Joseph William "Joie"Ray (April 13, 1894 – May 13, 1978) was an Americantrack and field athlete and member of the United StatesNational Track and Field Hall of Fame. He held world records for the 1-mile (1.6 km) and 2-mile (3.2 km) distances. He represented the United States in the threeOlympic Games held the 1920s, winning a bronze medal for the3000 m team race in 1924.[1]
Ray was born inKankakee, Illinois, on April 13, 1894. Early in his career, the 5-foot-5-inch (1.65 m) and 118-pound (54 kg) runner—considered short and stocky—competed for theIllinois Athletic Club.[2] Ray was nicknamed "The Kankakee Kid", after his hometown, and "Chesty" or "Chesty Joie" after a newspaper, early in his career, called him "a chesty little guy with a great heart".[3] Ray was considered one of the most versatile distance runners of the 1920s, competing in races from the1500 metres tomarathons. Among his 13 nationalAAU titles were 8 outdoor mile titles. Ray won theMillrose Games' Wannamaker one and a half-mile (2400 m) race (which changed to theWanamaker Mile in 1926) seven times in the eight-year span from 1917 to 1924, losing in 1925 toPaavo Nurmi ofFinland. Later that same year he tied the indoor mile world record at 4 minutes 12 seconds, and was part of a 4 × 1-mile (4 × 1.6 km) relay that set a world record.[2]
In the 1920s, when not competing in running events, Ray was a cab driver,[2] and also competed in other events, dabbling inboxing,roller derby, andsnowshoe races inCanada. He preceded his third-place finish in the 1928 Boston Marathon by competing in adance marathon for 1,730 hours. Later in life, Ray worked in a steel mill inGary,Indiana, moving toMichigan after retiring.[3]
Ray continued to run throughout his life. At age 68, he was timed at 6:18.3 on a 1-mile (1,600 m) course, a time he bettered on his 70th birthday, with a time of 6:11.5. Ray was elected to the U.S. National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1976. Ray died on 13 May 1978 inBerrien Springs, Michigan, after a short illness.[3]
Note 1: In 1888 both the NAAAA and the AAU held championships
OT: The 1920, 1928, 1932, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 championships incorporated the Olympic Trials, otherwise held as a discrete event.
2020 OT: The 2020 Olympic Trials were delayed and held in 2021 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.
Distance: Until 1924 the event was 5 miles; from 1925–27 and from 1929–31 it was over 6 miles.
* Events before 1906 are considered unofficial. Distances have varied as follows: 2 Miles (1899–1931) and odd numbered years since 2015, 5000 meters (1933–1939), 3 Miles 1932, (1940–1986), and 3000 meters (1987–2014) and even numbered years since 2014
United States
