07/01/2025
You can support a living legend: Jim Ryun!
https://ryunrc.elexiochms.com/external/form/72513ada-7e65-4f9d-9348-397b60d546e7
WHAT: We are excited to introduce the 4th Edition to the Jim Ryun Collection!! The 2025 Jim Ryun Collection Camp t-shirt was designed with Jim Ryun's Club West jersey as the template.
WHEN: Jim Ryun was featured wearing this jersey on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine's July 1972 edition. This year's design will be the fourth of many years of Camp shirts designed in the likeness of jerseys Jim Ryun wore during his epic career.
Do you want to become a member of the Jim Ryun Collection? Click here and sign up for our Camp blog, Run with Ryun. Stay up to date with the latest and greatest!!
All 2025 Camp attendees will receive this t-shirt upon check-in. If you are not registered for Camp - you can receive your very own 2025 Jim Ryun Collection Camp t-shirt for a suggested donation of $55. Order your t-shirt now!
For every Camp t-shirt reveal, we will include an entry from Jim Ryun’s personal journal in which he shares his thoughts and recollections of having run in that specific jersey (see below). Hope you enjoy a step into the past while considering your future spent staying in communication with the Jim Ryun Running Camp!
JIM RYUN COLLECTION JOURNAL
1972 was a unique Olympic year for me. I had taken some time off from competitive running for a couple of years. My reentry into the running world in 1972 was a bit of a challenge. I had had an up-and-down year when it came to competitive races. I had run the mile poorly in a meet held in the Los Angeles Coliseum on national TV finishing dead last. To say the least, I was quite frustrated with myself. Three weeks later on April 23rd having moved with Anne and 2 year old Heather back to Lawrence, KS, I won the Kansas Relays mile in 3:57.1 to a sold out crowd of 40,000 (eventually, they had to throw open the gates to allow all spectators in because they had run out of tickets). The field was made of some of America’s best milers including my friend Tom Von Ruden from Oklahoma State. We had hoped to run a faster time, however, minutes prior to the start of the mile, a Vietnam protester was given the microphone to express to the gathered crowd his anti-Vietnam War views. We runners had already completed our warm-ups and were ready to run. Unfortunately, we had to wait for the protester to finish and in turn we lost our warm-up which is critical to running a world class time.
Anne and I had become Christians on May 18, 1972. This one life altering decision solidified my resolve to make the USA 1972 Olympic Team in order to share with the world that Jesus Christ was now my Lord and Savior.
During the first week of the Olympic Trials held in Eugene, OR the summer of 1972, I had just missed making the Olympic team at 800m. Instead of running my fastest 200 for the final 200, it turned out my fastest 200 was my third 200 of the race. Not a good strategy. When I headed towards the finish line, I didn’t have enough stamina and speed to get across the finish line to finish in third place. Because I did not finish in the top three, I did not make the USA team.
The 1500 meters would be the only other opportunity I would have to make the team.
Going into the finals of the 1500m, I felt good about my chances. That summer in Toronto, Canada, I had run the third fastest mile in the world behind my two previous fastest times. Coach Timmons was with me at the Trials and had prepared a race strategy for me. Coach reminded me that the first three finishers in the final round of competition would make the Olympic Team. His reminder helped me focus on running my smartest and best race. I felt the first two preliminary rounds were pretty easy in that both were run at a very easy pace. I had finished first in both of these rounds. I was well aware the final round was going to have to be run a lot smarter than I had run the 800m final.
During the 1500m final, I disciplined myself to wait until the final 200 yards to make a decisive move putting myself in position to sprint to the finish line. As I started to sprint, I felt an incredible amount of lightness in my legs and acceleration in my stride. My spirit was soaring. As I began to accelerate, I felt I was gradually pulling away from my opponents, Dave Wottle and Bob Wheeler. As I did so, I felt this enormous exhilaration which I attribute to the fact that it was the Lord who gave me an extra burst of energy at just the right time. I had spent time in prayer as well as reading my Bible in preparation for this race. I had given it to the Lord for His glory.
I threw my hands up in a moment of emotion at what I thought was the finish line only to realize I had another 15 yards to run. I quickly pulled my hands down and ran to the finish line where I threw my hands up once more in a rare moment of celebration. I believe that at the moment I fully realized the pressure was off and that I had made my third Olympic team.
Sports Illustrated chose this photo (as captured by Neil Leifer) for its July 17,1972 cover photo. This photo captures a highlight in my running career as well as in my life. I had trusted the Lord to place me on the USA Olympic Team. He had honored the hard work I had put into attaining this position. I was very grateful to Him and to all those who had helped me achieve this goal.
“…And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us.”
Hebrews 12:1b
