Chuck Aragon

Last updated
Chuck Aragon
Personal information
Nationality American
Born (1959-03-29) March 29, 1959 (age 64)
Los Lunas, New Mexico
Sport
Sport Track
Event(s) 1500 meters, mile
College team Notre Dame
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s) 800m : 1:46.34 [1]
1500m : 3:34.7 [1]
Mile : 3:51.62 [1]
Medal record
Men’s athletics
Representing Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Pan American Games
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1983 Caracas Men's 1500 meters

Chuck Aragon (born March 29, 1959) is an American former middle-distance runner who specialized in the 1500 meters and the mile. After a successful collegiate career during which he became the first Notre Dame runner to break the four-minute mile barrier, he went on to run at an international level throughout the 1980s. He placed third overall in the men's 1500 meters at the 1983 Pan American Games. Aragon also represented the United States at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics, where he also ran in the men's 1500 meters.

Contents

Running career

High school

Aragon attended high school at Los Lunas High School, during which he competed at multiple New Mexico state high school cross country and track meets, up to his graduation with the class of 1977. By the time he graduated high school, Aragon was a two-time New Mexico AAA high school cross country champion, in 1975 and 1976. [2] A Los Lunas local, Ambrose Sanchez, took interest in Aragon's running. He once asked Aragon where he would like to go to college, and when Aragon told him he planned to attend University of New Mexico as an undergrad, Sanchez called Notre Dame coach Joe Piane and suggested that he scout Aragon. [3] Piane visited Aragon, and Aragon was offered an athletics scholarship, which he accepted. [3]

Collegiate

Thanks to the Sanchez-Piane collaboration, Aragon was recruited to Notre Dame. In academics, Aragon was interested in medicine, and intended to go into graduate studies after his undergrad years. In Notre Dame's track team, he started out as an 800-meter specialist, and was a member of Notre Dame's All-America 4x800-meter relay team in 1979. [3] However, Joe Piane was convinced that Aragon had more potential in the 1500 meters and the mile, and eventually moved Aragon up from the 800 meter races. In February 1981, as a senior undergrad, Aragon ran the indoor mile in a competitive meet in Champaign, Illinois, during which he managed to kick ahead of John Gregorek right before the end of the race. Aragon's final result was 3:59.9, due to which Aragon became the first Notre Dame runner and New Mexico native to run a sub-4 minute mile. [3]

International

After graduating from Notre Dame in 1981, Aragon continued training and was called up to run for the United States at the 1983 Pan American Games. There he ran the men's 1500 meters, and finished in third place behind countryman and Villanova runner Ross Donoghue. He qualified for the 1984 Olympic Trials for the men's 1500, which involved a loaded field including Steve Scott, Jim Spivey, and Sydney Maree. The 1984 men's 1500 trials ended up being a famous race, with Aragon lunging at the finish line and finishing fourth (with the first three runners making the Olympic team) with an incredible margin of 1/500th of a second behind third-placed Sydney Maree. [4] Some observers attributed Aragon's narrow loss to Aragon lunging his body about a meter before the finish line, which some thought slowed him down in the critical moment. Aragon's last major international appearance was at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics, where he ran in the men's 1500 but did not make it the finals.

Personal

Chuck's daughter, Dani, was also a member of the Notre Dame Track & Field team from 2012 to 2016. She is now a professional runner based in New York. She also ran Cross Country for the Fighting Irish.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Scott (runner)</span>

Steve Scott is an American former track athlete and one of the greatest mile runners in American history. The silver medalist in the 1500 meters at the inaugural IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki in 1983, Scott owns the U.S. indoor record in the 2000 meters (4:58.6-1981). He held the American outdoor mile record for more than 26 years and also is the former American indoor record holder in the same event. Track & Field News ranked Scott #1 in the U.S. on 10 occasions, and 11 times during his career he was ranked in the top ten in the world by T&FN. Additionally, he participated for the US team at the 1984 Olympics. He finished 5th in the 1500 meter run at the 1988 Olympics held in Korea. Scott was also an Olympian on the 1980 Olympics team which was not allowed to go to Moscow. He ran the sub four-minute mile on 136 occasions in his career, more than any other runner in history.

James Calvin Spivey is a former American middle-distance runner and Olympian. Spivey took up competitive running in Illinois where he became one of the best high school runners from his state. He was the 1982 NCAA DI men's 1500-meter champion with Indiana University. Spivey enjoyed a long Olympic career, in which he participated in the Olympic Summer Games in 1984, 1992, and 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will Leer</span> American middle-distance runner

Will Leer is an American mid-distance runner. He graduated from Pomona College in Claremont, California in May 2007. Leer has represented the United States in international competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonel Manzano</span> Mexican-American middle-distance track and field athlete

Leonel "Leo" Manzano is a retired Mexican-American middle-distance track and field athlete specializing in the 1500 m and mile. He was a silver medalist at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Manzano is known for finishing his races with a strong finishing kick.

Ryan Shay was an American professional long-distance runner who won several USA championships titles. He was born in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and attended the University of Notre Dame. He was married to Alicia Craig, also an American distance runner.

Jim Sorensen is an American Track and Field athlete, known primarily for running middle distance races. He is the current Masters M40 world record holder at 800 metres and former Masters M40 world record holder at 1500 metres.

