Rod Dixon won the bronze medal in the 1,500 meters in Munich in 1972. In 1974, at the Commonwealth Games, Rod finished fourth in the historic men’s 1,500 m, where Gilbert Bayi and John Walker both broke the then-men’s 1,500 m world record.
In 1976, a the Montreal Olympics, Rod Dixon took 4th in the 5000 meters. Rod missed a medal by .12 to a leaping Klaus-Peter Hildenbrand.
In 1983, Rod Dixon caught Geoff Smith in the last 300 meters at the NYC Marathon, giving us, the TV fans, one of the most exciting sports moments ever!
Here are four stories on Rod Dixon by Jeff Benjamin, senior writer for RunBlogRun for New England and NY.
- Rod Dixon, 1983 NYC Marathon Champion: his beginnings, part 1/4, by Jeff Benjamin.
The 40th Anniversary Of Rod Dixon’s NYC Marathon Win! 1983-2023, 1st In A Series
2. The Kiwi and the Chairmen, Part 2/4, the story of 1983 NYC Marathon winner, Rod Dixon, by Jeff Benjamin.
The Kiwi & The Chairman, Part 2/4 in Celebrating the 40th anniversary of Rod Dixon’s 1983 NYC Marathon win!
3. The 40th Anniversary of Rod Dixon’s 1983 win, part 3/4, by Jeff Benjamin,
The 40th Anniversary Of Rod Dixon’s 1983 NYC Marathon Win! Part 3 – Running Into The Legend On The Jersey Shore!
4. The Rod Dixon story, the Finale, on how Rod won the 1983 NYC Marathon, by Jeff Benjamin.
The 40th Anniversary Of Rod Dixon’s 1983 NYC Marathon Win! The Finale Episode! A Race For The Ages!
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Senior Writer Jeff Benjamin has written for almost 40 years for RunBlogRun! The Former President of the Staten Island AC & was the 5th man scorer for his 1982 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 is also a retired NYC DOE history teacher. Some of Jeff's subjects have included Sebastian Coe, Eamonn Coghlan, Matt Centrowitz, Billy Mills, Joe Newton, Tom Fleming, Bill Rodgers, Abel Kiviat, Frank Shorter, Rod Dixon and Carl Lewis as well as Book Reviews and articles covering track meets and races primarily in the Northeast U.S. and beyond.
Jeff has also covered Track & Field events at the 1996, 2016 & 2024 Olympic Games as well as the 2022 World T&F Championships in Eugene, Oregon. A noted T&F historian and chronicler of the athletic achievements of Jim Thorpe, Jeff helped with the restoration of Thorpe to the official IOC 1912 Record Books.
In 2023 Jeff was honored with the awarded the prestigious James Dunaway memorial award for excellence in Track and Field journalism by the Track and Field Writers Association.
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