Matt Musiel

If you're a distance running fan, this Friday and Saturday may be the best weekend of your year. Here is your itinerary: * Friday, 10/23, 12:00 - State meet at the Kearney Country Club * Sat, 10/24, 10:00 - Blazing Tiger NAIA meet at Mahoney State Park - 35 teams including 11 ranked teams blazingtigerinvite.net/event… * Sat, 10/24, 1:00 - FCA XC clinic at Bellevue University featuring Olympian Jim Ryun For the youngsters in the room, Jim Ryun is a Wichita native who became the first American high schooler to break the four-minute mile barrier. He first ran 3:59.0 as a junior, and then 3:55.30 as a senior to with the AAU Championship ahead of Olympic gold medalist Peter Snell. He set the world record of 1:44.9 in the half-mile and 3:51.3 in the mile as 19-year-old, and he won the NCAA indoor and outdoor mile four times while at KU. He competed in the 1964, 1968 and 1972 Olympics, winning silver in the 1500 in 1968. After a post-competitive career that includes hosting camps and giving motivational speeches, Jim served in the US House of Representatives from 1996 to 2006. His Christian faith has been an important part of Jim's life story, and the Omaha chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes is sponsoring the three-hour event. The cross country clinic will also include presentations by former D2 athlete and backwards mile world-record holder Aaron Yoder, former UNO runner Lily Jackson, and triathlete Lincoln Murdoch. The event is open to athletes, coaches, parents, adults and anyone else who loves distance running. Admission is free but pre-registration at this link is required so the event has adequate seating. fca.regfox.com/2026omahaxccl…

For adults and students (but not those who qualify for State), the Run 4 Jared 5k will be held at the Ainsworth golf course on Saturday, October 17. The fun run is a fundraiser for former Ainsworth XC coach Jared Hansmeyer as he fights cancer. You can find out more about the event at facebook.com/events/s/run-4-…

In lieu of publishing a Nerdsletter this week, I interviewed 3x Olympian and former world-record holder Jim Ryun and his wife Anne. You can find video and audio versions of the interview at preprunningnerd.com/post/jim…. Jim and Anne are the keynote speakers for the free Fellowship of Christian Athletes XC clinic being held on Saturday, 10/24 from 1:00-4:00 in Bellevue. Registration for the clinic is at fca.regfox.com/2026omahaxccl……. I expected today's interview to last 30 minutes but, to be safe, I sent Jim and Anne a calendar request for an hour; they were so entertaining that the recorded interview lasted almost 75 minutes. We discussed: * Why Jim became a distance runner; * How, after less than nine months of running, Jim's high school coach decided that Jim was capable of running a a sub-four-minute mile before he graduated; * How Jim snubbed Anne the first time she tried to meet him (despite patiently waiting for three hours); * His experiences at the Olympic Trials and Olympics; * His most memorable races and what they taught him; * His brief training partnership with Steve Prefontaine; * His belief in the American experiment; * The Christian-based running camps he's hosted for 52 years; * The freedom and peace he felt once he moved from following the 'rules' of Christianity to letting Jesus in his life. As you might imagine from his appearance at the FCA clinic, Jim's Christian faith has been an important of his life. The cross country clinic will also include presentations by former D2 athlete Aaron Yoder, former UNO runner Lily Jackson, and triathlete Lincoln Murdoch. Admission is free but pre-registration is required so the event has adequate seating. The clinic is open to athletes, coaches and running nerds of any age. My sons ran in college but had never heard of Jim Ryun. He's an American distance running legend, and I encourage you to share the interview with the athletes in your life.

We’ve got about ten Nebraska high school teams (and two Nerds) headed to the Augustana Twilight meet on Friday night. Here’s an update on the revised meet schedule.

The heat-related meet changes are rolling in: Wisner-Pilger, 9/3, new start time 9:30 and moved to Wisner River Park Ainsworth, 9/3, new start time 10:00 AM Niobrara-Verdigre, 9/3, new start time 9:30 AM Seward (Thorell), 9/3, new start time 9:00 AM Platte River Rumble collegiate, 9/4, new start time 7:45AM Augie Twilight, 9/4, early JV races shortened, varsity/college races begin at 7:45PM Titan Classic @ Papio South, 9/5, new start time 8:00 If you're aware of other time changes, please let me know.