GET TO KNOW WORLD RECORD HOLDER: John Cramer

John Cramer, whom you might know from the Como Park Relays, set many indoor and outdoor American and World records on the track between 1973 and 1976. According to the Association of Road Racing Statistics (www.arrs.net), four of his times are listed as World Records.

On January 7, 1973, Cramer set records for 10 miles (52:38), the one hour run (18.342 kilometers) and 20 kilometers (65:30) in the same race on a track in Chicago. On January 24, 1976, in an indoor race at Mankato State in Mankato, Minnesota, Cramer set a world record for 25 kilometers (1:26:09). He also set an American record for 15 miles (1:23:07), but that record has been broken.

Cramer, who was born in 1951, attended North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, in 1972 and 1973. He transferred to Mankato State in 1973 and graduated in 1975.

He had begun chasing records after reading Runner’s World’s listing of records for indoor and outdoor distances while in college.

After college Cramer moved to Tegucigalpa, Honduras, where he taught at an American school. He trained with the Honduras National team. He logged 5,000 miles in a year which paid off with the fastest half marathon of his career in 65:20. This time earned him a seventh place finish at the Max Tott race in Guatemala City.

When he returned from Honduras in 1976, he went back to Mankato in great shape. This was when he recorded his record 15 mile and 25 kilometer times. On January 26, 1977, Cramer set American records for 20 miles (1:57:34) and 2 hours (20 miles and 722 yards). These records have been broken.

Surprisingly, Cramer, did not know his records existed until March of 2015. It was then that he discovered the www.arrs.net website with his name listed at four distances.

Cramer returned to Honduras in 1977 and 1978 as the National Track Coach. The President of Honduras was his supervisor, but he was overthrown in 1978. Cramer didn’t know what the new administration thought about running so he left and returned to the United States.

Other records he held were set in a 50 kilometer outdoor track race on May 13, 1973, in Mankato. He set outdoor records in 40 kilometers (2:27:52), 25 miles (2:28:50) and the marathon (2:36:58). He finished the 50 kilometer race in 3:15:37, just missing the current record. Ironically, he ran this race as his college track coach said he wasn’t one of his team’s top three runners for a conference meet that weekend.

Cramer still runs and has logged more than 86,000 miles over the years. He has delivered bread for Sara Lee Bakery since 1990. He “can’t wait to retire” so he can devote more time to the local running community where he helps in many ways. He puts on the Como Park Relays (a series of races in August of each year) and is a timer at various meets.

Cramer says his biggest influences on his running were Coach Al Carius from North Central, Ron Daws (a 1988 Olympian) and Steve Hoag (a second place finisher at the Boston Marathon). The latter two were former training partners.