Henry RonosV)78 Recotd

Here are the details of Henry Rono's competitive record for 1978. In a word: Remarkable. Rono won 40 ofhis 52 races. Ofthose races, 48 were track events (40 outdoors and eight indoors), three were in cross-country, and one was on the road. He ran the one-mile, twomile, three-mile, 2,000-meter, 3,000-meter, 5,000-meter, 10,000-meter, and 3,000-meter steeplechase as well as cross-country distances of8,000 meters and 10,000 meters and a halfmarathon road event. During one period, from March 25 through August 16, Rono won 28 of 30 track races-and broke four world records. Some denotations: WR (worid record); CR (U.S. collegiate record); h (qualifying heat); sc (steeplechase).

Chaplin. "He rn'as out there with world record-holders and .just eating them alive. I couldn't believe it." Chaplin realized then Rono had the

DATE EVENT TIME/PLACE

l-21 Ln 2-10 2-17 2-18 3-10 3-11 3-11
INDOOR TRACK

MEET

SITE
Los Angeles, CA Moscow, ID Toronto San Diego, CA Daly City, CA

2-mile* Mile 3-mile 2-mile** Mile Mile !-mil6 MiIe

8:18.3 CR 4:00.9
l3..V1.6

8:20.0 4:01.6 4:72.2h

8:t13.4

4:50.0

(2) Sunkist Invitational (1) Vandal Invitational (4) Maple-Leaf Games (3) Jaek-in-the-Box (3) Examiner Games (1) NCAA Championship (2) NCAA Championship (6) NCAA Championship
(1) (1) (1)
( 1)

potential, the talent, to become a gr.eat runner, but Rono's best times up to that point were an 8:29 steeplechase and a
13:30 5,000 meters----exceilent collegiate

times, but far from world records. There

Detroit, MI Detroit, MI Detroit, MI

Auckland, N. Z.

was nothing, really, but the intensity with which Rono assaulted the Canyon,
to suggest those remarkable 80 days last
spring. made the improvement? "Of course I'd like to say it was the coaching," said Chaplin, "but it wasn't-Rono simply decided he would break those records." John Chaplin has always been reluctant to take much credit for his runners' achievements-('1f,'s their legs," he likes to put it, and he prefers to point to the roliing wheatlands around the University campus and say it's the climate, maybe, or the lack of distractions in the small

OUTDOOR TRACK

1-28 3-25 4-l

27:48.6 5,0(X)-meter 13:31.8 5,(XX)-meter l3:D.7

10,(XX)-meter

International
San Jose Relays

What made the difference? What

Washington State

CA Fullman, WA
San Jose,

Invitational
( 1)
1) 1) 1)

4*
4-r5 4-2,
4-29
5-7

5,O0O-meter 13:08.4 WR
8:14.8 4:00.9 8;21.4 3,0(X)-m 3,(XX)-meter 7:4i|.0 8:05.4 3,00O-m

Mile

3,0OO-m

sc sc

CR

TYiangular Meet Wash. St. vs. Oregon

Berkeley, CA Eugene, OR

5-13 5-19 5-19

5-20 5-71

3,(XX)-m sc Did Not Finish 5,(XX)-meter 13:20.2

lOfi[-meter 27:46.6

sc

WR

( 1) ( 1)

3,000-meter 7:43.9
3,(XX)-m

&.1

sc

8:18.6h

G1

&3 Gll &18 ilD, 6-A, Gn 6% 7-Z 7-20 7-25 *2 &6 L7

5,(XX)-meter 13:21.8h 3,0(Xlm sc 8:L2.4 10,(XX)-meter27:2.5WR 5,O(X)-meter 13:32.0

3,fiX)-meter 7:41.5 5,000-meter 13:20.8

3,(XX)-meter 7:32.1 WR
3,(X)Gm

1) 1) 1)

