Glenn Cunningham is known as one of the best miler athletes in the world. But a backstory is often associated with people who achieve greatness. Here is Cunningham’s story.
Born in Kansas, Glenn Cunningham was eight years old when a fire broke out, set off accidentally when his brother put gasoline instead of kerosene in the can at their school. Brother Floyd, 13 years old, died in the fire, and Glenn was severely burned in the lower part of his body.
Glenn had lost all the flesh from his knees, shins, and eventually all the toes on his left foot. Doctors recommended amputating Glenn’s legs, but his parents said no. Still, the doctors said Glenn might never walk again.
Glenn Cunningham (photo courtesy KSHB)
That didn’t happen. After hours upon hours of surgery and great determination in rehabilitation afterward, Glenn slowly regained his ability to walk. Walking turned into running, and Glenn eventually began training non-stop, with long-distance running his specialty.
He became good at it, too, so good that he was offered a track scholarship at the University of Kansas. Then, he qualified for the Olympics and competed in the 1500 meters at the 1932 and 1936 Summer Games, finishing fourth and second, respectively. In between, he won silver n 1933 for his achievements as a middle-distance runner, and he set a world record in 1934 by running a mile in 4:06:8.
Still, Cunningham’s lifelong unachieved goal was running a four-minute mile, a feat that wasn’t achieved until Roger Bannister did it in 1954.
While Cunningham never ran a four-minute mile, that doesn’t diminish the fact that he was an inspiration to many fans–when he ran and in the years since he passed away in 1988. He transitioned from a boy the doctors said would never walk again to a world-class athlete.
Glenn Cunningtham’s story shows what you can do when you put one foot in front of the other and run toward a big goal.
