Congratulations to Ryan Hill for being the first N.C. State runner to break the 4-minute mark in the mile! (Feb. 4 Sports section item.) Some of us in Chapel Hill remember watching UNC runner Tony Waldrop, who set the world indoor mile record at 3:55 in 1974. Memories of Waldrop's famous come-from-behind last lap kick still inspire me at the end of every race (although only enough for me to pass imaginary runners).
Waldrop ran an amazing nine consecutive sub-4 minute miles and still holds the NCAA indoor record for the mile. Most impressively, he retired and entered graduate school before the 1976 Olympics, saying "the pressure of the Olympic trials is too great." Waldrop's often quoted motto was "Run for Fun."
Jeff Essen
