Gerry Lindgren

Possibly America’s greatest ever high school distance runner, Gerry Lindgren first achieved international fame when he defeated two Soviets at the 1964 US-USSR meet over 10K. Considered a contender for the 1964 Olympic 10K, in which he competed just after high school graduation, he was hampered by a sprained ankle and finished ninth. Lindgren then attended Washington State and won 11 NCAA championships indoors, outdoors, and in cross-country, winning as follows: 1966: 3-mile, 6-mile, indoor 2-mile, Cross-country; 1967: 3-mile, 6-mile, indoor 2-mile, Cross-country; 1968: 5,000 metres, 10,000; and 1969: Cross-country. He was AAU 3-mile champion in 1967, and in the 1965 AAU 6-mile, he finished in a near dead-heat with Billy Mills, gold medalist in the 1964 10K, but they both finished in the world record time of 27:11.6, and shared the record.

In the 1980s, Lindgren later left the mainland, divorced his wife and left his family and settled in Hawai’i. He eventually became a track coach for the University of Hawai’i women’s team. Lindgren was one of the first runners who trained by attempting ultra-high distances, often running over 200 miles (320 km.) per week. Lindgren was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2004.

Personal Bests: Mile – 4:01.5 (1964); 2 miles – 8:34.0 (1972); 5000 – 13:33.8 (1968); 6 miles – 27:11.6 (1965); 10000 – 28:40.2 (1967).