Posted: December 13, 2004

Athletics: In Memoriam - Arthur Lydiard (1917-2004)

Arthur Lydiard who revolutionized distance training passed away in Houston, Texas on Saturday night, December 11. The New Zealand native, 87, was in the final weeks of his U.S. lecture tour.

In the 1950s, Lydiard developed a training system based on building a large aerobic base, hill bounding and anaerobic sharpening. Many so-called experts in the sport scoffed at his principles. At the Rome Olympics in 1960, three of his charges - Peter Snell, Murray Halberg and Barry Magee - won medals, 800m gold, 5000m gold and marathon bronze respectively. Snell later won two more gold medals (800m and 1500m) at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, while John Davies - also coached by Lydiard - won the bronze in the 1500m.

The charismatic coach influenced (and will continue to influence) several generations of athletes and coaches throughout the world. In this era of over-hyped athletes and celebrities, Arthur Lydiard was a true Legend with a capital "L". Thank you, Arthur.

Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Services Director
385 Oak View Lane
Santa Barbara, CA 93111

(805) 696-6232, fax (805) 967-5958
Ryan@RunningUSA.org
www.runningusa.org.