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Home Coronavirus 2020

Awaiting The Baton In The Relay Exchange Zone – Profiles Of Athletes, Coaches & Legends During The War Against Corona, Profile # 32, Former High School, NCAA & World Class-Miler, Ken Popejoy

Jeff Benjaminby Jeff Benjamin
April 17, 2020
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image0-2.jpegKen Popejoy and Jeff Benjamin, photo by Jeff Benjamin

image1.jpegKen Popejoy defeating Dave Wottle (1972 Olympic gold, 800m), Marty Liquori (1968 Olympics, 1971 Pan Am Champ), photo from Ken Popejoy

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Ken Popejoy was one of the fine milers who competed in the 1970s. He took out many of the top athletes of his day. What fascinates me about Ken Popejoy was how he connects two generations of athletes. In high school, Ken ran 4:09.3 against a young Prefontaine. 22 years later, he ran 4:08.1 and 1:52.5!

At his prime, Ken competed and qualified in both the 800m and 1,500m in the 1972 Trials and was a finalist at 1,500m in the 1976 Trials. Ken Popejoy also coached with the iconic Al Carius, and then, worked with Mike Durkin to coach and advise Jim Spivey, an Olympic finalist and 4 time WC athlete.

Jeff Benjamin reached out to Ken Popejoy to discuss how to look at the current time, in terms of motivation and training.

Awaiting The Baton In The Relay Exchange Zone – Profiles Of Athletes, Coaches & Legends During The War Against Corona

Profile # 32

Former High School, NCAA & World Class-Miler Ken Popejoy

By Jeff Benjamin

What advice can you give to runners, -especially youth, high school, collegiate- who are challenged during this time as well?

“These trying times are confusing and difficult to maneuver for an athlete in the prime of their development and career. It has also developed into a completely unique experience, unlike the cancellation of the 1980 Olympics. Those athletes still had a great number of competitions leading up to the cancellation and after to still fuel the competitive fires and provide a bench mark for where they stood against fellow competitors. Today there is a complete absence of those outlets and therefore no ability to prove yourself.. So therefore we must look within our hearts and our minds and utilize our motivations in a much different way.

Once upon a time, we ALL started out in this sport. Think back to those times….We were raw and undeveloped both physically and mentally. Did we have a future in the sport? Did we have a long term plan laid out for the season, the year or beyond? Did we really have any idea how good we could potentially become? What we DID know is that it felt good to run…..the wind in our faces, the effort, the satisfaction of finishing those early workouts, the exhilaration felt at the finish of a race, the satisfaction of seeing the workouts resulted in a new PR! Our mind and heart was filled with the simplest of satisfactions from those short term “successes”.

As North Central College”s legendary coach Al Carius’ always says “RUN FOR FUN AND PERSONAL BESTS”. Therefore let’s get back to the simplest of values in and benefits from our running….let’s run for fun! Sure, the intense disappointment is with us in the short term, but in the world of scholarships, shoe contracts and the like, we can sometimes push to the background the purest and simplest values that we all had at the start of our running careers. Take stock of those basic underlying values that was the seed that we planted way back then. Recall and reflect on the germination and sprouting of that seedling. Revisit how it was nurtured, pruned and blossomed. Take pride in the proud result of that mature planting. Get excited of the fruit that it now bears.

As with anything in the natural world, there WILL be a next season, the crop will return, a harvest will occur each and every year and you WILL reap the rewards of that properly cared for and nurtured planting!

SO, get out and train for those tomorrows…that’s what we actually do every day regardless of what is surrounding us. Keep the faith in the integrity of your training program. Compete in your mind and heart on a daily basis…we are ALL our best competitors. Finally keep dreaming….put yourself mentally into the next meet, the next big championship, at any level, and run that race in every workout and in every mindset that you put yourself into. Those actual meets and competitions WILL return and you WILL shine.

image1.jpegKen Popejoy defeats Dave Wottle and Marty Liquori, photo from Ken Popejoy

Ken Popejoy’s C.V.

