This Day in Track & Field, October 13, Chataway Upsets Kuts in 5,000m in White City (1955), In One of Greatest Races Ever!, written by Walt Murphy

Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service  ([email protected])

This Day in Track & Field–October  13

1954-The highlight of the London-Moscow Inter-City meet in London’s White City Stadium was the Men’s 5000-Meters.

The Soviet Union’s Vladimir Kuts, the World Record holder in the event, led the race for 4995-meters before being passed by Great Britain’s Chris Chataway right before the finish line.

Chataway was timed in 13:51.6,  taking 5 seconds off Kuts’s World Record of 13:56.6, which was set less than 2-months earlier at the European Championships (with Chataway finishing a distant 2^nd in 14:08.8—Emil Zatopek was 3^rd in 14:10.2). Kuts (13:51.7), who was also under his old record, came away with a consolation prize, running 13:27.0 en-route for 3-miles to break his own WR of 13:27.4. He would also regain the WR in the 5000 ten days later, running 13:51.2 in Prague.

The recently retired Roger Bannister, who had run history’s first sub-4 minute mile in May, thanks in part to Chataway’s pacing, was among the 40,000 spectators who packed White City Stadium.

From Pat Butcher—”It’s one of the most famous races in UK athletics history, mostly because it was the first track meet to be televised live, whereas Bannister’s first sub-four – filmed on a single camera – was only shown on TV the following night. That publicity for Chataway’s victory over Kuts (at the height of the Cold War) won him (and NOT Bannister) the inaugural BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award that year!”

For much more on the race, go to: http://www.racingpast.ca/john_contents.php?id=145

A 2^nd WR was set by the Soviet Union’s Yuriy Lituyev, who won the 440-yard hurdles in 51.3. Lituyev had set a WR of 50.4 in the 400-meter hurdles in 1953. The previous record holder in the imperial and metric events was Charlie Moore.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPTTX71rOgI

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/13/newsid_3150000/3150709.stm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Chataway

Obituary: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-12991697

1956—Bill Dellinger ran 14:25.5 for 5000-meters in  Berkeley, California, to shave .5s off his 4-month old American Record.

AR Progression: https://tf-stats.com/american_outdoor_men.php#m_5000

Hall of Fame Bio: https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/bill-dellinger

1957—Soviet Vladimir Kuts ran 13:35.0 in the stadium that would be the site of the 1960 Rome Olympics to set his fourth (and final) World Record at 5000-meters. The previous mark of 13:36.8 was set by Great Britain’s Gordon Pirie in 1956.

WR Progression: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5000_metres_world_record_progression

14:08.8 Taisto Mäki (FIN)           1939-06-16      Helsinki, Finland

13:58.2 Gunder Hägg (SWE)      1942-09-20      Gothenburg, Sweden[

13:57.2 Emil Zátopek (TCH)       1954-05-30      Paris, France

13:56.6 Vladimir Kuts (URS)     1954-08-29    Bern, Switzerland

13:51.6 Chris Chataway (GBR)   1954-10-13      London, United Kingdom

13:51.2 Vladimir Kuts (URS)     1954-10-23    Prague, Czechoslovakia

13:50.8 Sándor Iharos (HUN)     1955-09-10      Budapest, Hungary

13:46.8 Vladimir Kuts (URS)     1955-09-18    Belgrade, Yugoslavia

13:40.6 Sándor Iharos (HUN)     1955-09-23      Budapest, Hungary

13:36.8 Gordon Pirie (GBR)        1956-06-19      Bergen, Norway

13:35.0 Vladimir Kuts (URS)     1957-10-13    Rome, Italy

13:34.8 Ron Clarke (AUS)          1965-01-16      Hobart, Australia

1957—Romania’s Iolanda Balas once again became a World Record holder in the High Jump by clearing 5-9  ¼ (1.76) in Bucharest to equal American Mildred McDaniel’s mark. Balas had set the 1^st of her eventual 14 World Records with her clearance of 5-8  ¾ (1.75) in July, 1956, only to see it broken a few months later by McDaniel while winning the gold medal at the Melbourne Olympics.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_high_jump_world_record_progression

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iolanda_Balaș

1968—This was the first day of competition in track & field in Mexico City, the site of the first Olympics held at altitude (7,380’).

The domination of distance events in international competition by runners from Africa began in earnest as Naftali Temu (Kenya/29:27.4), Mamo Wolde (Ethiopia/29:28.0), and Mohammed Gammoudi (Tunisia/29:34.2) swept the medals in the Men’s 10,000-meters. World Record holder Ron Clarke, who was with the three medalists with two laps to go, faded to 6^th (29:44.2). Americans Tracy Smith (11^th/ 30:14.6), Tom Laris (16^th/30:26.2), and Van Nelson (28^th/31:40.2) were never in contention. Temu had to come from behind in the final 50-meters to snatch the gold medal from Wolde, who had finished 4^th at the 1964 Olympics (Gammoudi won silver in Tokyo).

