Distance legend Henry Rono enters masters indoor nationals
Henry Rono, who trains in Albuquerque, has fought to slim down in his 50s.
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Three years ago, 1970s distance god Henry Rono sparked an explosion of interest by announcing his goal of taking down the M55 world record in the mile. The letsrun.com thread grew to a mile long, but he fell way short of the record (4:40.4). Last Thursday, Henry turned 57. He shows up at some major road races (often expecting organizers to pay his way). But now he’s finally ready to race the best masters — on the track. He’s entered in the 800 and mile at Landover indoor nationals next month. Henry will face fellow M55 Nolan Shaheed, according to the status of entries. Despite being close to 60, Nolan is the overwhelming favorite at Landover. But Henry shows his courage by entering an event outside his comfort zone. He’s been through a lot since his superstar days. If Henry doesn’t satisfy expectations, no sweat. He has a lot of good years ahead of him. Last summer, he reported the death of his grandmother. At what age? Henry says 118!
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Nolan Shaheed is ultra-fit, slim (123 pounds), and loaded for bear. He will be a tough matchup for Henry Rono, but it will be delightful to announce the former Washington State superstar (Mr. R.).
I’ll be glad to see him at Landover, I hope he breaks the record ! Last year at Boston, there were many records broken…. We will be videotaping this years indoor masters, maybe we can get some video footage up on the blog!
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