USATF Foundation Ultimate Art Auction spotlights Bob Schul, American distance running legend

INDIANAPOLIS - The USA Track & Field Foundation has announced Bob Schul will be among the distance running greats that will appear on a commissioned piece of art entitled, "Running Legends: A Signature Piece," honoring 12 of the greatest living American distance runners of all time. All proceeds from the auction will benefit USA Track & Field Foundation grant programs for emerging elite athletes and youth clubs.

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In addition to Bob, the piece created by renowned artist Roald Bradstock, includes the likenesses and original signatures of Joan Benoit Samuelson, Frank Shorter, Billy Mills, Bill Rogers, Jim Ryun, Alberto Salazar, Steve Scott, Lynn Jennings, Mary Slaney, Dave Wottle and Craig Virgin.

Interested parties may bid on ebay.com beginning Friday, June 18 at 1:30 PM EST and ending on Sunday, June 27 at 1:30 PM EST, the last day of the Outdoor National Championships in Des Moines, IA. Please insert item number “130397667863” into the search box to access the auction web page.

Additionally, 25 limited edition prints (also with original signatures) will be available for purchase for $2,500. Interested parties may contact USATF Foundation Executive Director Tom Jackovic at tom.jackovic@usatf.org or (412) 398-2484 for more information.

BOB SCHUL BIOGRAPHY:

Date of Birth: September 28, 1937
USATF Hall of Fame Induction: 1991

Events
2 Mile (8:26)
3 Mile (13:10)
5000 Meters (13:38.0)

A late bloomer as an international distance runner, Bob Schul earned the signal distinction of being the only American ever to win the Olympic 5000 meters when he sprinted home in the rain at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. His triumph came just a few days after fellow Hall of Famer Billy Mills unexpectedly became the first American ever to win the Olympic 10,000 meters. As a youth, Schul's running potential was impeded by an asthmatic condition. A 4:34 high school miler, he joined the track team at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, as a walk-on. After interrupting his studies while he served in the Air Force, Schul ratcheted up his running under the tutelage of coach Mihaly Igloi. By 1963, when he returned to college, he had his first international success, winning a bronze medal in the 5000 meters at the Pan American Games. The following year, he ran 13:38.0 to break the American 5000m record by seven seconds, set a world record of 8:26.4 in the two-mile run, finished first in the USA-USSR dual meet, and won both the U.S. 5000m title and the Olympic trials. After brashly predicting an Olympic triumph, Schul made good on his promise, running the final lap in a withering 54.8 seconds. A year after the Games, Schul won the national three-mile title in an American record of 13:10.4.

Records Held
World Record: 2 Mile - 8:26
American Record: 3 Mile - 13:10
American Record: 5,000 meters - 13:38.00 (June 5, 1964)

Championships
1964 Olympics: 5,000 Meters (1st)
1964 USA Outdoors: 5,000 Meters (1st)
1965 USA Outdoors: 3 Miles (1st)
1963 Pan-Am Games: 5,000 Meters (3rd)

Education
High School: Milton Union (Dayton, Ohio), 1955
Miami of Ohio (Oxford, Ohio), 1966

Occupation
Coach

The USATF Foundation provides a means to attract and guide funds to new and innovative track & field programs with an emphasis on providing opportunities for youth athletes, emerging elite athletes, distance training centers and anti-doping education. The Foundation depends upon donations from its Board of Directors and from generous fans of track & field.

BOB SCHUL