Joie Ray (runner)
Joie Ray, left, and Paavo Nurmi, right, visit U.S. President Calvin Coolidge at the White House on 21 February 1925. | ||
Medal record | ||
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Men's athletics | ||
Representing the United States | ||
Olympic Games | ||
1924 Paris | 3000 metre team
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Joseph William "Joie" Ray (April 13, 1894 – May 13, 1978) was an American
Biography
Ray was born in Kankakee, Illinois, on April 13, 1894. Early in his career, the 5-foot-5-inch (1.65 m) and 118-pound (54 kg) runner—considered short and stocky—competed for the Illinois Athletic Club.[2] Ray was nicknamed "The Kankakee Kid", after his hometown, and "Chesty" or "Chesty Joie" after a newspaper, early in his career, called him "a chesty little guy with a great heart".[3] Ray was considered one of the most versatile distance runners of the 1920s, competing in races from the 1500 metres to marathons. Among his 13 national AAU titles were 8 outdoor mile titles. Ray won the Millrose Games' Wannamaker one and a half-mile (2400 m) race (which changed to the Wanamaker Mile in 1926) seven times in the eight-year span from 1917 to 1924, losing in 1925 to Paavo Nurmi of Finland. Later that same year he tied the indoor mile world record at 4 minutes 12 seconds, and was part of a 4 × 1-mile (4 × 1.6 km) relay that set a world record.[2]
Ray competed for the United States in the
In the 1920s, when not competing in running events, Ray was a cab driver,[2] and also competed in other events, dabbling in boxing, roller derby, and snowshoe races in Canada. He preceded his third-place finish in the 1928 Boston Marathon by competing in a dance marathon for 1,730 hours. Later in life, Ray worked in a steel mill in Gary, Indiana, moving to Michigan after retiring.[3]
Ray continued to run throughout his life. At age 68, he was timed at 6:18.3 on a 1-mile (1,600 m) course, a time he bettered on his 70th birthday, with a time of 6:11.5. Ray was elected to the U.S. National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1976. Ray died on 13 May 1978 in Berrien Springs, Michigan, after a short illness.[3]
References
- ^ "Joie Ray". Olympedia. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "Joie Ray". USA Track & Field. Retrieved 2008-07-03.
- ^ a b c "Joie Ray, 84, dead; starred as runner". The New York Times. 1978-05-16. p. 69.
1876–78 New York Athletic Club |
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1879–88 NAAAA |
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1888–1979 Amateur Athletic Union |
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1980–92 The Athletics Congress |
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1993-onwards USA Track & Field |
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1876–1878 New York Athletic Club |
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1879–1888 NAAAA |
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1888–1979 Amateur Athletic Union |
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1980–1992 The Athletics Congress |
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1993–onwards USA Track & Field |
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1932–1979 Amateur Athletic Union |
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1981–1992 The Athletics Congress |
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1993–present USA Track & Field |
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Notes | *Distances have varied as follows: 2 Miles (1899–1931), 5000 meters (1933–1939), 3 Miles 1932, (1940–1986) and odd numbered years since 2015, and 3000 meters (1987–2014) and even numbered years since 2014 |
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National |