In 1965, Lindgren and Billy Mills both broke the world record for the six-mile run when they finished in an extremely rare tie at the AAU National Championships, both running exactly 27:11.6.
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Gerry Lindgren.
Personal information
College team
Washington State
Gerry,Gerry,Gerry!
High school
In 1964, in his senior year at Rogers High School, Lindgren ran 5000 meters in 13 minutes and 44 seconds flat, on a clay track in Compton, CA setting a U.S. high school record for the distance that would remain unbroken for 40 years, until Galen Rupp ran 13:37.91 on July 30, 2004. Among his other records he established that year was his time of 8:40.0 in an indoor 2-mile (3.2 km) race that shattered the previous U.S. national high school mark by an incredible 43 seconds; it was the fastest high school 2-mile (3.2 km) time ever run indoors until February 16, 2013, when Edward Cheserek ran 8:39.15 at the Millrose Games.
Lindgren was coached by Tracy Walters in high school, where Walters was responsible for inspiring Gerry to the heights he reached. In the summer following high school graduation and his historic 13:44 5k, Lindgren ran 200 miles a week for 6 weeks in preparation for the US-USSR meet. After that victory, he also set a new teenage record of 13:17.0 for 3 miles while competing in Jamaica, a meet where he ran his mile best of 4:01.5 as well, both on a dirt track.
On July 25, 1964, Lindgren outran two seasoned Soviet runners, Leonid Ivanov and Anatoly Dutov to win the 10,000 m event in the US-USSR Track Meet in Los Angeles. The event heralded great success for American distance runners in 1964. The ensuing 12 months brought forth 2 gold medals by Americans, in both the 5,000 and 10,000 m events in Tokyo, as well as World Records in the 2-mile, 6-mile and indoor mile. Lindgren was Track and Field News "High School Athlete of the Year" in 1964, and won the 10,000 meter race at the 1964 Olympic Trials.
Note,these guys ran on a dirt track back then.