by Larry Eder
“Become One with the Mud!”
Lynn Jennings has won nine U.S. Cross Country Championships and took three gold medals at the World Athletics Cross Country, plus an Olympic bronze at the 10,000m !
Lynn Jennings is one of the finest American distance runners of all times! From 1986 through 1993, Lynn did not miss a World Cross-Country Championships, winning in 1990, 1991 and 1992.
Lynn’s cross-country prowess gave her nine U.S. cross-country titles-no one has come near that! And Lynn Jennings was a racer-a fierce racer, who could come from behind, take the lead, and knew how to race internationally. I recall watching her win medals indoors at the WA Indoor champs over 3,000 meters (bronze in 1993 and silver in 1995!).
Over the cross-country course, and in the 10,000 meters, Lynn Jennings was a sight to behold. Lynn won the 1992 World Cross Country in Franklin Park, Massachusetts. In the snow, and against a global field that was hot, hot, hot, Lynn Jennings took her third straight gold at the World Cross-Country, in front of her home crowd! In fact, Lynn Jennings has won several high school cross-country titles in this very park!
In 1992, in Barcelona, Lynn Jennings won the bronze medal in the 10,000 meters, setting an AR of 31:19.86, which she held until 2002!
The quote, “Become one with the Mud,” is from Lynn Jennings. I believe it was from a Runner’s World story in about 1987. I was at Runner’s World at the time, and we did our first calendar, featuring Lynn Jennings and a few other amazing cross-country shots!
Only two other women have matched Lynn Jennings’ three World Cross golds! Only the late, great Grete Waitz (Norway) and Edit Masai (Kenya) have equalled that feat!
Lynn Jennings took her running prowess to sculling, winning the gold medal in 2012 and the silver medal in 2011. An accomplished historian, you may read her works if you request them here: https://catalog.princeton.edu/catalog/dsp01rx913r15v.
I miss seeing Lynn Jennings on cross-country courses around the world!
Will you be like Lynn Jennings?
