PROFILE
TOKYO 2020
FOR BILLY MILLS, IT’S A DREAM ON HOLD
billy mills is pictured during training exercises at camp pendleton. Mills was born in 1938 in pine ridge, south dakota. mills went on to win the 10,000 meter gold medal in the 1964 tokyo olympics with a time of 28 minutes, 24.4 seconds. Submitted photo
BY GARY PORTER
M
innesota runners of a certain
age recall two of the state’s all time best, both running legends of the 1960s. In 1963 Buddy Edelen, a graduate of the University of Minnesota, set both an American and World record in the marathon with a time of 2:14:28. The following year he finished sixth in the marathon at the Tokyo Olympics. Ron Daws, who has an MDRA race named after him, qualified for the 1968 Mexico City games with a third place finish in
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SUMMER 2020
the first ever USA marathon trials in Alamosa, Colo. He finished 22nd in Mexico City. The next American after Buddy Edelen in Tokyo finished in 14th place. That same runner was in Alamosa four years later and shouted encouragement to Ron Daws. “Just keep this pace, no way he can catch you,” referring to the runner in the 4th position. Buddy’s teammate and the one shouting encouragement to Ron achieved fame not in the marathon, but in the 10,000 at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics………. “Look at Mills, look at Mills!” Those words uttered by NBC analyst Dick Bank rank right up there with Al Michaels’ “Do you believe in miracles?” call of the USA hockey
gold medal in 1980. After all, Billy Mills was barely on anyone’s radar to be in contention for a medal in the 10,000, let alone the gold. Had he miscounted and still had a lap to go? One of the race officials reassured him, no he did not still have a lap to go, that he was in fact the new Olympic champion in the 10K. His time that day was a new Olympic record, 28.24.4. To this day, he remains the only American to win the Men’s Olympic Gold in the 10,000 meters. Tokyo 2020 was to be a dream trip for Billy Mills and his wife, Pat, an accomplished visual artist. Along with their four daughters, two sons-in-law and a close friend, they planned to return to the city where he made history 56
