TEEN SAM RUTHE’S takedown of John Walker’s New Zealand mile NR a month ago makes this as good a time as any to revisit the thrilling Athlete Of The Year season more than half a century ago of history’s first sub-3:50 miler.
by Jon Hendershott (January 1976 T&FN Annual Edition)
Many moments — in many parts of the world, in many clashes with many of the finest runners in the world — helped make up the blue-ribbon season of ’75’s Athlete Of The Year.
FOR A LONG TIME — probably from whenever man first raced a mile until one windy afternoon in May of 1954 — man’s dream was to run those four quarter-miles in 60 seconds or less. Whoever could do that would shatter running’s greatest barrier, and one of the most formidable in athletics: the 4-minute mile. A planned assault by British medical student Roger Bannister resulted in the proof that man could run a mile faster than four minutes: 3:59.4.
Twenty-one years after Bannister’s historic achievement one witnessed a feat just as memorable — a mile run in 3:49.4. No longer did 3:50 stand as a barrier to the never-ending assault on time.
That New Zealand’s John Walker should be the man to run his way into history is both surprising and expected.
Surprising from the standpoint that in May Tanzania’s Filbert Bayi broke Jim Ryun’s 3:51.1 mark on the eve of its eighth birthday with a 3:51.0 — run in the now-typical Bayi fashion which has revolutionized the mile: fast from the gun. None of that wait-and-kick stuff for Bayi. It’s always go-go-go-and his mile mark merely backed up his 3:32.2 1500 record of 1974, although his 1500 is slightly better.
But Walker’s stunning run, achieved in Göteborg, Sweden on August 12, was expected, in its own way. It came during a brilliant European tour which saw the hardy 24-year-old compete in 17 races (10 at 1500 meters or a mile) during a 70-day stay (or roughly a meet every four days), travel some 9000 miles, compete in some of the most challenging meets of the season at a variety of distances and against the very best opponents — and win.
He could win fast or not-so-fast, he could win by laying off the pace and then blazing a 52-second last lap, or he could confidently take command at any time during a race and dictate both tactics and pace to his pursuers. He lost just one of those 10 1500/mile races, that to countryman Rod Dixon in a slow, tactical affair in Zürich.
Not only was he competitive during 1975, but John Walker was also masterfully consistent. Of the 10 fastest times in his career, five came during ‘75 [at the time of writing], topped by the equivalent 3:32.4 and 3:49.4 efforts. He now averages 3:34.31 for his 10-fastest 1500s (including mile conversions), well ahead of Bayi (3:35.74) and Ryun (3:35.96). His 10 fastest miles (including 1500 conversions) average 3:51.46, a mark bettered only by the former records of Bayi and Ryun as single performances.
Walker’s superb season served to continue his reign over running’s “glamor” event, a reign begun in 1974 when he was ranked No. 1 in the world. He is ranked No. 1 again this year.
He is also one more thing. The classic event’s finest, fastest runner is also the entire sport’s mostly highly-regarded participant for 1975: John Walker, Athlete of the Year.
At virtually any distance he ran, Walker was formidable at the very least. A variety of races underscore his versatility:
•World Games, Helsinki, June 26 — Walker’s 3:36.3 1500 beat Rod Dixon, Marty Liquori, Ken Popejoy, Rolf Gysin and Graham Crouch. All but Gysin eventually ranked in the year’s top 15 milers.
•Dagens Nyheter Games, Stockholm, June 30 — Walker’s 3:52.2 mile, a career and New Zealand record, led nine men home under 4 minutes, the most ever. But Walker was disappointed: Filbert Bayi was scheduled to run but a malaria attack forced him to cut his European tour short and return home. Said Walker, “I was very upset by Bayi’s absence. When I heard the meet promoters were guaranteeing a fast pacesetter — and with Bayi in the race — I think I would have broken the World Record. I would have run 3:50 or less.” It would have been the first Walker–Bayi mile outdoors in more than a year.
•Philips International, London, July 4 — Walker took a 5:00.6 2000 meters, a Commonwealth record, from a super field of Rod Dixon, Anders Gärderud, Emiel Puttemans, Brendan Foster, Ian Stewart, Knut Kvalheim, Tony Simmons, Jos Hermens and Dave Black.
•July Games, Stockholm, July 20 — Marty Liquori had to run a US record 8:17.2 two-mile to beat Walker (8:20.6). John again bested Gärderud and Dixon.
•Oslo Games, July 30 — Walker was roused from sleep less than 45 minutes before his 1500 meter race and he barely made it to the stadium in time for a warmup of light jogging. In the race, he let Dagfinn Moe and Aussie Ken Hall lead for a little over 800 meters before taking off. Once he moved, Walker kept right on going — and finished just 0.2 behind Bayi’s World Record with a PR 3:32.4. Second place came home nearly 9 seconds behind.
•Göteborg, August 12 — His next race at 1500 or a mile was his biggest — and the biggest in the history of the event. It was a balmy, but windy, day. Walker had gone to bed at 9:30 the previous evening and he slept until 10:30 that morning. “I about fainted when Rod Dixon woke me up and told me the time,” he recalls. “I thought it was about 6:00 in the morning.” He went for a short jog before breakfast and then rested most of the day. The race went off around 7:00 p.m.
Pace setter Göran Sawemark pulled Walker, Ken Hall and Graham Crouch along the first lap, which Walker ran in 55.8. The second circuit took 59.3 as Walker totaled 1:55.1 at the half-mile. Walker took over with the two Australians on his heels. A 57.9 lap brought Walker to 1320 yards in 2:53.0, with Hall still close. But entering the final backstretch, Walker put his head down and began to sprint. The roar from the spectators became a din and he lengthened his strides, and his lead. He cruised past 1500 meters in 3:34.3, then the 10th-fastest performance ever.
Walker flowed powerfully down the homestretch and across the line to the tumultuous cheers of the crowd. A few seconds later, an unofficial time came over the loudspeakers: 3:49.6. Walker beamed, hands to his head in disbelief and joy. The official 3:49.4 was announced soon after.
John Walker had done it.
Later he said, “This is just fantastic. It really is. The record isn’t the important thing. What is important is that I became the first man to run under 3:50. That makes it really historic.”
•Stockholm, August 19 — A week later, Walker took a shot at Bayi’s 1500 record, but fell well short with 3:35.7.
•Zürich, August 20 — Walker suffered his only loss of the year at 1500/mile as Dixon won a slow tactical duel by 0.4 with 3:40.0.
•Highland Games, Edinburgh, August 23 — His long tour seemingly hadn’t taken the edge off Walker’s speed as he burned a 52.0 last lap for a 3:59.9 mile win.
•Coca-Cola, London, August 23 — Another tough field fell to Walker’s speed, as his 54.4 last circuit finished a 3:53.6. Six others ran under 4:00 — Mike Boit, Dixon, Liquori, Frank Clement, Crouch and Adrian Weatherhead.
•Göteborg, August 30 — Back at the scene of his most glorious run, he missed the World 2000-meter record by 0.6 with his 4:56.8. “My legs were tired, just like in London last night,” he said. “I haven’t had enough sleep.” As he left for home, he added, “My training was more strenuous than my races.” Earlier in the season, he had commented on his ranking first in the world for ‘74 ahead of Bayi: “His 1500 record was a big thing. My consistent record probably got my ranking for me. But a World Record must stand equally as high, if not higher.”
In 1975, the New Zealander had both superb consistency and record-breaking performances. Thanks to them, no athlete stands higher for ‘75 than John Walker. □
