Gordon Edmund McKenzie (June 26, 1927 – July 19, 2013) was an American athlete who competed in the

10,000 meters The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship level events. The race ...

at the

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, whi ...

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metropol ...

and the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

at the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...

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. McKenzie, running 2:28:18, finished second to

Paavo Kotila Paavo Edvard Kotila (26 August 1927 in Veteli – 26 January 2014) was a Finnish long-distance runner, Olympian, and three-time national champion in the marathon (1955, 1956, 1961). Biography Kotila won his second consecutive national title in 1 ...

in the 1960

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was i ...

, an

Olympic trials Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

race. In 1961, he finished fourth at Boston, in 2:25:46. McKenzie was also an AAU cross country champion (1954) who finished fourth in the

5000 meters The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a stand ...

at the

1955 Pan American Games The 1955 Pan American Games opened on March 12, 1955, in the University Stadium (now Olympic Stadium) in Mexico City, Mexico, in front of a capacity crowd of 100,000 spectators. A total number of 2,583 athletes from 22 nations marched in review ...

and was a

silver medalist A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...

in the

at the

1963 Pan American Games The 1963 Pan American Games were held from April 20 to May 5, 1963, in São Paulo, Brazil. Host city selection For the first time, two cities submitted bids to host the 1963 Pan American Games that were recognized by the Pan American Sports O ...

, where he ran 2:31:18. He finished 2nd and won U.S. track championship medals at 5000 meters in 1953, '54 and '55, and 3rd in 1956. At 10,000 meters, he finished 2nd in 1955 and 1958, 3rd in 1956. He ran for New York University (NYU) and the New York Pioneer Club. Besides his 1960 Boston time (on an uncertified course), he had personal track bests of 4:12.9 in the indoor mile, set in 1954, 8:58.8 at 2 miles indoors and 14:02.9 at 3 miles in 1955, and 30:34.4 at 10,000 meters, set in 1956. McKenzie was married to the former Christina Slemon, a British middle-distance runner who in 1958 became the first US AAU Champion in the 440 yards, and who, in 1953, had been part of a British world-record setting team in the 3×880 yard relay. Gordon McKenzie's career was as a civil engineer with the city of New York, after studying engineering at NYU.

Personal

McKenzie was from Great Neck,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. His wife was Christina Slemon McKenzie, known as Chris, a member of the former British World Record-holding team in the three-times-880 yard relay, and a pioneer who was instrumental in helping women to officially compete at races longer than 220 yards in the U.S. They had three children: Tina, Adam, and Stuart.Armory Track
Marc Bloom, 2017. Retrieved April 18, 2018.

References

External links

*
Gordon McKenzie's obituary
1927 births 2013 deaths American male long-distance runners Athletes (track and field) at the 1956 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics Olympic track and field athletes for the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 1955 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1963 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1963 Pan American Games Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field) People from Great Neck, New York Sportspeople from Nassau County, New York Track and field athletes from New York (state) {{US-longdistance-athletics-bio-stub