented her from

running the 1500/5000 double). 6^th in the 5000, 4^th in the 10,000, at the 2022 World Championships

Set a short-lived World Record of 29:06.82 for 10,000-Meters in 2021

Set a World Record of 4:12.33 for the Mile in Monaco in 2019 (since broken)

Also set the current World Record of 18,930-Meters for the 1-Hour Run in 2020

PBs:

800–1:56.51 (2017)

1500–3:51.95 (2019/#5 All-Time), Indoors: 4:00.46 (2015)

Mile–4:12.33 (2019/#2 A-T), Indoors-4:19.89i (2017)

3000–8:18.49 (2019/#1 Outdoors/#3-Ind/Out), Indoor–8:30.76i (2017)

5000–14:13.42 (2023/#9 A-T)

10,000–29:06.82 (2021/#4 A-T)

Half-Marathon–65:15 (2018)

Marathon–2:13:44 (2023/#3 A-T)

        (T&F News’ All-Time lists do not include questionable marks achieved by runners from China)

World Athletics Inclusive Lists

2024 SBs: 4:04.83, 14:30.61, 30:44.12, 2:18:05

She competed at the 2019 World Championships shortly after her coach, Alberto Salazar, was hit with a 4-year ban.

2016 World Indoor Champion—1500(2018-bronze medalist)

Silver medalist in the 3000 at the 2018 World Indoor Championships (2014-5^th)

2-time bronze medalist at the World Championships-2015 (1500), 2017 (5000)

4-time European Champion: 2014 (1500), 2015 (1500i, X-Country), 2018 (5000)

5^th in the 1500 at the 2016 Olympics and 2017 World Championships

Tokyo Dominance: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/07/sports/olympics/sifan-hassan-tokyo-medals.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sifan_Hassan

www.reuters.com/article/us-athletics-world-hassan/angry-hassan-completes-unique-double-idUSKCN1WK0HM

Hassan/Salazar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AclgeoGTAHg

https://www.bbc.com/sport/athletics/49948731

www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/oct/05/sifan-hassan-wins-1500m-laura-muir-fades-world-championships-2019

http://www.olympedia.org/athletes/131130

Videos

        2021 OG  1500   5000   10,000

2023 WC 10k: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG36ylFRvMI

2024 OG  5000  10,000  Marathon

Lopez Lomong  South Sudan/USA 40 (1985) 2019 U.S. Champion-5000, 10,000; 7^th in the 10,000 at the World

Championships in Doha

5-time U.S. Champion—1500m (2009,2010), 5000m (2019), 10,000 (2018,2019)

2014 U.S. Indoor Champion–1500

2-time NCAA Champion in 2007 (Northern Arizona/1500, 3000i)

2-time U.S. Olympian (2008-1500/semi-finalist, 2012-5000/10th).

8^th in the 1500 at the 2009 World Championships (semi-finalist in 2013)

6^th in the 3000 at the 2012 World Indoor Championships (2010-1500/1^st round)

Ran his mile best of 3:51.21 while winning the Wanamaker Mile at the 2013 Millrose Games

Some people had written him off after he failed to make the U.S. team in the 5000 for the 2016 Olympics

and the 2015 and 2017 World Championships (2015,2017), but he bounced back to win the 10,000 at the

2018  U.S. Championships and continued to run well for the next few years. (Last competed in 2022)

“I’ve been battling a lot of injuries for the last three years. (2018) has just been perfect. Training has been

amazing, everything has been clicking really well. [Chiropractor] John Ball fixed me up.”

U.S. flag-bearer at the 2008 Olympics

PBs:1:45.58 (’08), 3:32.20 (’10), 3:36.52 i(‘13), 3:51.21i (’16/#11 All-Time U.S.), 3:51.45 (’16), 7:37.74i (’20/#6 A-T U.S.),

            7:39.81 (’14), 13:07.00i (‘13/AR at the time), 12:58.78 (’20), 27:04.72 (’19/#6 A-T U.S.)