Pasco, WA Quadrangular Meet Washington vs.U. of Wash. Puilman, WA L.A., CA Pepsi Invitational Seattle, WA Northwest Relays Corvallis, OR Pac-8 Conference Pac-S Conference Corvallis, OR Corvallis, OR Pac-S Conference London Philips Invitational Eugene, OR NCAA Championship Eugene, OR NCAA Championship Eugene, OR NCAA Championship Vienna International Mombassa, Ken. Afoican Games Cologne, W. Ger. Sportfest

farming community of Pullman. "Pull-

man's like a security blanket for runners like Rono," said Chaplin. "He can come here, and no one can find him. He can get his work done here and then go out and
face the world."

sc

8:16.8

5,(XX)-meter 13:18.2

2,(XX)-metcr 5:17.0

&8 &10 &16

sc 8:15.8 3,00O-m sc 8:26.3h 3,00O-m sc 8:,26.5 5,(XX).meter l4.02.2h

3,(XX)-m

10,000-meter2?:58.9

British Championships Bislett Games World Games International African Games

Afoican Games

London
Oslo

Helsinki Milan

"He leaves me alone," Rono said, ccmmenting on his coach. "I see him maybe trvice a $'eek when we get togeth-

er to taik about my running and

mY

1)

Algiers Algiers
Edmonton Edmonton Edmonton Edmonton Edmonton Zurich

5,(XX)-meter
5,(XX)-meter

$5 9-7 9-9 9-10 g-LZ 9-15 9-17 9-20 9-?5

13:23.0 13:16.1
13:15.5 7:49.3

(5) (1) (1) ( 1) ( 1)

International
Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games

studying." "We have a very Iax program here," explained Chaplin, "best suited to a cer-

( 1)
(3) (2) (1) (1) (1) (2) (2) (1)

3,(XX}.meter
3,000-m

sc

7:45.3

Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games Weltklasse International

l0,fiX)-meter 5,(XX}'meter 3,000-meter

2-mile

8:17.5 27:53.8

Frankfurt Koblenz, W. Ger. International Britain vs. Finland (Guest) London

International

tain type of athlete, one who is very independent, very strong-willed. That's the rval' you have to be to be a good distance l'unner'. I recruit this type of athlete-it \\'ould be wrong for me to
Chaplin is a heavy-set man of 42. A former top-level sprinter at WSU, he has a bachelor's degtee in history from WSU and a master's in phiiosophy from Oregon State in Corvaliis. He drinks 12-year-old Jameson Irish Whiskey, raises fighting cockr. collects art and now and then teaches a cout'se in Zoroastrianism (an ancient fliddle Eastern religion) at the L nii'ersitl'. He's worked as a newspaper reporter'. a bartender, a disc jockey and for a ri hile he was in the Army in counter-

bring someone here rvho needs a more stmctured progtam."

Rieti, It.

Mile
2-mile

8:14.7 4:03.8 8:32.7

International Coca-Cola Invitational

International

lngleheim, W. Ger. London Gateshead, Eng.

Oslo

Mile
marathon

Did Not Finish

1:04:46 (1)

International International
San BIas Run

Tokyo
Coamo, P. R.

ROAD RACING

2-5 HalflG?A

CROSS-COT}I{TRY
8,O(X)-meter 39:37.2
10,(XX)-meter 29:22.0 10,000-meter 34:10.?

11-11

ll-20

(1) (1)

Pullman, WA Divisional NCAA Distriet Qualifying Fresno, CA (237) NCAA Championship Madison, WI
Pac-10

*En route to the 2-mile in the Sunkist Meet, Rono reached the 2,000-meter point in 5:7I.2, a collegiate indoor record. **Eiroute to the 2-mile in the Jack-in-the-Box Meet, Rono reached 3,000 meters in 7:49.1, a b1,1 Walt Murphy collegiate indoor record.

intelligence, where, as he puts it, he learned to talk for three hours without saling anything. He's coached at WSU
since 1968, rvhen he became the assistant

-compiled,

to Jack Moobemy. Since 1973, Chaplin

ha-. been the head track-and-field coach

THE RUNNER: APRIL 1979