Monday, December 5, 2011

Buddy Edelen- One of America's Best Distance Runners You Never Heard Of


OK so maybe you have heard of Buddy Edelen, and if so, then you can appreciate what a special talent this guy was.

How can it be that an American who set the world best time in the marathon (In 1963 he ran 2:14:38) does not get mentioned among the greats? Edelen was also the first American under 30 minutes in the 10K and 2hr 20min in the marathon- two very significant distance running milestones.

Edelen won the 1960 US Olympic Marthon Trials in 90 plus degree heat by THREE MILES! Perhaps as a result of that race or not allowing a proper recovery, a bad case of sciatica prevented him from competing for a medal in Tokyo, yet he still managed to capture 6th.

Check out his training diary prior to his marathon world best- amazing! (from South Dakota Runner)

June 1: 3 sets of 10 x 110-120 yard sprints (30 in all), followed by a swim
June 2: 10-11 miles steady, followed by a swim
June 3: 22-23 miles in 2:03-2:04, followed by a swim
June 4: 3.5 miles; 7 x sprint series of 55-110-150-220; 3.5 miles
June 5: 10.5-11 miles in 54-55 minutes.
June 6: A.M.-6 miles hard; P.M.-4 sets of 5 x 440 in 64.8, with 220 to 440 jog recovery between: "Tremendous workout."
June 7: 20 x 440 in 70-71, with a 45-second jog recovery between
June 8: Club track meet: mile in 4:23; 880 in 2:07; 110 leg on sprint relay
June 9: 22-23 miles in 2:01, followed by swim: "I am less stiff after today's run than I have been in ages."
June 10: 4.5 miles from school, then swim
June 11: A.M.-4.5 miles to school fast; P.M.-25 x 440 in 67.4, with 60-second jog recovery
June 12: A.M.-4.5 miles to school fast; P.M.-11 miles in 55-56 minutes, then swim
June 13: No running
June 14: No running
June 15: Marathon

Note: June 6,7,8 is an incredible string of workouts. No hard easy program for Buddy.


Edelen's autobiography, A Cold Clear Day by Frank Murphy, is a captivating account of this great American runner.

Sadly, Edelen succumed to cancer in 1997 at age 59.

3 comments:

  1. Orville Atkins thinks that the Yonkers Marathon Trials Race was the beginning of the end for Buddy.

    Bob Wildes

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  2. According to the book he went right back into hard training just a few days after.

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  3. I did not remember that.

    At some point before the Tokyo Olympic Marathon he was supposed to be suffering from sciatica, which I thought was something that he never recovered from.

    I am pretty certain that he was employed at Adams State by the time of the 1968 US Olympic Trial marathon.

    I do not think he participated in those trials, so he must have been having some pretty severe physical problems.

    Bob Wildes

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