Glenn Cunningham

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Glenn Cunningham (born August 4, 1909 in Elkhart, Kansas , USA; † March 10, 1988 in Menifee, Arkansas ) was an American athlete who was successful in the middle distance in the 1930s . He ran world records and successfully participated in the Olympic Games . He started for the University of Kansas.

Life

At the age of eight, Glenn Cunningham was the victim of a gasoline explosion that killed his older brother Floyd. His legs were so badly burned that an amputation was considered, but his parents refused. For a long time it seemed questionable whether he would ever be able to walk again. Months later, when Glenn Cunningham was finally able to move without crutches, he made the strange discovery that running caused him far less pain than walking. That's how he got into sport.

As a student at Elkhart High School, he ran a student record of 4: 24.7 minutes over a mile . However, the injuries suffered as a child resulted in lifelong circulatory disorders . Before each start, massages combined with a one-hour warm - up phase were required. The willpower with which Glenn Cunningham endured this in the eight years of his active career earned him the name Kansas Ironman .

After working as a sports director at Cornell College in Iowa from 1940 to 1944 and then serving in the ranks of the US Navy for two years , he and his wife Ruth Sheffield opened a day care center for socially vulnerable children and young people, the so-called "Glenn Cunningham Youth Ranch ”, which has sheltered around ten thousand young people in the course of its life. He raised the necessary financial resources himself with considerable personal sacrifice, including lecturing. Glenn Cunningham received two degrees: a Masters from the University of Iowa and a PhD from New York University.

Services

  • Placements at national championships:
    • 1932: 1st NCAA in 3: 53.0 min., 3rd AAU (time not determined)
    • 1933: 1st NCAA in 4: 09.8 minutes (mile), 1st AAU in 3: 52.3 minutes, 1st AAU in 1: 51.8 minutes (800 m)
    • 1934: 2nd AAU in 3: 48.9 min., 1st AAU hall in 3: 52.2 min.
    • 1935: 1st AAU in 3: 52.1 min., 1st AAU hall in 3: 50.5 min.
    • 1936: 1st AAU in 3: 54.2 min.
    • 1937: 1st AAU in 3: 51.8 min.
    • 1938: 1st AAU in 3: 52.5 min., 1st AAU hall in 3: 48.4 min.
    • 1939: 4th AAU in 3: 52.8 min., 1st AAU hall in 3: 54.6 min.
    • 1940: 2nd AAU in 3: 48.0 min.
    • A total of six winners each of the “Wannamaker Mile” at the Millrose Games and the Big 6 mile at the University of Kansas, as well as 22 victories over 1 mile in Madison Square Garden.
  • Records:
    • 1933 Princeton world record over 1 mile in 4: 06.7 min.
    • 1936, August 20 in Stockholm: World record over 800 m in 1: 49.7 minutes.
    • In 1938, Cunningham won an indoor race organized by Dartmouth College over 1 mile in 4: 04.4 minutes. However, since the competition had not been officially registered, this achievement could not be recognized as a world record (which would have lasted until 1955). Overall, Cunningham improved the indoor world record over 1,500 m and 1 mile six times.
    4: 09.8 mins over 1 mile on March 25, 1933 in Chicago
    3: 52.2 min over 1500 m on February 24, 1934 in New York
    4: 08.4 min. Over 1 mile on March 17, 1934 in New York
    3: 50.5 minutes over 1500 m on February 23, 1935 in New York
    3: 48.4 minutes over 1500 m on February 25, 1938 in New York
    4: 07.4 min. Over 1 mile on March 12, 1938 in New York
  • Olympic games:
    • 1932 Los Angeles: fourth over 1500 m
    • 1936 Berlin: SILVER over 1500 m behind the New Zealander John Lovelock

In 1933, Glenn Cunningham, unbeaten in 20 races, received the Sullivan Award.

literature

  • Paul J. Kiell: American Miler: The Life and Times of Glenn Cunningham . Breakaway Books, 2006. ISBN 1-891369-59-8
  • Arnd Krüger : Many roads lead to the Olympics. The changes in training systems for medium and long distance runners (1850–1997) . In: N. Gissel (Hrsg.): Sporting performance in change . Czwalina, Hamburg 1998, pp. 41-56.
  • Rodney Ohebsion: Athletes That Inspire Us . Immediex Publishing, 2004. ISBN 1-932968-21-0

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Cunningham, Glenn
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American athlete
DATE OF BIRTH 4th August 1909
PLACE OF BIRTH Elkhart (Kansas)
DATE OF DEATH March 10, 1988
Place of death Menifee (Arkansas)