This Day in Track & Field History, February 22, 2024, James Saunders, Browning Ross, Mary Slaney, by Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service

Walt Murphy is one of the finest track geeks that I know. Walt does #ThisDayinTrack&FieldHistory, an excellent daily service that provides true geek stories about our sport. You can check out the service for FREE with a free one-month trial subscription! (email: WaltMurphy44@gmail.com ) for the entire daily service. We will post a few historic moments each day, beginning February 1, 2024.

This Day in Track & Field–February 22

1882 – With 120 miles, James Saunders wins NYC’s 24-hour race & $100 prize

            http://planetultramarathon.wordpress.com/2008/10/18/the-history-of-the-6-day-race/

1911—The 4^th edition of the Millrose Games was held in front of 5,000 spectators at the Thirteenth Regiment Armory in Brooklyn,NY (on a Wednesday).

The NYAC’s Harry Gissing was the winner of the 1000-yards, the featured track event, in 2:18.8.

The 10-mile handicap race, a crowd favorite, was won by T.E. Nelson in 1:04:39.4 (with a 2-minute handicap. The race started in Bath Beach, with the last 2-miles taking place on the track.

The meet, which included a 5-mile bicycle race, was put on by the Millrose A.A., in conjunction with the Wanamaker store chain.

Gissing was one of many athletes who were featured in a trading card series that was published by the National Licorice Company.

https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1911/02/23/104820440.html?pageNumber=10

1916–Binga Dismond runs 51.0 and upsets Ted Meredith in the 440y at the Games of St.Antony, which were held at the 47th Regiment Armory in Brooklyn,NY. Dismond went on to become a noted physician in Harlem.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=950DE4D9103FE233A25750C2A9649C946796D6CF

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2594046/

1958—Browning Ross, the “Father of Long Distance Running in the U.S.”, organized a meeting at the Paramount Hotel in New York whereby the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) was started. (From Gary Corbitt).

http://www.rrca.org/; http://www.rrca.org/about/history/

Wiki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browning_Ross

NY Times Obituary: http://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/30/sports/browning-ross-74-founder-of-road-runners.html

1959—Ted Corbitt (2:38:57), representing the New York Pioneer Club, wins the Cherry Tree Marathon, the precursor to the NY City Marathon. This was the first marathon the newly formed Road Runners Club: New York Association conducted. The race had 12 starters and 6 finishers. Corbitt would be the club’s first President, with Vice President Joe Kleinerman (Millrose AA) and Secretary–Treasurer: John Sterner (New York Pioneer Club). The club had 47 members in 1959, and today is over 60,000. Corbitt would become known as “The Father of Ultramarathon running” in the U.S. and took the lead in developing a system across the country that certifies that a road race course has been accurately measured.

The race started and finished in Macombs Dam Park near Yankee Stadium, running north up Sedgwick Avenue along the Harlem River and looping back again three times.

Corbitt’s Career Stats (Marathons/Ultramarathons):

https://tedcorbitt.com/list-of-marathons-ultramarathons/

(From Gary Corbitt, Ted’s son)

1964–With prepster Gerry Lindgren setting a fast early pace, Australia’s Ron Clarke went on to set a World Record of 13:18.4 for 3-miles at the U.S. Indoor Championships at Madison Square Garden. NY running legend Pete McArdle finished 2nd in 13:32.8, while Lindgren set a National H.S. Record of 13.37.8 in 3rd place.

      As quoted in T&F News, Nebraska freshman Charlie Greene, giving an early indication of his legendary showmanship, told Bob Hayes before the start of the 60-yard dash, “You’ll have to run 5.9 to beat me”. Hayes did just that, running the first 5.9 in history. Greene ran 6.0 in 2nd to equal the previous world record.

      Sports Illustrated Vault (Hayes Feature)  

      http://www.si.com/vault/1964/05/18/615621/how-fast-is-the-fastest-man-alive

1969—Leading from the gun, George Young ran 8:27.2 for 2 miles in San Diego to equal the World Record that was set on the same track a year earlier by Australia’s Kerry Pearce, who would run that time again in Seattle in 1971. Young also broke Jim Beatty’s American Record of 8:30.8, which was set in 1964.

1980—Mary Decker (Slaney) set a World Record of 1:59.7 for 880 yards at the Jack-in-the-Box meet in San Diego. Her time of 1:58.9 en route for 800 meters was an American Record.

Kenya’s Mike Boit won the Men’s ½-mile in 1:47.9 to equal the World Record that was set by Australia’s Ralph Doubell in 1969.

Another World Record was set in the Men’s Long Jump, with Larry Myricks reaching out to 27-6 (8.38).

No record in the Men’s Mile,  but it was still a high-quality affair, with Tanzania’s Filbert Bayi (3:55.5) winning a close one over Ireland’s Eamonn Coghlan (3:55.7), New Zealand’s John Walker (3:55.8), and Germany There’s

Thomas Wessinghage (3:56.4), with American Steve Scott (3:59.3) finishing 5^th.