Henry Rono (born 12 February 1952, in Kapsabet) is a Kenyan retired

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

athlete who specialised in various

long-distance running Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance running comes two d ...

events. Although he never competed at the

Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

, Rono is remembered as one of the most prolific collegiate competitors in the history of track in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, as well as being the former record holder for the

3000 metres steeplechase The 3000 metres steeplechase or 3000-meter steeplechase (usually abbreviated as ) is the most common distance for the steeplechase in track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, a ...

for over a decade. Rono also set the world record for the

5000 metres 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 stan ...

twice, in 1978, then broke that record three years later.

Running career

Born in

Nandi Hills, Kenya Nandi Hills is a town in Nandi County, Kenya and also forms a constituency by itself. The name also refers to the general area of Nandi County, where the urban settlement is located. Location Nandi Hills is located in a highland area of lush gr ...

, into the Nandi tribe, Rono started running while at primary school. Starting in 1976, he attended college in the U.S. at

Washington State University Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant uni ...

in Pullman, along with his compatriot Samson Kimobwa, who broke the 10,000 m world record in 1977. Rono was mentored on the

Palouse The Palouse ( ) is a distinct geographic region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of north central Idaho, southeastern Washington, and, by some definitions, parts of northeast Oregon. It is a major agricultural area, prima ...

by Cougar head coach John Chaplin. More Kenyan runners later enrolled at WSU, including Bernard Lagat, Mike Kosgei, and

Patrick Muturi Patrick may refer to: * Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name * Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People * Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint *Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick ...

. While at Washington State, Rono became only the third in history (after

Gerry Lindgren Gerald "Gerry" Paul Lindgren (born March 9, 1946) is an American track and field runner who set many long-standing high school and national records in the United States. In 1965, Lindgren and Billy Mills both broke the world record for the six-mi ...

and

Steve Prefontaine Steve Roland "Pre" Prefontaine (January 25, 1951 – May 30, 1975) was an American long-distance runner who from 1973 to 1975 set American records at every distance from 2,000 to 10,000 meters. He competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics, a ...

) to win the NCAA Cross Country Championship three times, in 1976, 1977, and 1979. His winning time of 28:07 in 1976, remains the fastest 10,000 m cross country time in NCAA history (in 2008

Galen Rupp Galen Rupp (born May 8, 1986) is an American long-distance runner. He competed in the Summer Olympics in 2008 in Beijing, 2012 in London, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro and 2021 in Tokyo. He won the silver medal in the men's 10,000-meter run in London ...

ran 27:41 at the NCAA regional meet on a course that was said to be short of the regular measure). He was also NCAA steeplechase champion in 1978 and 1979 and NCAA Indoor Champion in the 3000 m in 1977. The peak of Rono's running career was the 1978 season. In a span of only 81 days, he broke four world records: 10,000 m (27:22.5), the 5000 m (13:08.4), the 3000 m steeplechase (8:05.4), and the 3000 m (7:32.1); an achievement unparalleled in the history of distance running. He lowered the 10,000 record by almost eight seconds, the 5000 by 4.5, the steeplechase by 2.6, and the 3000 by a full three seconds. That August, he also won the 5000 m and 3000 m steeplechase gold medals at the

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

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Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

. Among his other performances was a steeplechase / 5000 m double in one day during qualifying at the

NCAA championships The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

at the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

at Eugene's

Hayward Field Hayward Field is a track and field stadium in the northwest United States, located on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. It has been the home of the university's track and field teams since 1921, and was the on-campus ho ...

. He set meet records in both events, turning in an 8:18 and 13:22. The former took six seconds off the NCAA meet record for the steeplechase. When he ran the steeplechase final the next day, he won in 8:12.39, taking another six seconds off the steeplechase mark. He won 10,000 m and 3000 m steeplechase gold medals in July at the All-Africa Games. Although he was never quite as dominant as he was in 1978, Rono continued to run and compete at the same high level for the next four years, running the world's fastest 5000 meters of the year (13:19) and winning the NCAA cross country championships in 1979, running one of history's fastest 10,000 meters races in 1980 (27:31.68), having a strong year in the 5000 meters with several high quality races, including another 5,000 m world record (13:06.20) in 1981, and running history's third fastest 5000 meters (13:08.9) as well as twice running under 27:30 to come within seconds of his world record for 10,000 meters in 1982. Rono never competed at the

, as his country

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boycotted in

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

and 1980; by 1984, he was no longer competing. His 3000 m steeplechase world record (8:05.4) stood for eleven years, and, as of 2020, still stands as the collegiate record. His 10,000 meters world record remained the fastest time ever run by an NCAA athlete until

Sam Chelanga Samuel Chelanga (born February 23, 1985, in Baringo County, Kenya) is a Kenyan-born American track and field athlete who competed for Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia from 2008 to 2011. He holds the NCAA record for the 10,000 meters run ...

's 27:08 in 2010 at the

Payton Jordan Payton Jordan (March 19, 1917 – February 5, 2009) was the head coach of the 1968 United States Olympic track and field team, one of the most powerful track teams ever assembled, which won a record twenty-four medals, including twelve golds. ...

invitational. After turning 55 in February 2007, it was reported that Rono would attempt to break the world masters mile record for the 55–59 age group. 2007 was also the year Rono's autobiography, '' Olympic Dream'', was published. Rono currently coaches high school athletics in

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

, and is pursuing a graduate degree in special education. He is also co-owner of Turbo Health Care Services Inc and Rhinow Corp.

Personal bests

*One mile – 3:59.2 indoors (1977) *3000 metres – 7:32.1 (1978) *5000 metres – 13:06.20 (1981) *10,000 metres – 27:22.47 (1978) *3000 metres steeplechase – 8:05.4 (1978)

Competition record

NCAA cross country

References

External links