Ken Popejoy
DOB 12/09/1950
ATHLETICS:
While competing for Glenbard West HS, Glen Ellyn, Illinois
1968/69 Illinois State Cross Country and Mile Run Champion
1969 Golden West Mile run – 2nd in 4:09.3 (1st Prefontaine 4:06)
While competing for Michigan State University 1969-1973:
1970 NCAA Cross Country All American (20th)
1972 Indoor NCAA Mile Run Champion
Two -Time Big Ten Mile run Champion ’72 and ’73
1972 Olympic Trials Qualifier in the 800m and the 1500m
Upon graduation : All time Big Ten record holder….. Indoor Mile 4:00.9 (1972)…..Outdoor Mile 3:57.0 (1973)
In the Spring of 1973 ran five consecutive sub-four minute miles on five consecutive weekends.
While attending my last two years of law school at Chicago-Kent College of Law:
1975 AAU 1500m runner 3:38.4
Member of 1975 USA International Track Team 1500m
Ranked 9th in the world 1500m by Track and Field News
1976 Olympic Trials Finalist 1500m
1982-1994 Assistant Track and Cross Country Coach with Head Coach Al Carius
1986-1996 Co-Coach with Mike Durkin for Jim Spivey tree time Olympian and Bronze Medalist in the 1500m at the 1987 World Championships in Rome
1991-1994, first sponsored Masters Runner running for Nike
World Masters 1500m Champion at Turku Finland in 1991 and runner up 800m and 1500m at Miyazaki Japan in 1993
Three time Indoor US Masters Champion in either the 800m or 1500m
Six time Outdoor US Masters Champion in either the 800m or 1500m
Four time Drake Relays Masters 800m Champion
Masters PR’s : Mile : 4:08.8 1991 Prefontaine Invitational
880y : 1:52.5 1991 North Central College Invite.
Member of Drake Relays, Chicagoland and Michigan State University Halls of Fame
PROFESSIONALLY:
Licensed Attorney: State of Illinois 1977-present
Circuit Court Judge, 18th Judicial Circuit, DuPage County, Ill 1997-present

Author

  • Jeff Benjamin

    Jeff Benjamin has written for 30 years for American Track and Field along with RunBlogRun. The Former President of the Staten Island AC & Chair of the Staten Island Running Association was the 5th man scorer for his Susan Wagner High School NYC XC City Championship team. Also a member of the College of Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame for XC, Jeff currently serves as the LDR Chairman for USATF NY. A passionate (or fanatical) follower of the Sport, some of Jeff's subjects have included Sebastian Coe, Emma Coburn, Eamonn Coghlan, Matt Centrowitz, Jim Spivey, Galen Rupp, Joe Newton, Tom Fleming, Ajee’ Wilson, Bill Rodgers, Allan Webb, Abel Kiviat, Jordan Hassay, Marty Liquori, Caster Semenya, Rod Dixon, Carl Lewis and Jim Ryun as well as Book Reviews and articles covering meets and races in the Northeast U.S.

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Jeff Benjamin

Jeff Benjamin

Jeff Benjamin has written for 30 years for American Track and Field along with RunBlogRun. The Former President of the Staten Island AC & Chair of the Staten Island Running Association was the 5th man scorer for his Susan Wagner High School NYC XC City Championship team. Also a member of the College of Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame for XC, Jeff currently serves as the LDR Chairman for USATF NY. A passionate (or fanatical) follower of the Sport, some of Jeff's subjects have included Sebastian Coe, Emma Coburn, Eamonn Coghlan, Matt Centrowitz, Jim Spivey, Galen Rupp, Joe Newton, Tom Fleming, Ajee’ Wilson, Bill Rodgers, Allan Webb, Abel Kiviat, Jordan Hassay, Marty Liquori, Caster Semenya, Rod Dixon, Carl Lewis and Jim Ryun as well as Book Reviews and articles covering meets and races in the Northeast U.S.

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