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2015 National Black Distance Running Hall of Fame


MARATHONERS & ULTRAMARATHONERS

Current Runners

Mebrahtom “Meb” Keflezighi

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  • Received silver medal in the 2008 Olympic Marathon.
  • Won 2009 NYC and 2014 Boston Marathons.
  • Won four NCAA championships competing for the UCLA Bruins track and field team.
  • Won the USA Cross Country Championships in 2001, 2002 and 2009.
  • 2009 and 2014 USA Half Marathon Champion.
  • Three-time USA 10,000-Meter Champion (2000, 2002, and 2004)
  • Three-time USA 12,000-Meter Cross Country Champion (2001, 2002, and 2009)
  • Six-time USA 15,000-Meter Champion (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, and 2007)

To learn more about his many accomplishments, visit his official website at  https://marathonmeb.com/ 


Elizabeth P. Brown

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  • Began running and placing in triathlons in 1986, after turning 40 years old.
  • Completed fourteen marathons, including Boston Marathon four times; 1993, 1994, 2005 and 2006.
  • Has been among the top three rated persons in her age group in the Cincinnati running community, twice in the last four years.


Trailblazers


Ricky Cox

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  • Won the 1982, 1983, and 1986 Cowtown Marathon in Ft. Worth, TX.
  • Was one of 160 runners to qualify for the 1984 US Olympic Trials.
  • Ran the 1983 Boston Marathon in 2:17.


Lisa Felder

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  • Completed over 300 marathons and 111 ultra marathons.
  • Coached the East Bay run team for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training program (TNT) from 1998 through 2009.
  • Launched the first ever TNT Ultra Team, the largest endurance program in the world in 2009.

CROSS COUNTRY, 1500M, MILERS, HALF MARATHONERS

Current Runners


Jon Rankin

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  • 2004 All-American honor for UCLA
  • 1500M and one-mile record holder for UCLA and the Cayman Islands
  • 17th African-American and 268th American to break the four-minute mile.
  • Ran personal bests of 800m 1:47.11 in the 800, 3:35.26 in the 1500M, and 3:54.24 in the mile.
  • Was an alternate for the 2008 US Olympic 1500M team.
For more information visit www.ChasingJonRankin.com

Alphonzo Jackson
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  • Ranked third in the world in the 5k (16:28) and ½ marathon (1:15:28) in his age division, in 1996 at 50 years old.
  • Finished 3rd in the PAUSTF Track & Field Grand Prix Championship in 1998.
  • Served as the Head Coach for Team-in-Training’s East Bay Run Team for over 10 years and is also Athletic Director/Coach for Students Run Oakland.

Trailblazers

Robin Campbell-Bennett
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  • Won USA Indoor Track and Field Championships at 400 meters in 1975 and 1500 meters in 1974.
  • Was a US Olympian at 800 meters in 1980 and 1984.
  • Competed in every Olympic Trials between 1972 and 1984.

Dr. Roscoe Lee Browne
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    • 1950 and 1951 US Indoor 1,000-Yard Champion


    COACH/AGENT/RACE DIRECTOR


    Merhawi "Hawi" Keflezighi

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    • Launched HAWI Sports Management in 2005. Negotiated over $7 million in endorsement contracts.
    • Clients include Leo Manzano, Meb Keflezigh, Peter Gilmore, Jon Rankin, and Jacques Sallberg.
    • Earned a BA in Communication Studies from UCLA and a JD from the UCLA School of Law.
    • Identified as one of the top 50 most influential people in running by Runner’s World.


    COMMUNITY SERVICE

    Bridgette Collins
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    • Served as the race director and coordinator for the Kwanzaa Fest Beat Obesity Walk/Run Events held annually in Dallas, TX since 2007. This is a free event.
    • Coached a large number of beginner walkers and runners for national organizations like the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.
    • Is a Certified Fitness Coach and Certified Distance Running Coach.

    RUNNING CLUB

    Avondale Running Club
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    • Formed by six runners in 1984. One of the nation’s oldest predominately Black running clubs.
    • Organized numerous 5K races in the Cincinnati area.
    • Coordinated aid stations in every Flying Pig Marathon since the inaugural race in 1999.
    • Running club members include National Black Distance Running Hall of Fame honorees Francis Gilbert and Elizabeth P. Brown.

    Pre-1936 Honorees

    Pedestrian Years (1879 – 1899)
    1879
    F. Williams
    27-Hour Race
    126 Miles
    1879
    G. Stevens
    62-Hour Walk for Negroes
    182 Miles
    1879
    S. Smith
    62-Hour Walk for Negroes
    181.5 Miles
    1880
    Frank Hart
    Pedestrian – World Record Holder
    Six-Day Race
    1880
    William Pegram
    Pedestrian – O’Leary Belt – 6-Day Race
    2nd Place
    1880
    Ed Williams
    Pedestrian – O’Leary Belt – 6-Day Race
    7th Place
    1899
    James Dean
    Pedestrian – 6-Day Race
    5th Place
    1900 – 1918
    1909
    John Stookey (Stuckey)
    Berwick Marathon
    Finisher
    1909
    Howard Hale
    Pittsburgh Marathon
    1st Place
    1909
    Charles Burden
    New Orleans Marathon
    1st Place
    1919 – 1935
    1919
    Aaron Morris
    Boston Marathon
    6th Place
    1920
    R. Earl Johnson
    U.S. Olympian
    10,000 Meters
    1920
    Clifford Mitchell
    Berwick Marathon
    11th Place
    1921
    R. Earl Johnson
    U.S. Champion
    Cross-Country
    1924
    R. Earl Johnson
    U.S. Olympian
    Cross-Country – 3rd Place
    1924
    R. Earl Johnson
    U.S. Olympian
    10,000 Meters – 8th Place
    1928
    Phillip Granville
    Pyle Trans American Race
    3rd Place
    1928
    Ed Gardiner
    Pyle Trans American Race
    8th Place $1K prize money
    1928
    Sam Robinson
    Pyle Trans American Race
    Finisher
    1928
    Tobie Joseph Cotton
    Pyle Trans American Race
    Finisher
    1928
    Gus Moore
    U.S. Champion
    Cross-Country
    1929
    Gus Moore
    Berwick Marathon
    1st Place
    1935
    Augustus “Gus” Johnson
    Port Chester Marathon
    3rd Place