Lutz Philipp

Lutz Philipp was one of the most successful long distance runners in West Germany in the 1960s and 70s. He was eliminated in the heats of the 5K at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, finished 24th in the 10K in 1968 and 32nd in the 1972 München marathon. He participated in the 1966 Europeans in the 10K (12th), and the 1971 Europeans in the marathon. All-in-all Philipp collected 24 national titles over different distances. In 1972, at the age of 32, he ran a world’s best at the Manchester Marathon in 2-12:50. As one of the favorites for the München marathon, he lost his motivation after the terrorist attacks by the “Black September” organization. Philipp was educated as a teacher for mathematics and sports and married middle distance runner Ursula Neumann. His brother Udo also was a nationally successful middle- and long-distance runner. Lutz Philipp died after a long illness in 2012 from blood cancer.

Personal Bests: 5000 – 13:44.0 (1965); 10000 – 28:23.4 (1970); Mar – 2-12:50 (1972).