Jim Ryun

Jim Ryun, born in 1947, Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Kansas (1996-2006). An outstanding track-and-field athlete, Ryun first gained fame in the late 1960s as one of the best middle-distance runners in world.

Ryun was born in Wichita, Kansas. In 1964, shortly after his 17th birthday, Ryun became the first high school student to run the mile (1.6 km) in less than 4 minutes. That same year, while still in high school, Ryun competed in the Olympics. Two years later, in addition to setting two American records, he established world records of 1 minute 44.9 seconds for the outdoor 880-yd (roughly 805 m), or half-mile run, and 3 minutes 51.3 seconds for the mile run. In 1967 he surpassed his own time for the mile, running it in 3 minutes 51.1 seconds and set a world record of 3 minutes 31.1 seconds for the 1500-meter run. In 1968 Ryun won the silver medal at the Olympics in Mexico City, despite having contracted mononucleosis earlier in the year. He returned to Olympic competition in 1972 but was eliminated when he fell during a qualifying heat for the 1500-meter run. Ryun became a professional in 1973 and retired in 1976.

Ryun earned a bachelor's degree in photojournalism from the University of Kansas in 1970. He later directed a public relations company called Jim Ryun Sports, Inc. In his first campaign for public office, he was elected to Congress in November 1996 from the Second Congressional District of Kansas. After five terms in office, Ryun was defeated in 2006, when the Democratic Party won control of both houses of Congress.

The Second District covers 25 counties in eastern Kansas and includes Topeka, the state capital, and the federal penitentiary at Leavenworth.