European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 08, 1967, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Yun in 1966, Ryun started with pack left pulled so far ahead nearest competitor was hardly visible Arrow below at finish continued from Page 15 Wichita East Timmons moved to Law rence where he became head track coach at Kansas  1964, at 17, Ryun beat out Jim Grelle in the final olympic trial to qualify for the . Olympic team and a trip to  he should t have gone. In Japan he picked up a cold and at 17he was a Mere boy in Competition with men. He ran ninth in his heat in afield of 10. But with i the pressure of the olympic behind him and the cold dried up Ryun ran on a 6,000-meter team in Osaka with Bill Dellinger George Young and Bob Schul and they set an american record of 15 minutes 26.2 seconds. Jln 1965 he resumed his assault on the four minute mile and ran it in 3 58, fastest Ever by a Schoolboy. In the fallow that year he enrolled at Kansas u. And rejoined coach  Progress has been steady Ever since. The 3 51.1 mile last summer an the 3 33.1 in the 1,500 meters breaking Herb Elliott s record in the race wit Keino this summer have been the High  As these records sound they appear to be Only the beginning of a miraculous track career. Ryun s Success has made him a Folk hero. Reserved and shy a country boy grown up there s a clean Cut Funda mentalist Streak to his character. Because of his introvert Outlook entraining he prefers to keep to himself particularly in the Days immediately preceding a big race. This is an attitude that has not always endeared him to the press. He has been criticized for Lack of availability in the United states and the Day before the Anglo american meet he left on a tour of London while dozens of newsmen called the hotel switchboard with requests for interviews. Giegengack trying to meet Al contingencies hastily arranged a press meeting for mid afternoon but because he had no Way of getting in touch with Ryun the press showed up but Llyia did  somewhat upset German journalist told Giegengack that he had wanted to tour the City with Ryun. That s just what Jim does t wan the Day before a big race Giegengack said. Page 16 everybody wants a half hour with him. How can he prepare mentally forthe race if he spends the entire Day before talking about it i gave him the Day off so Don t blame him for not. Being Here. I arranged this conference on Myown after receiving so Many phone Calls. I thought he would be Back to the hotel by now but he s under no obligation to be  Bush who has known Ryun since hews 17, attributed his reluctance to meet reporters prior to the big race this modest disposition. Believe me his hat is the same size it was when he was a Junior in High school. I wish people would understand that it s his natural shyness that makes him shun  once cornered at a press conference Ryun answers questions with an easy frankness. He Speaks in a Flat Midwest accent and when he emphasizes a Point a Little frown furrows his forehead mannerism that adds to his earnestness. Even after three years in the Lime Light Jim still cannot get used to total strangers talking to him As if they Vek Nown him since childhood. He has been confronted by a horde of autograph seekers. Fat men barely capable of running a Short City Block have shoved a piece of paper in front of him and requested just sign it thanks for the workout with Ryun s modesty Springs from his fam ily background. Brought up under the strict code of the Church of Christ he needed no convincing that alcohol and tobacco Are not Good for athletes. He simply never had any desire to try either. And despite All he has seen in his world travels As track Star he still attends Church regularly and is obviously inspired by the services. I Pray often before races but never that i la win. I Pray that i will perform Well and that my opponents will per form  but behind the modesty and the reticence the spartan qualities of steel prevail. Out on the track Ryun s strides Are Swift and Graceful propelled by lean hard legs and lungs that have been conditioned by thousands of Miles of train tag. In five years this purposeful Young mail has revolutionized Middle distance running. Already his training techniques have inspired a new generation of teen age distance runners the champions of tomorrow. At 20 he s reached a Peak that Dis Tance runners of a decade ago never hoped to achieve until they were 25 or 28. Training in the High mountains of Colorado prior to the european tour he began a regimen he Hopes will bring him an olympic Gold medal. When you come Down from the mountains you can t get Over How much air there is. And being Able to handle the Altitude will decide who does what in Mexico City. That s for sure he said. At Kansas Ryun is a a student but with his heavy diet of training and the mounting attention of the press he finds it increasingly More difficult to study. When not training or studying he pursues his second interest photography at the Topeka capital journal wit the same avid determination applied to track. Ryun is the third of three great Kan Sas milers. First there was Glenn Cunningham who first ran to strengthen legs severely burned by fire. In 1938 he set the indoor Mark of 4 04.4 on Dart Mouth s lightning boards a record everyone said was the ultimate in the mile. Then there was Wes Santee a Kansas alumnus who retired 11 years ago with 20 mile runs under 4 10. He had a Hance to crack the four minute mile but blew it when his Amateur status was lifted for allegedly accepting Finan Cial help. And now there is Ryun the greatest of them All a lean devout youngster whose potential stretches the limits of the imagination. Already he has run the mile the half mile and the 1,500 meters faster than any Man before him. In the 13 years since Roger Bannister broke the physical and psychological Barrier of the four minute mile his 3 59.4 at Oxford in1959 was the first four minute mile the Mark has been lowered 8.3  next Barrier is 3 50 and Ryun appears to be the Best bet to break it. The stars and stripes somewhere beyond the olympics two years three years five years from now Ryun must have a set of goals but he s keeping them All to himself. It simply would be out of character for him to do otherwise. But lesser athletes and the great horde of Vicari Ous sympathizers cannot be prevented from wondering where it All will end. There s really Only one Safe con delusion. With Ryun the impossible has become possible. In that unknown Gray area Between achievement and exhaustion he is blazing new trails for flesh and blood men. And because there Are few who Ca Challenge him Ryun must do it alone far in front of the roaring crowd. Upfront with the wind in the nostrils and the eyes Ever watchful like a scared tag he finds the isolation that he has always craved. Sunday october 8, 1967