Glenn cunningham biography runner

Glenn Cunningham , the "Kansas Ironman," was the world-record-holder in the mile race from until He was a member of the and U. Olympic teams. Glenn Cunningham was born in Atlanta, Kansas on August 4, His father, Clint Cunningham, was a water-well driller who also did odd jobs. In February of , Cunningham and his older brother Floyd were badly burned in an accidental fire in their schoolhouse.

Floyd died from the burns, and doctors thought that Cunningham's legs were so badly burned that they would have to be amputated. However, he eventually recovered after a long battle. Cunningham regained his strength by running. By the time he was 12, he had beaten all the local high school runners. His legs remained deeply scarred, however.

Glenn cunningham wikipedia

Throughout his life, he would have to massage them and spend time doing long warm-up exercises in order to maintain circulation. In addition, his injuries meant that he could never run smoothly or efficiently; he compensated with endurance and strength. It is interesting to speculate on how great he might have been if he had never been injured.

According to Cordner Nelson and Roberto Quercetani in The Milers, "The middle s may well be the most exciting short period in the history of the and mile.