Jim Ryun vs Peter Snell 1965 US Championships 1-Mile Full Race

Here is an exciting encounter between Jim Ryun and Peter Snell. Hold onto your seats!

Montreal 1976 5000m Final

Lasse Viren one of the greatest athletes ever with 4 olympic golds in the 5000 and 10,000 his coach was trained by lydiard. Also, in this race, Kiwis Dick Quax and Rod Dixon. Races finishes do not get any more exciting than this one!

1972 Olympic 10,000 metres,

I've included this clip to show one of the greatest athletes and races of all time.  Lasse Viren in the 1972 Olympic 10,000 metre final. Viren lead for nearly half the race in what was an aggressive pace in a strong field and still finished with a long sprint finish, he fended off his rivals in the last few hundred metres by stepping up yet another gear and finding an even faster sprint. VIren's coach was trained by Arthur Lydiard, and employed Arthur's training principles of years of long slow distance running topped off with strength and speed training to perfect Viren's talents.  He makes it look so easy the way he holds off the 
other athletes, he was accused of taking drugs due to his lack
lustre performance in the years btween his Olympc golds in the 
72 and 76 Olympics, but his training was focused on peaking
 primarily for the Olympics better than his opponents had 
prepared. 

Nick Willis 1500m Melbourne 06

Nick Willis ran a great race, made sure he was positioned well up the front and out of the trouble that ensued further back, didnt run too wide and dominated the end, showing his experience to confidently sprint the last lap and hold the lead.

Olympic1500m final - John Walker of New Zealand

A Magic moment in NZ sport. John Walker showed how a professional can show the best in the world how it's done. He had the courage and skill to start his finish sprint a long way out and dominate all the way to the finish and fend off strong finishes from the best in the world. Few athletes in recent times can pull off such a long finishing sprint, with such a strong field.
For all those budding young athletes out there, this is whatcan be done with years of long slow distance training, finished off with a few weeks every year of strength and speed work.
JOhn's talent was very well honed by his coach Arch Jelley, who practiced a modified form of Arthur Lydiards training principals

Coe V Ovett

Here's a video for those who can remember as far back as, the late seventies and the eighties.
FOr those who can't remember Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett, were the greatest middle distance runners of their time, in seventeen years of racing they met only seven times. COe was the stronger in the 800 metres, yet missed out on Olympic Gold in that event, but took the Gold in the 1500 twice first against a more favoured Ovett and then against Steve Cram, they took turns at repeatedly lowering several world records from 800m to 2000 metres.

Inspiring middle distance races

Begin your journey to running fitness by watching this inspirational compilation of great middle distance track races. If you ever lack motivation to get out and train, then watch this again!