Ryun, << RY uhn, >> Jim (1947-…), an American track star, became the world’s fastest middle-distance runner. In 1966, he set a record by running the mile in 3 minutes 51.3 seconds. Ryun set another record that year by running 880 yards in 1 minute 44.9 seconds. In 1967, he set a 1,500-meter record of 3 minutes 33.1 seconds and lowered his mile record to 3 minutes 51.1 seconds. Other runners later broke Ryun’s records.
James Ronald Ryun was born on April 29, 1947, in Wichita, Kansas. In 1964, as a high school junior, he ran the mile in 3 minutes 59.0 seconds. In 1971, Ryun equaled the indoor mile record of 3 minutes 56.4 seconds. He retired from competition in 1976. Ryun represented Kansas in the United States House of Representatives from 1997 to 2007. In 2020, President Donald J. Trump awarded Ryun the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor presented by the president of the United States.