Kenya’s Kip Keino entered the Games with an ambitious goal of winning three events. He was in contention in the 10,000 before what was later diagnosed as a gall bladder infection forced him to drop out of the race. He recovered in time to win the silver medal in the 5000 (which was won by Gamoudi), and then the gold medal in the 1500 (over Jim Ryun).

Charlie Greene set an unofficial auto-timed World Record of 10.02 for 100-meters in his ¼-final race.

Medalists/Results: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1968_Summer_Olympics

Video-10k(last lap): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvIdW7dWm0M

Race Report

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1968_Summer_Olympics_–_Men%27s_10,000_metres

Temu: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naftali_Temu

Keino: http://www.racingpast.ca/john_contents.php?id=167

1969—The Soviet Union’s (and Ukraine’s) Anatoliy Bondarchuk threw the Hammer 247-8 (75.48) in Rovno, Ukraine, to break his year-old World Record of 245-0 (74.68). He would win Olympic gold in Munich in 1972.

WR Progression: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men%27s_hammer_throw_world_record_progression

https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/77389

2002—Great Britain’s Paula Radcliffe won the Women’s division of the Chicago Marathon in 2:17:18, breaking the previous World Record of 2:18:47, which was set by Kenya’s Catherine Ndereba in Chicago in 2001. Ndereba finished 2^nd here in 2:19:26. It was just the second marathon for Radcliffe, who had made a spectacular debut at the distance by winning in London in April in 2:18:56. Finishing 6^th with a personal best of 2:26:53 was American Deena Kastor.

Serving as Radcliiffe’s “Escort” (not a rabbit!) during the race was Weldon Johnson, the co-founder (with his twin brother Robert) of LetsRun.com. Read his explanation of his duties at the link below!

The overall winner of the race was American Khalid Khannouchi in 2:05:56. Alan Culpepper finished 6^th in 2:09:41, the fastest marathon debut by an American.

Top-10: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Chicago_Marathon

Results (follow “browse the results” instructions): http://www.marathonguide.com/results/browse.cfm?MIDD=67021013

Videos

Women(Highlights): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4wnGFEZ808

Full Race(M&W): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr-ugDdSNOE

“Escorting” Radcliffe: https://www.letsrun.com/2003/escortingpaula.php

Past Winners: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_winners_of_the_Chicago_Marathon

2019—A day after Eliud Kipchoge ran 1:59:40 in the Men’s Marathon, fellow Kenyan Brigid Kosgei  won the Bank of America Chicago Marathon for the 2^nd year in a row, running 2:14:04  to break the World Record of 2:15:25 that was set by Great Britain’s Paula Radcliffe in 2003. Kosgei earned $100,000 for the win and an additional $75,000 bonus for setting a Course Record. Race director Carey Pinkowski introduced Paula to Kosgei, who seemed unaware of who she was!

It was a Kenyan sweep, with Lawrence Cherono winning the Men’s division in 2:05:45. Great Britain’s Mo Farah finished 9^th in 2:09:58, while the first American was Jake Riley in 10^th (2:10:36).

Unable to finish were American stars Jordan Hasay (after 5k) and Galen Rupp (between 35k and 40k).

Recap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pe1C1x4FgI

NBC Highlights(16-minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5RmIyDKElw

https://www.worldathletics.org/news/report/chicago-marathon-2019-world-record-brigid-kos

https://www.letsrun.com/events/2019-bank-america-chicago-marathon/

T&F News Discussion: https://forum.trackandfieldnews.com/forum/current-events/60237-chicago-marathon-2019

(For Subscribers): https://trackandfieldnews.com/article/chicago-marathon-world-record-for-brigid-kosgei/

By The Numbers: https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a29452056/brigid-kosgei-marathon-world-record-stats/

2024—The running community was stunned (again!) by the latest Marathon World Record in Chicago. This time, it was Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich, who won the Women’s race in the other-worldly time of 2:09:56, taking almost 2 -minutes off the previous mark of 2:11:53 that was set by Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa in Berlin in 2023.

It was the 3^rd win in the last 4 years in Chicago for the 2019 World Champion, whose previous best was the 2:14:18 she ran while winning in the Windy City in 2022 (she also won in 2021).

To put things in perspective, Chepngetich now has a faster personal best than Frank Shorter, the 1972 Olympic Champion in the Men’s Marathon.

There was a race-record total of 52,152 finishers.

https://chicago-marathon.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=187&do=news&news_id=670012

https://trackandfieldnews.com/chicago-marathon-women-chepngetich-sub-210-wr/

Amby Burfoot minces no words

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/oct/13/womens-world-record-marathon-ruth-chepngetich-chicago-marathon

The Lap Count

LetsRun’s Robert Johnson asked Ruth Chepngetich about her marathon world record of 2:09:56 in an era when Kenya is struggling with doping.

Johnson: “Ruth, unfortunately in recent years there’s been a number of doping positives in Kenya. What would you say to someone who says when they see 2:09:56, ‘This is too good to be true. I have questions about it.”

