European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 14, 1968, Darmstadt, Hesse Sports scene makes Jim Ryun run faster than anybody Ever has before Ryun got Silver tray for winning last Garden mile. By Milton Gross Nana staff writer sphere is a look in Jim Ryun s j. Eyes which makes it seem that Only he can see beyond the horizon. Heis at once the guru and the disciple of that strange Breed of people to who time and space Are one. He is not yet 2i, but the Junior from Kansas is person apart. He has run the fastest mile Ever achieved by Man. Recently Ryun ran and won two mile races on successive nights. In the last mile Ever to be run at old Madiso Square Garden he sped Over the dist Ance in 3 57.5. After Only three hours of sleep he turned in 4 ci3.4 at the Mehir an state relays. Why he bothered Roget up at 6 . To catch a plane is a wonder he should have breasted the tape at the Garden continued out the exit turned West for the Lincoln Tun Nel and sped on toward East Lansing. They d have held the gun for Ryun. See Jim Ryun run. See Jim Ryu run fast. See Jim Ryun run fastest. What makes Jim Ryun run faster than any body Ever has before understand that my you understand the mystique of Thi Young Man who once was advised by a Junior High coach that he was Nota runner could t make the school team and never following year Ryun not Only made the team but won the first mile race in which he competed. Six weeks after he was 17 he became the first High school boy to break four minutes. In 1964 he made the . Olympic team. In 1965, just out of High school he beat Peter Snell in 3 55.3, the fast est mile until then Ever run by an Amer ican. Odd world populated by people who punish themselves beyond Normal understanding As they go round and round to the tick of the clock and the inner voice which urges them is elusive and records Are Fleet ing. Ryun has a Lackful of medals which he puts in a drawer. One May conclude that if he had to Lay his hands on som of them he could t find them. If he did find them he would have trouble remembering the Date and the place and the inner anguish involved with winning them. When he was younger he once said you accept the pain As part of recently he was quoted As say ing too much is made of the pain stuff. Running does t Hurt that still with something so physical there is also so much that deals with an endurance of the spirit a kind of soon afterwards he finished one tenth of a second behind the record of France s Michel Jazy before he had be gun his Sophomore year at College. Inevitably he surpassed Jazy s outdoor Mark by 2.3 seconds when he covered the Glamor distance in 3 51.3. Earlier he had run a 1 44.9 half mile which was not accepted by the aau As a record and subsequently beat Herb Elliot s 1,600-meter Mark by running Kipchoge Keino of Kenya into the ground in last july s .-British Commonwealth meet in 3 33.1. Australia s Elliot had set bismark in the 1960 olympics at Rome and Ryun obliterated it by 2h , Ryun is looking Forward to Mexico City. All of his training measured and geared to next october olympics has kept the Young Man under wraps. Thus is sub four minute mile the third run by Ryun indoors und the third Best time Ever achieved indoors was in the nature of a Lang map is an unexpected gift to the customers from this gifted 20-year-old who see Msall shoulders and legs and admittedly is nut Ai his Best on the unexpected has become the expected from Ryun who lives in that Page 10 loneliness a sort if mysticism. The first time i saw Ryun run he was 18. He seemed self assured but self conscious. It was the first of the Usuff meet at the Garden. He won the mile in 4 01.6 and people asked him afterwards the question they still Are asking what do you estimate i your potential that night after he had won Bob Paul of the Ops. Olympic committee with some exaggeration Sam he won t say this u you. But lie feels he won t be Worth a Damn until he learns to punish himself. He feels he won t toe any Good until he drops Over dead after a that moment Ryun was off by himself in the eighth Avenue corridor of the Garden in a manner of speak ing reassembling himself. It is no co incidence that after he won in the Garden for the last time he went of to be alone in that same corridor be fore reappearing to meet newsmen. Iwas just collecting my thoughts and recovering he a id rid Ftp meditation is Essen tial to becoming what Ryun is. Las june 23 m calif., just be fore he ton Llis record breaking outdoor mile a at with some friends on the grass. According to one writer he said to them onto take this the wrong Way but could i have 20 minutes to myself right now Ryun went outside toe stadium and sat Down under som Trees. What he was thinking to himself Only lie would know. Undoubtedly hews psych bin himself. He Sal alone. He came Back and finished alone. The Linein the record Book is his alone. In his own Way he is an ascetic who envisions what others can Only guess. Dpi Jim opens up Lead in running fastest indoor mile of his career at old Madison Square Garden. Th6 stars and stripes april 14
