Jeff Benjamin originally wrote this for the 45th anniversary of the first sub 3:50 mile! Sir John Walker was the 1974 Commonwealth silver medalist at 1,500 meters and the 1976 Olympic gold medalist at 1,500 meters.
In August 1975, John Walker was in great shape, and he convinced the meet organizers in Goteborg, Sweden, to change a 1,500m race into a mile race, and he would go for the World record. 20 years later, Goteborg, Sweden would host the World Outdoor Athletics Championships (August 4-13, 1995).
This is his story.
Jeff Benjamin, who is sitting in Reykjavik, Iceland, waiting for a flight to JFK, had just spent last week at Paris Olympics with his photographer, Tony Gulata, as they covered the social media world for RunBlogRun from the Stade de France, PUMA House, adidas House, and ASICS House.
John Walker is the 1976 Olympic gold medalist in the 1,500m. John was also the silver medalist at the 1974 Commonwealth Games 1,500m in Christchurch, New Zealand.
The piece below is by Jeff Benjamin and his questions with Sir John Walker. As an aside, my favorite quote by John Walker was in TFN, the sport’s bible. The late Jon Hendershott once asked Sir John who he would prefer in the Montreal 1976 Olympic 1,500m final? Walker’s reply was classic: “Senior citizens”.
August 12th, 1975 – The 40th Anniversary Of John Walker’s 3:49.4 World Record Mile Race!!
By Jeff Benjamin
Still active with the laser-like focus that drove him to be the first man on earth to run a mile under 3 minutes, 50 seconds, New Zealander John Walker has also had to face the challenge of Parkinson’s Disease since the 1990s.
But the drive is still there.
The 1976 Olympic Gold Medalist at 1500 Meters and the first man to run 100 (!) sub-4 minute miles has never left his Kiwi roots either, having also left an enduring legacy outside of Athletics as a noted public servant and the leader of his “Field of Dreams” organization.
This writer is hugely grateful to John and his wife Helen for the help and interest in reminiscing about that magical and historic night in Gothenburg, Sweden!!
1. Before the World Record, you were on an undefeated streak – 19 straight victories – any memorable races?
“No memorial races. Because I came from NZ, I had no choice but to keep running. The meet promoters paid for my accommodations and food, and I needed a base to return to between races. That was just the way it was that season.”
2. For 3 weeks before the attempt, you didn’t race – you must have felt like a “caged lion” – correct?
“The 3 weeks before the race, I was running distance, so no, not a caged lion. More likely eating, training, sleeping. I had one 800m race in Helsinki just before the world record attempt, which was my idea to give me some confidence in my speed. After all that endurance, I needed to top it off with some speed work. I finished 3rd and was happy with that.”
3. I have read that, all in all, Gothenburg wasn’t really to your liking – both the environment and the meet promoter- Do you think you could’ve gone faster in a mile race at Rieti, Oslo, Zurich, or some other venue (I’d feel so!)?
“Correct.”
4. Did Coach Arch Jelly change any training in your program from 1974-1975, or was it a progressive buildup?
“Arch Jelley worked with me on a progressive buildup.”
5. Rod Dixon said that if he were in the race with you – he would’ve run 3:49 that night, but you would’ve run 3:48- do you agree?
“If I had had some help, definitely I would have run faster. Rod chose the 5,000m that night.”
6. Can you describe what, if any, strength training you did?
“Do you mean weights? No, just running.”
7. When one watches the race, it seems like you did much of the work on your own, which is all the more remarkable- do you agree?
” You are correct. I was on my own after 600m.”
8. During the run, did you know at any point the record was yours, and how shocked (if at all) were you breaking 3:50?
“With 200m to go, I knew I was on world record pace because Dwight Stones yelled at me with a stopwatch. When I crossed the line, Ivan Agnew, a friend from NZ, waved a stopwatch under my nose, and the crowd was wild. I was sure I had broken the record at that moment.
The night before the world record race, I went to the track in Gothenburg, and I measured off 150m and ran it in 15.1, 4 consecutive times. I said to my training partners, that is what I will run for the last 150m ( difference between mile and 1500m distance) ….and I did!
I was in perfect shape, and I knew I could run under the world record, but the amount I broke it by was a pleasant surprise.”
9. My opinion is that because the Mile is not run very much at World-Class meets – mostly 1500s- the Mile has lost a bit of its luster, and the record stays stuck at 3:43 – your thoughts??
“It is a cherished distance. When I lined up for a mile race, I knew I was in for a hell of a race. It is a shame it is not run often more.”
John Walke
10) Please tell us about The “John Walker Find Your Field Of Dreams” Foundation
“John Walker Find Your Field Of Dreams” is a charity to help underprivileged children learn to enjoy and participate in sports. Manurewa, where I was brought up, is a poorer Auckland suburb, and so, too, are some of the surrounding suburbs. The charity is based predominantly in South Auckland.”
If you want to learn more, you can visit:
https://www.fieldofdreams.org.nz/
Bell Lap – Enjoy The Videos Below!