One of the “Lost Boys of Sudan”…spent 10 years in a Kenyan refugee camp before being brought to Tully,NY, in

2001 by Rob and Barbara Rogers (they would take in 5 additional Sudanese boys)…competed for Tully

H.S….became a  U.S. citizen on July 6,  2007

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lopez_Lomong

http://www.usatf.org/Athlete-Bios/Lopez-Lomong.aspx; http://www.lopezlomong.com/

The American Dream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd_6GKWLZpM

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/31/sports/othersports/31vecsey.html

Parents: http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2008/07/out_of_war_and_into_their_hear.html

http://www.lopezlomong.com

Lopez Lomong Foundation: http://www.lopezlomong.com/lopez-lomong-foundation.html

Arm-Wrestling With Ashton Eaton: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD-Ag-ijVTg

Abdi Abdirahman-Somalia/USA(’00) 48 (1977)  43 at the time, he qualified for his 5^th U.S. Olympic team with his 3^rd-place

finish at the 2021 Marathon Trials in February, 2020. Competed in the 10,000-meters in 2000 (10^th),

2004 (15th), and 2008 (15th),  dropped out of the marathon in Rio in 2016, was 41^st in the Marathon in

Tokyo..was a DNF at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials

Competed in the 10,000 at three World Championships-2001 (19th), 2005 (13th), 2007 (7th)

Also competed in 5 World X-Country Championships from 2000-2004 (11th in 2002)

#1 American finisher at the 2016 (3rd) and 2017 (7th) NY City Marathon

9th in the 2019 NY City Marathon (2:11:34).

Former Arizona Wildcat refers to himself as the “Black Cactus”

All-American was 6th in the 10,000 at the 1998 (2nd-5k) and 1999 NCAA Championships.

NCAA XC:1997-7th, 1998-2nd

Native of Somalia became a U.S. citizen on January 28, 2000…family moved to the United States  in 1990

due to the civil war in his home country…His father, Mahamed, worked as a production head for

Conoco, an American Oil company; the position put him in great danger…The family moved to the

U.S. and settled in Tucson, Arizona

Idolized Billy Mills, the upset winner of the gold medal in the 10,000m at the 1964 Olympics and

whose story is portrayed in the movie  Running Brave–At one point, watched the movie almost

every day, including the day of his race at the 2000 Olympic Trials, before he headed to the

track…When Abdirahman stepped onto the awards podium as the third-place finisher at the Trials, it

was Mills who was presenting the awards!

Didn’t compete in a running race until he was in junior college when the coach insisted he come out

for the team–tried out in hiking boots and cut-off shorts

PBs:13:13.32 (2005), 27:16.99 (2008), 60:29 (2007), 2:08:56 (2007); Last competed in 2022

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdihakem_Abdirahman

http://www.olympedia.org/athletes/89097

https://www.worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/abdihakem-abdirahman-14230897

Gary Cohen Interview: http://www.garycohenrunning.com/Interviews/Abdi.aspx

www.runnersworld.com/news/a20863247/at-age-40-abdi-is-top-american-at-new-york-city-marathon-for-2nd-straight-year/

Deceased

Dick Quax-New Zealand) 70 (1948-May 28, 2018) 1976 Olympic silver medalist—5000m

Former World Record holder:

        5000 (13:12.87 /1977),

4×1500 (14:40.4/1973) Tony Polhill (3:42.9), John Walker (3:40.4), Rod Dixon (3:41.2), Quax (3:35.9)

4xmile (16:02.4/1972)  Kevin Ross (4:01.0), Tony Polhill (4:02.0), Richard Tayler (4:01.0), Quax (3:58.4)

Other PBs: 3:36.7 (1976), 3:56.23 (1976), 7:45.11 (1977), 13:12.87 (1977), 27:41.95 (’77), 2:10:47 (’80)

Passed away in May, 2018, after a 5-year battle with cancer

http://www.olympic.org.nz/athletes/dick-quax/

http://www.olympedia.org/athletes/74343

’76 OG: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QB5DxltIkTI

Racing Past: http://www.racingpast.ca/john_contents.php?id=286

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Quax

Quax Talks About His Career and Cancer:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11962735

Remembering Quax: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12062176

Alain “Ali” Mimoun—France 93 (1921-June 27, 2013)  1956 Olympic gold medalist—Marathon

Had previously won 3 silver medals in 1948 (10,000) and 1952 (5000,10,000), finishing 2^nd to the great Emil

Zátopek in all 3 races. His good friend Zátopek, not in top shape, finished 6^th in the 1956 Marathon.

Competed in a 4^th Olympics in 1960, finishing 34^th in the Marathon.

4-time World X-Country Champion (1949,1952,1954,1956)

PBs:14:07.5 8(1952), 29:13.4 (1956), 2:21:25 (1958)

Born in Algeria, which was part of France at the time, he fought in the French Army during World War II.

https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/01/sports/alain-mimoun-a-top-runner-dies-at-92.html

http://www.olympedia.org/athletes/68407

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alain_Mimoun

An excerpt from “The Destiny of Ali Mimoun”, a book by Pat Butcher:

https://www.likethewindmagazine.com/2020/09/25/legend-alain-mimoun/

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/147441969-the-destiny-of-ali-mimoun-by-pat-butcher-2011-paperback