Walt Murphy

Walt Murphy's

"This Day in Track and Field

January 16
1925--Showing no signs of fatigue after his long train ride from New York, the amazing Paavo Nurmi lowered his day-old World Record for 1-3/4 miles to 7:55.4 at the Illinois A.C. Handicap meet at the Chicago Coliseum. Finishing a distant 2nd was Joie Ray, whose records at 1-1/4 and 1-1/2 miles survived Nurmi's attack in this race. Nurmi might have gotten those additional records, but meet officials had changed the configuration of the track from 10-laps to the mile to 12-laps. Nurmi had planned his splits based on the original proposed layout and was so upset after the race that he threatened to cut short his U.S. tour. Thankfully, he had a change of heart.
After spending only three hours in the Windy City, Nurmi hopped back on a train for another gruelling trip back to NY City to run again the following night. (From the NY Times Archives)

January 17

1925--After completing a mind (and body) numbing roundtrip to Chicago, Paavo Nurmi returned to New York for the Fordham University handicap meet. Willie Ritola warmed up the overflow crowd at the 102nd Engineers Armory (the same one that's in use today) by setting a World Indoor Record for five miles (24:21.8). Competing in the final event on the program, Nurmi, apparently putting his problems in Chicago behind him (see Jan.16), got his 8th world record of his U.S. tour (and 5th in 3 nights) by establishing a new mark of 5:33.0 for 2000-meters. (From the NY Times Archives)

Contact Walt Murphy