1600m/1 mile Contenders

Be interested in people's thoughts. Feel free to nominate someone.

Herbert Alexander Hederman is a big stand out. Refer the 3200/2mile contenders for a great article.

https://protrack.forumotion.com/protrack-team-of-the-century-f2/3200m-2mile-contenders-t32.htm



Hederman has a prestigious Stawell race named in his honor as a result of his superiority in his era. The individuals naming the team may have strategically left him out in the other category to be included here.

Hedeman made the final 5 noms in the half mile and 2 mile categories and this was his best distance.

Big names in this category are Harry Downes and John McCracken. 1960's were huge for mile talent, also includes Seers, Toleman, Sheales, G Davey from Tas, John Keenan.

guesty wrote:Hedeman made the final 5 noms in the half mile and 2 mile categories and this was his best distance.

As the undisputed World Champion over 1 mile around 1914, I'd argue this contention.

Hederman traveled to Europe and Sth Africa and was never beaten in a match race from even terms. He also beat Harold Wilson, the 1908 Olympic silver medallist at 1500 metres.

ExRunner wrote:Big names in this category are Harry Downes and John McCracken. 1960's were huge for mile talent, also includes Seers, Toleman, Sheales, G Davey from Tas, John Keenan.

Keenan was also a Cerutty disciple.

Did Cerutty ever compete in a pro race? I understand Cerutty gave many impromptu speeches in the middle of the ground at Stawell!

Cerutty was a nut case with some of his behaviour, even Herb Elliott said that. He had a huge self discipline and obsession to getting fit at a time when many runners were still training below capacity because of lifestyle and work. He was also very intelligent, studied hundreds of books and articles from around the world on health, nutrition and training. His training wasn't for everyone but you got very fit and got results if you could put up with his craziness.

Glen Richie was brilliant in tassie the 80's, won 3 burnie miles. not a lot of nsw mile runners but glen was a stand out.

The 1600m/1 Mile Athletes
in the Pro Track
Team of the Century are:

Herb Hedemann (VIC) 1910's
&
Harold Downes (VIC) 1960's



Herb Hedemann (VIC) 1910's
Herb Hedemann emerged in 1911, running 2nd in the Federation mile at Stawell. In 1912, Hedemann returned to Stawell to win the Federation mile and Grampians Stakes 2 miles and ran 3rd in the 880 yards. In 1913, now the backmarker off only 20 yards in all three events, Hedemann again won the mile/2 mile double and this time ran 2nd in the 880 yards.

In preparing for the Grampians Stakes over 2 miles, Hedemann's trainer, D McRae arranged a trial run. A relay of runners was to pace Hedemann, the last lap to be run by New Zealand 440 yards champion Bob Chalmers. Over the last lap, the New Zealander set a cracking pace in accordance with McRae's instructions. Chalmers went flat out for the tape only to be passed by Hedemann. For sustained speed and beautiful rhythmic running, Hedemann had no peer.

By mid 1913, Hedemann had beaten all comers in Australia and took up the offer to run in England against the best distance runners in the world. While Hedemann was on his way to England, the world's best distance men ran a series of events to determine the best of the best. After a series of elimination matches, Hans Holmer (formerly Finland now of the USA) and Frank Kanaly (USA) competed for the world one mile championship. On 6th September 1913, Holmer defeated Kanaly in a time of 4mins 24.3secs at Powderhall in Scotland.

When Hedemann arrived he challenged Holmer and a match race was organised at the Snipe Inn ground in Manchester on November 1st 1913. The track was a half-mile around and used for trotting. The track was soft on top, ruling out any chance of a fast time. Holmer won the toss and chose to run from the inside. Immediately the gun went, Hedemann raced to the front and the inside with Holmer on his shoulder. Despite several attempts to take Hedemann on, Holmer couldn't quite get on terms and Hedemann won by 3 yards.

At the time, Harold Wilson, the 1908 Olympic silver medallist and current English professional mile champion was winning everything in South Africa. Despite his defeat by Kanaly previously, Wilson claimed to be the best miler in the world. Hedemann went to South Africa to challenge Wilson and a match race was set for 28th February 1914 in Durban. Hedemann held Wilson throughout the race and won comfortably by four yards.

Hedemann was the undisputed champion miler of the world and was never beaten in a match race on level terms.


Harold Downes (VIC) 1960's
Harold Downes was born in Hamilton Victoria in February 1939. Keenly interested in athletics from an early age, he won races from 75 yards to a mile at secondary school, broke all school records and was the school cross-country champion. On the advice of former sprint champion Frank Banner, Downes registered as a professional runner as an 18-year-old and had his first start at Stawell in 1957. Downes won his first pro race at Port Fairy on Boxing Day 1958, when he took out the 440 yards. Four months later Downes won the Victory novice mile at Stawell, running off 115 yards in 4mins 2.4secs. He returned to Stawell in 1960 to win the Federation mile off 95 yards in 3mins 59.8secs. Also in 1960, He won the first of four consecutive Portland miles. In December 1962, Downes broke the world professional mile record, with a time of 4mins 4secs, in winning the Portland mile.

Downes won the 880 yards championship four times in 1963, 1965, 1967 and 1968. He also won the national mile championship four times at Northcote from 1966 to 1969.

On March 10 1963 at the Bendigo Showgrounds, Downes became the first professional athlete to break the 4 minute mile barrier when he ran 3min 59.7sec.

In 1964, Downes was invited to run in a special 880 yards race at Burnie which he won from scratch. He also won the prestigious Burnie mile from scratch three times in 1965, 1966 and 1967.

In 1963 and 1965, Downes won the Mt Gambier 880 yards and mile double from scratch.

In 1965, Downes won the Herb Hedemann mile at Stawell from scratch. On a rain affected track in very cold conditions, Downes ran 4mins 3.8secs. The following year he won the 2 miles Grampians stakes. In 1967 he won the invitation mile at Stawell off scratch in 4mins 1.8secs. He won the race the next two years as well.

Downes was trained by his father Jack and family friend, Jim Reynolds. It was Reynolds that had a great deal of knowledge on the art of distance running and helped develop Downes into the champion he was. Reynolds supervised the faster sessions while father Jack kept an eye on the repetition runs, adequate rest & the rate he was to run his longer runs.

In 1968, the VAL brought out Alan Simpson from England who had run fourth for Great Britain in the Tokyo Olympics 1500m. Simpson had broken the four-minute mile barrier, 14 times. In a special invitation race at Echuca, Downes beat Simpson and repeated the performance with another win over a mile at Moorabbin, where Downes ran 3mins 59.9secs.

While Downes never got the opportunity to represent Australia on synthetic tracks at a major amateur competitions, he was universally acknowledged as one of Australia's greatest ever milers and recognised as much at the 50th anniversary dinner of John Landy breaking the four minute mile.

Greg Tilyard of Tasmania ran 4:11.6 for the mile at Stawell in 1956 in what was a Australian professional record at the time.