
Dream Big, Start Small: Lessons from World Record Miler Jim Ryun
From excellence, actually by Steve Magness, Brad Stulberg, & Clay Skipper
May 28, 2026 · 56 min
About this episode
Jim Ryun shares his journey from not making sports teams to becoming a world record miler and Olympic athlete, offering valuable lessons along the way.
Jim Ryun couldn't make his junior high basketball team, track team, or even his church baseball team. Two years later, he was the first high schooler to run a sub-four-minute mile. He'd go on to run a world record mile in 3:51, and compete in three Olympics. Now 79, he shares with us some of the best stories and wisdom: the time he ran a workout of four sets of 10x400 (doesn't recommend it), how he trained his mental discipline, how he handled the spotlight and media criticism, the best lessons he took from legendary coach Bob Timmons, why everyone needs "balcony people," and what he learned from being unfairly disqualified from the 1972 Olympics. It's a masterclass in excellence—actually. - Get a free LMNT drink mix pack with any purchase: drinkLMNT.com/Clay - To learn more about Jim Ryun's running camps, visit ryunrunning.com - Subscribe to The Growth Equation newsletter - Join The Growth Equation Academy - If you are enjoying "excellence, actually," do us a huge favor: text your favorite episode to three people so they can enjoy it, too. Thanks! iTunes and Apple Podcasts Spotify Android PocketCasts See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice…
People in this episode
Hosts: Steve Magness, Brad Stulberg, Clay Skipper
Guest: Jim Ryun
Topics covered
- running
- mental discipline
- Olympics
- coaching
- personal growth
Keywords
- Jim Ryun
- sub-four-minute mile
- Olympics
- mental discipline
- running camps
Sponsors
LMNT
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: The Growth Equation, ryunrunning.com, excellence, actually, iTunes, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Android, PocketCasts, art19
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