Joe Falcon (born June 23, 1966) is a former US middle-distance runner whose greatest success was his victory in the 1990
Oslo Dream Mile with a time of 3:49.31 minutes, which was the fastest mile in the world in 1990. In the course of the race, he ran a personal best over 1500 m of 3:33.6. Also, in 1990 Joe won the 5000 meter at the
Prefontaine Classic in
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie River (Oregon), McKenzie and Willamette River, Willamette rivers, ...
in 13:20, with a last lap under 53 seconds.
Running career
Falcon attended
Belton High School in Missouri. While there, he won the Missouri High School cross country division 1A-3A race in 1983, running the 5000 meter race in a time of 15:57.5. In 1984, he had a stellar track season, running 1:52.45 (800 m), 4:06.6 (1600 m), and 8:53.35 (3200 m).
Falcon ran at the
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States. It is the Flagship campus, flagship campus of the University of Arkan ...
under legendary coach
John McDonnell
John Martin McDonnell (born 8 September 1951) is a British politician who served as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2015 to 2020. He has been the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Hayes and Harlington ...
. He was the anchor leg of the Arkansas Razorbacks distance medley relay that won at the 1986
Penn Relays and was the
NCAA Cross Country Champion in 1987. He was named most outstanding performer among college men at both the 1988 and 1989
Penn Relays.
Falcon won six individual NCAA titles in cross country, indoor and outdoor track: indoor 3,000 m champion 1987 & 1988, indoor mile champ 1988, outdoor 10,000 m champion 1987, outdoor 1,500 m champion 1988 and cross country champion 1987.
On August 10, 1990, he suffered a torn sheath in his left
Achilles' tendon
The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris muscle, plantaris, gastrocnemius muscle, gastrocnemius (calf ...
during a race in
Brussels, Belgium
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
after another runner accidentally spiked him.
It has been said, on a side note, that Joe Falcon could also bench press over 280 lbs, (290 lbs actually reported eyewitnesses) an astonishing amount for his small frame.
Falcon worked as a police officer in
Bentonville, Arkansas
Bentonville is a city in and the county seat of Benton County, Arkansas, United States. The city is centrally located in the county with Rogers, Arkansas, Rogers adjacent to the east. The city proper had a population of 54,164 at the 2020 Unite ...
and serves on the school board. He is married with three children.
Rankings and recognition
Falcon was ranked among the top ten runners in his event in the US and the world by ''
Track and Field News'' on numerous occasions:
In 1990, Falcon received the prestigious
Glenn Cunningham Award from the
USATF as the top American male distance runner.
USATF – Awards – Glenn Cunningham Award
References
Specific
1966 births
Living people
American male middle-distance runners
Arkansas Razorbacks men's cross country runners
Arkansas Razorbacks men's track and field athletes
Goodwill Games medalists in athletics
Competitors at the 1990 Goodwill Games
United States collegiate record holders in athletics (track and field)
NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners
NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners
20th-century American sportsmen
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