Buddy Edelen

Leonard Graves "Buddy" Edelen (September 22, 1937 – February 19, 1997) was an American marathoner. Based in England for most of his prime competitive years, in 1963 Edelen became the first man to run a marathon faster than 2 hours and 15 minutes when he set a world record of 2:14:28. Edelen also won the 1964 U.S. Olympic marathon trials and represented the U.S. in the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

Buddy Edelen
Personal information
Full nameLeonard Graves Edelen
NationalityAmerican
BornSeptember 22, 1937 (1937-09-22)
Harrodsburg, Kentucky, U.S.
DiedFebruary 19, 1997(1997-02-19) (aged 59)
Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight141 lb (64 kg)
Sport
SportLong-distance running
Event(s)Marathon
College teamUniversity of Minnesota
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)Marathon: 2:14:28[1]
10000 meters: 28:00.8 [1]
5000 meters: 13:54.4 [1]
2 miles: 8:57.4i[1]

Biography

While born in Kentucky, Edelen attended high school in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, before graduating from Washington High School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in 1955. He then attended the University of Minnesota.

As a Golden Gopher, Edelen ran cross country and track. He finished top-10 in the NCAA Men's Division I Cross Country Championship twice: In 1956 he placed 9th in 20:33 [2] and in 1957 he placed 4th in 19:44.[3] He set the national record for the four-mile race.[4]

In 1997, Edelen died of cancer at age 59.[5]

In 2001 was inducted into the Gopher Athletics Hall of Fame.[4] In 2016, he was elected into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame.[6]

Marathons

Edelen's promise in the marathon was evident early in his career. In 1962, he finished 4th at the Fukuoka Marathon in an American Record time of 2:18:57, making him the first American to run under 2:20 for the marathon. He was also the first American under 30:00 for the 10,000 m run.

On June 15, 1963 Edelen ran 2:14:28 at the Polytechnic Marathon (run from Windsor to Chiswick, England) to establish a new World Record. That record stood just two days short of a year, as England's Basil Heatley ran 2:13:55 at the 1964 Polytechnic Marathon (which was held on June 13). Edelen was the first American to hold the world record since 1925, and (excepting Alberto Salazar's 2:08:13 at the 1981 New York City Marathon, which later proved to be short) the last until naturalized American Khalid Khannouchi (originally from Morocco) broke his own World Record at the London Marathon in 2002.

After his record run 1963, Edelen also won the Košice Peace Marathon in Slovakia in a course-record time of 2:15:09; that record would stand for fifteen years.[5]

The following year, Edelen won the U.S. Olympic Trials marathon by nearly twenty minutes, and went on to finish 6th in the marathon at the Tokyo Olympic games.

In 2016, he was elected into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame.[6]

Achievements
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
Representing the  United States
1962 Fukuoka Marathon Fukuoka, Japan 4th Marathon 2:18:57 (AR)
1963 Polytechnic Marathon Windsor, England 1st Marathon 2:14:28 (WR)
1963 Košice Peace Marathon Košice, Czechoslovakia 1st Marathon 2:15:09
1964 Tokyo Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 6th Marathon 2:18:12

References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Buddy Edelen". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020.
  2. "NCAA DI Cross Country Championships". Mile Split USA. FloSports. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  3. "NCAA DI Cross Country Championships". Mile Split USA. FloSports. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  4. ""M" Club Hall of Fame: Leonard 'Buddy' Edelen". gophersports.com. University of Minnesota Athletics. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  5. Robinson, Roger (November 9, 2016). "Recognition at Last for an Overlooked American Marathoner". Conde Nast. Runner's World. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  6. "USA Track & Field - Buddy Edelen". Legacy.usatf.org. Retrieved September 8, 2022.

Further reading
  • Murphy, Frank (March 2000). A Cold Clear Day. ISBN 0-7351-0399-2. (An "athletic biography" of Edelen.)
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