When I was in my early teens I loved to run. I was even halfway decent at it, setting records in the half-mile and mile at the First Presbyterian Church Camp in Ligonier one summer.
My hero was Jim Ryun, the brilliant middle-distance runner from the University of Kansas, arguably the greatest track-and-field athlete of his time. The last American to hold the world record in the mile (3:51.1), Ryun would hang back in the pack for most of the race while conserving his energy. Then he would turn on the jets as the bell lap began and pull away with an incredible finishing kick.