Ed Moran is a retired track and road runner who specialized in various long-distance disciplines. A gold medalist in the 5000-meter race at the 2007 Pan American Games, he would go on to represent the United States at two IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 2008 and 2009, before finishing the 2011 New York City Marathon in 9th place.

Luke Watson is a retired long-distance runner who specialized in various track and road running disciplines. He represented the United States at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 2004 and 2006. He was a member of one of the greatest generations of high school long distance runners in the US, many of whom happened to be from Stillwater High in the late 1990s. At Notre Dame he studied and also became a very competitive middle and long distance runner, before which he ran at three US Olympic Trials in 2004, 2008, and 2012. Watson retired from competitive running in 2012. He is the older brother of Jake Watson. Following his running career, Watson earned a PhD in accounting from Pennsylvania State University, and is an assistant accounting professor at Villanova University. Watson specializes in corporate tax accounting research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Rice (athlete)</span> American long-distance runner

Joseph Gregory Rice was an American long-distance runner. He was five times American champion in the 5000 m, set world indoor best times at two miles and three miles, and in 1940 received the Sullivan Award as the outstanding American amateur athlete. Like most athletes of his generation his athletics career was curtailed by the outbreak of World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grant Fisher</span> Canadian-born American distance runner

Grant Fisher is a Canadian-born American professional middle- and long-distance runner. He placed fifth in the 10,000 meters at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and fourth at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. Fisher holds North American records in the 3000 meters, 5000 m and 10,000 m, all set in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig Engels</span> American middle-distance runner

Craig Engels is an American middle-distance runner. He competed for the United States at the 2013 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships, where he won the men's 1500 meters. In the 2016 USA Olympic Trials Engels was focused on making the semi-finals of the 800m and was listed as an alternate for the 1500m. He finished 4th in the 800m final and 5th in the 1500m final, missing out on the Olympics in both events.

Ross Donoghue is a former middle-distance runner who specialized in the 1500 meters and the mile. He first rose to prominence as a standout high school runner with Bishop Cunningham High School from Oswego, New York. He was recruited by Villanova, where he would establish himself as one of the most prolific 1500-meter and mile-specialists in the school's history. Donoghue represented the United States at the 1983 Pan American Games, where he finished second overall in the men's 1500 meters. Over the course of his competitive career, he ran under four minutes in the mile on eight occasions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Jenkins</span> American distance runner

Eric Jenkins is a professional distance runner. He first began running at Portsmouth High School in his hometown, after which he was recruited by Northeastern University. After his junior year Jenkins transferred to University of Oregon, where he further established his reputation in collegiate distance running. After his collegiate career he signed a contract with Nike. He formerly ran with the Nike Oregon Project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clayton Murphy</span> American middle-distance runner

Clayton Murphy is an American middle-distance runner. He won the bronze medal in the 800-meter run at the 2016 Olympic Games. He was the gold medalist in the 800-meter run at the 2015 Pan American Games. He ran collegiately for the University of Akron, before signing with Nike in June 2016 and joining the Nike Oregon Project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colleen Quigley</span> American middle- and long-distance runner

Colleen Quigley is an American middle-distance runner, steeplechase specialist and an Olympian from St. Louis, Missouri. She is the current World Record holder in the 4x1500 meters relay. Competing in the 3000 meters steeplechase, she finished 8th at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio and 12th at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing. She was the 2019 US National Indoor Champion in the one-mile event running 4:29.47 to capture the title and was the 2015 NCAA Champion in the 3000 meters steeplechase. In 2023, Quigley announced that she would start competing in triathlon events, but that she still plans to race track and field through 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Giesting</span> American track and field sprinter (born 1992)

Christopher Carl "Chris" Giesting is an American track and field sprinter who competes in the 400-meter dash. He was a gold medalist in the 4 × 400-meter relay at the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships. He ran collegiately for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and won one NCAA indoor title.

Chad Noelle is an American professional middle distance runner. He was the NCAA Champion at 1500m at the 2015 NCAA Championship while competing for Oklahoma State University. He later competed at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Molly Seidel</span> American long-distance runner

Molly Seidel is an American long distance runner. Seidel represented the United States at the Great Edinburgh Cross Country in 2012, 2013, and 2018. In her first-ever marathon, Seidel placed second at the 2020 U.S. Marathon Olympic Trials. Later, she went on to win the bronze medal in her third career marathon at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. At the University of Notre Dame, Seidel was a 4-time NCAA champion, 6-time NCAA All-American, 6-time Atlantic Coast Conference champion and 2016 female ACC Athlete of the Year.

Peter Wirtz Callahan is a Belgian-American middle-distance runner who competed for Belgium at the 2016 European Athletics Championships. In the course of his collegiate career, he first studied and ran at Princeton University before going to University of New Mexico.

Yared Nuguse is an American middle-distance runner who specializes in the 1500 meters. He was the 2019 NCAA Division I champion in the event. Nuguse is the North American indoor record holder for the 1500 meters, one mile and 3000 meters.

References

  1. 1 2 3 IAAF. "Chuck ARAGON - Athlete Profile".
  2. New Mexico Boys State Cross Country Champions
  3. 1 2 3 4 Craig Chval Sr. (October 21, 2011). "Monogram Club Corner: Chuck Aragon". Archived from the original on August 19, 2016. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
  4. Cart, Julie. Los Angeles Times: Maree and Aragon: After the Fall : For Both 1,500-Meter Runners, Pain and Controversy Linger From Olympic Trials