Chepngetich: “I don’t have any idea.”

Johnson: “Some people may think that the time is too fast and you must be doping. What would you say to them?”

Chepngetich: “You know people must talk but…people must talk so I don’t know.”

https://x.com/ChrisChavez/status/1845496476455022956

Kenya Statement: https://x.com/athletics_kenya/status/1846546375351165131

Video: https://www.youtube.com/live/gpInzHWJFr8?t=1233s

Chepngetich Press Conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wjnVQOBdbI

LetsRun Thread: https://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=13096257

LetsRun Podcast (Deena Kastor Comments)

As noted on October 9, the skeptics felt vindicated when the Athletics Integrity Unit provisionally suspended her in July, 2025, after she tested positive for a banned substance.

Chepngetich: https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/18/sport/ruth-chepngetich-suspension-banned-substance-spt

Born On This Day*

Taylor Roe 25 (2000) 2022 NCAA Indoor Champion-3000m (Oklahoma State/3^rd outdoors in the 5000);

2023 NCAAi-3000 (3^rd)

Won 3 U.S. road titles in 2025—4 miles, 10 miles, half-marathon

3^rd in the 10,000m at the 2025 U.S. Championships, 19^th at the Worlds in Tokyo

PBs: 4:34.35i (2022), 8:51.60i (2024), 14:49.91 (2025), 30:58.66 (2025)

https://okstate.com/sports/womens-cross-country-track/roster/taylor-roe/10719

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Roe

Elly Henes 27 (1998) 2021 NCAA Champion—5000m (North Carolina State-’21)

4^TH in the 3000-meters at the 2023 U.S. Indoor Championships, 5^th in the 5000 outdoors.

9^th in the 10,000 at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials

PBs: 4:05.71 (2022), 4:27.66 (2022), 8:36.48i (2023), 14:47.15 (2023), 30:48.26 (2023);

2025 SBs: 4:31.15i, 15:39.25, 33:06.17

Coached at NCS by her mom, Laurie Gomez-Henes, who won the NCAA 10,000-Meters 30 years earlier (1991)

while also competing for the Wolfpack

https://citiusmag.com/podcast/citius-mag-podcast-elly-henes

NCAA Video(Full race): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeG7TOzJVmA

Javier Sotomayor—Cuba 58 (1967)  1992 Olympic gold medalist—High Jump (silver 2000)

2-time World Champion (1993,1997/ silver 1991,1995)

4-time World Indoor Champion (1989,1993,1995,1999/bronze 1991)

Only man in history to clear 8-feet (8-0[2.44]/1989), 8-1/2[2.45]/1993)

Set his first World Record of 7-11  ½ (2.43) in 1988.

Set the current World Indoor Record of 7-11  ½ in 1989.

         Retired in 2001 to avoid a lifetime ban after being charged with a 2^nd doping violation

Video(8-1/2): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCg6_fuipp8

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javier_Sotomayor

https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/66830

(2005): http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/javier_sotomayor/index.html

Dwayne Evans 67 (1958)—1976 Olympic bronze medalist—200m (17 at the time!)

1981 NCAA Champion—200m (Arizona State); 1979 U.S. Champion-200m;

Set a H.S. Record of 20.22 while finishing 2^nd at the 1976 U.S. Olympic Trials (lasted 9 years)

PBs: 10.20(1981), 20.08(1987)

T&F News H.S. Athlete of the year in 1976 (Phoenix South Mountain,AZ)…currently the Girls coach at his alma

mater.

https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78379

Inducted into the National H.S. T&F Hall of Fame in 2018

         HOF: http://nationalhighschooltrackandfieldhof.org/dwayne-evans/

Acceptance Speech: https://www.runnerspace.com/video.php?video_id=270885

Don Paige  69 (1956) A junior at Villanova at the time, he won the 1500 and 800 at the 1979 NCAA

Championships (35 minutes apart!)…won the 800 again in 1980

3-time NCAA Indoor Champion—1000y (1978-1980)

U.S. Olympian was ranked #1 in the world in the 800 in 1980, but didn’t get a chance to

compete at the Moscow Olympics because of the U.S. boycott.

2-time U.S. Indoor Champion—1000y (1982,1984)

Set two World Indoor Records in the 1000-yards (2:04.9, 2:04.7-both 1986)

Won 10 Penn Relays watches:

High School Mile-1975

4×800 Meter Relay–1978, 1979, 1980

Distance Medley Relay–1978, 1979, 1980

Sprint Medley Relay–1979, 1980

4×1500 Meter Relay–1978

         PBs:1:44.29 (1983), 2:18.06 (1983), 3:37.33 (1979), 3:54.19 (1982)

Has been involved in track design and installation for more than three decades

Sports Illustrated Vault

A Look Back at the Boycott:

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/08/07/sport/olympics-2012-moscow-boycott-1980-don-paige/index.html

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

Track Design: http://www.paigedesigngroup.com/about-us.html