LOS ANGELES TRACK CLUB
In 1961, a group of competitive American distance runners and their coach, the renowned Hungarian Mihály Iglói, started the Los Angeles Track Club. The club was created to put the United States at the top in the world in distance running.
The club’s initial members included Jim Beatty of North Carolina, Jim Grelle of Oregon, Bob Schul of Ohio, Max Truex of Indiana, Bob Seaman of California, and László Tábori of Hungary. Over the years, many other talented runners would join the club as well.
Coach Iglói was known for giving his athletes a rigorous training program of twice-daily sessions to develop both their stamina and speed, with an emphasis on high-density repetitions of short sprints. His method is known as the Iglói system.
Using the Iglói system, Los Angeles Track Club runners became famous worldwide for setting American and world records alike. Two of the most notable performances by Los Angeles Track Club runners include when Jim Beatty became the first man to break four minutes in the indoor mile when he ran 3:58.9 at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena on February 10th, 1962, as well as when Bob Schul won Olympic Gold in the 5000-meter at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
The Los Angeles Track Club did not live for very long; by the mid-60s, many of its top runners had either retired from racing or suffered injuries. In 1970, the club disbanded when Coach Iglói left Los Angeles and moved to coach the national team in Greece. Though the Los Angeles Track Club was short-lived, the impact was great; the club advanced many American runners to the top of the distance running world, instilling a legacy for the United States and inspiring generations of runners.
