Happy National Running Day
By: Tye Richmond
Today is June 1st but not only that it is National Running Day. I know that some people can’t even stand the word running. But me personally I like going for a good run especially to workout. Each year on the first Wednesday in June, people across the United States participate in National Running Day. The day was designated as a way for runners to reaffirm their passion for running and for beginners to make a life-changing commitment to running.
So, in honor of all the runners out there let’s recognize some runners out there.
The first one and the fastest woman to ever live on planet earth Florence Griffith Joyner aka Flo Jo. Joyner was an Olympic gold medalist Florence Joyner brought style to track and field with form-fitting bodysuits, six-inch fingernails, and amazing speed. She still holds the world records in the 100- and 200-meter events 10.49 & 21.34.
At the 1984 Summer Olympics, Florence Joyner, also known as “Flo Jo,” won a silver medal in the 200-meter run. She married fellow athlete Al Joyner, the brother of famed athlete Jackie Joyner-Kersee. At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, Joyner took home three gold medals and a silver. She and her coach, Bob Kersee, came under media speculation when rumors spread that she might have been using performance-enhancing drugs to improve her times. Joyner died unexpectedly in September 1998, at age 38, after suffering an epileptic seizure. She still holds the world records in the 100- and 200-meter events.
The next person is Jamaica’s Usain Bolt he is an Olympic legend who has been called “the fastest man alive” for smashing world records and winning multiple gold medals at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Summer Games.
Usain Bolt was dubbed “the fastest man alive” after winning three gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, and becoming the first man in Olympic history to win both the 100- and 200-meter races in record times. Bolt also won three Olympic gold medals at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, along the way notching an Olympic-record time of 9.63 seconds in the 100 meters, making him the first man in history to set three world records in Olympic competition. He made history again at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio with gold medals in the 100- and 200-meter races and 4×100-meter relay; the wins gave him a “triple-triple” — three golds over three consecutive Olympics — though he later was stripped of one of the relay golds because of a teammate’s doping violation.
The last and final person is Jesse Owens , Owens won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. His long jump world record stood for 25 years.
Jesse Owens, also known as “The Buckeye Bullet,” was an American track and field athlete who won four gold medals and broke two world records at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. The 1936 Berlin Olympic Games were expected to be a German showcase and a statement for Aryan supremacy.
Adolf Hitler lambasted America for including Black athletes on its Olympic roster. But it was the African American participants who helped cement America’s success at the Olympic Games.
In all, the United States won 11 gold medals, six of them by Black athletes. Owens was easily the most dominant athlete to compete. He captured four gold medals (the 100 meter, the long jump, the 200 meter and the 400-meter relay) and broke two Olympic records along the way.
Owens’ athletic career began in high school when he won three track and field events at the 1933 National Interscholastic Championships. Two years later, while competing for Ohio State University, he equaled one world record and broke three others before qualifying and competing in the 1936 Olympics.
