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Photograph by Rich Clarkson

"Ryun enjoys what he is doing for the thing itself, for the joy of it, for the satisfaction. Like Bannister or Jazy or Snell or Elliott or any of the great runners, he is familiar with the body's rebellion against agonizing usage, and familiar too, with the discipline of the spirit and the mind."

Issue Date: December 19, 1966

At the age of 19, runner Jim Ryun ran the mile in 3:51.3, breaking Michel Jazy's world record by two and a half seconds. Earlier in the year, in only his second two-mile race ever, Ryan posted the third-best time in history (8:25.2) and also established a new world record in the half-mile (1:44.9).