Background
Ashenfelter was born in Collegeville, Pennsylvania.
Ashenfelter was born in Collegeville, Pennsylvania.
He finished ahead of Vladimir Kazantsev of the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics and John Disley of Great Britain, and broke Kazantsev"s unofficial world record (the IAAF did not accept official records in the steeplechase until 1954) in the process. Since Ashenfelter worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, it led to humorous comments about him being the first American spy who allowed himself to be chased by a Russian. His best winning time was in 1954 at 8:53.3.
As of 2015, Ashenfelter lives in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, where the Ashenfelter 8k Classic is held annually in his honor.
He was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame of New Jersey in 1998. The indoor track facility at his alma mater, Penn State, is named in his honor.
He competed in international athletics from 1947 to 1956 after service in World World War II and the completion of his degree at Penn State, where he was a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity.