Education
Ohio State University.
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Tom Byers
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He was a runner at The Ohio State University in the 1970s and still holds the outdoor Ohio State University distance record in the 1500m (3375). He held the mile record (4:0010) until Jeff See broke it on June 2, 2007. Byers temporarily retired from competitive running for several years to join the corporate world, but returned to professional running in the 1980s.
One thing for which Byers was noteworthy was his hair.
Unlike most middle and long distance runners, who wore their hair short, Byers chose to wear his lougitude His 3:50.84 mile ranks 7th fastest by a United States runner, while his 2:16.1 in the 1000 meters is the second fastest by a United States runner.
Oslo, 1981
Byers took a dramatic victory in a 1500m race in Oslo in 1981. But Ovett and the pack did not follow his pace, and he was leading by almost ten seconds going into the final lap.
Ovett ran the last lap almost nine seconds quicker than Byers but finished second by 0.53s.
Achievements
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He gained notoriety in 1981 when, running as a designated pacemaker or "rabbit" in the high profile 1500 metres race at the Bislett Games in Oslo, he won a race including world class 1500m runners such as Steve Ovett after the rest of the field refused to follow his early pacesetting. During his time at Ohio State University, he also won the United States. Junior 1500m title, finished second at the Amateur Athletic Union outdoor championships, and participated in the "76 Olympic Trials. Steve Ovett was a strong favourite to win the race, and Byers was expected to act only as a pacemaker.
