| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Leonard Graves Edelen |
| Born | September 22, 1937 (1937-09-22) Harrodsburg, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | February 19, 1997(1997-02-19) (aged 59) Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
| Weight | 141 lb (64 kg) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Long-distance running |
| Event | Marathon |
| College team | Minnesota Golden Gophers |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personalbest(s) | Marathon: 2:14:28[1] 10000 meters: 28:00.8[1] 5000 meters: 13:54.4[1] 2 miles: 8:57.4i[1] |
Leonard Graves "Buddy"Edelen (September 22, 1937 – February 19, 1997) was an American marathoner. Based in England for most of his prime competitive years, in 1963 Edelen became the first man to run amarathon faster than 2 hours and 15 minutes when he set a world record of 2:14:28. Edelen also won the1964 U.S. Olympic marathon trials atYonkers and represented the U.S. in the1964 Summer Olympics inTokyo, Japan.
While born in Kentucky, Edelen attended high school inSt. Louis Park, Minnesota, before graduating from Washington High School inSioux Falls, South Dakota, in 1955. He then attended theUniversity of Minnesota.
As aGolden Gopher, Edelen ran cross country and track. He finished top-10 in theNCAA Men's Division I Cross Country Championship twice: In 1956 he placed 9th in 20:33[2] and in 1957 he placed 4th in 19:44.[3] He set the national record for the four-mile race.[4]
In 1997, Edelen died of cancer at age 59.[5]
In 2001 was inducted into the Gopher Athletics Hall of Fame.[4]In 2016, he was elected into theNational Track and Field Hall of Fame.[6]
Edelen's promise in the marathon was evident early in his career. In 1962, he finished 4th at theFukuoka Marathon in an American Record time of 2:18:57, making him the first American to run under 2:20 for the marathon. He was also the first American under 30:00 for the 10,000 m run.
On June 15, 1963, Edelen ran 2:14:28 at thePolytechnic Marathon (run from Windsor to Chiswick, England) to establish a new World Record. That recordstood just two days short of a year, as England'sBasil Heatley ran 2:13:55 at the 1964 Polytechnic Marathon (which was held on June 13). Edelen was the first American to hold the world record since 1925, and (exceptingAlberto Salazar's 2:08:13 at the 1981New York City Marathon, which later proved to be short) the last until naturalized AmericanKhalid Khannouchi (originally from Morocco) broke his own World Record at theLondon Marathon in 2002.
After his record run 1963, Edelen also won theKošice Peace Marathon in Czechoslovakia (today Slovakia) in a course-record time of 2:15:09; that record would stand for fifteen years.[5]
The following year, Edelen won the U.S. Olympic Trials marathon by nearly twenty minutes, and went on to finish 6th in the marathon at theTokyo Olympic games.
In 2016, he was elected into theNational Track and Field Hall of Fame.[6]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing the United States | |||||
| 1962 | Fukuoka Marathon | Fukuoka,Japan | 4th | Marathon | 2:18:57 (AR) |
| 1963 | Polytechnic Marathon | Windsor,England | 1st | Marathon | 2:14:28 (WR) |
| 1963 | Košice Peace Marathon | Košice,Czechoslovakia | 1st | Marathon | 2:15:09 |
| 1964 | Tokyo Olympic Games | Tokyo,Japan | 6th | Marathon | 2:18:12 |
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Men's Marathon World Record Holder June 15, 1963 – June 13, 1964 | Succeeded by |
| Men's track and road athletes |
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| Women's track athletes | ||
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| Coaches |
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| International | |
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| National | |
