The National Distance Running Hall of Fame announced today its twelve nominees for induction as members of the Class of 2008.  Of the twelve nominees, three will be inducted during a ceremony on July 12 during National Distance Running Hall of Fame Weekend featuring the Boilermaker Road Race in Utica, New York.

The twelve nominees for induction into the National Distance Running Hall of Fame are:

Miki Gorman

Gorman is a two-time winner of both the Boston and New York City Marathons.  Three of those wins came after the age of 40, a remarkable feat since she started distance running in her 30s;

Amby Burfoot

Burfoot finished 15 Boston Marathons including a win in 1968 with a time of 2:22:17. He was the first American to win the Boston Marathon since 1957. Burfoot is the executive editor of Runner’s World Magazine. He has written several books on running, including Runner’s World Complete Book of Running;

Pricilla Welch

Welch holds several masters’ women’s records at a variety of distances including the women’s masters’ marathon with a time of 2:26:51. Some of Welch’s awards include Runner’s World Magazine’s 1986 Masters Woman Runner of the Year, 1991 Masters’ Runner of the Quarter Century and Best Female Masters Road Runner in the 1996 Runner’s World “100 Years of Running” issue;

Jon Sinclair

Sinclair dominated US road racing in the 1980’s. He scored victories in some of the country’s best known road races: Bloomsday 12K (1983, 1986), Peachtree 10K (1982), Boilermaker Road Race (1989), Tulsa Run 15K (1988), Cherry Blossom (1987) and the Virginia 10 Miler (1982, 1988, 1991 and 1993), to name a few. He played a roll in the formation of the Association of Road Racing Athletes. This Association tried to legitimize the direct payment of prize money to athletes based on their performance. Runner’s World called Jon Sinclair the “King of the Rankings”;

Jeff Galloway

In 1970, Galloway won the Peachtree 10K with a time of 32:22. He was a member of the 1972 US Olympic team for the 10,000 meters. Galloway also provided a marathon training program which has been an avenue of success for many of those interested in the marathon distance since the early 1990’s. He has had a 98% success rate with beginners and recreational runners who are first time marathoners, as well as success with more accomplished runners who have targeted marathon time goals;

Toshiko D’Elia

D’Elia was the first woman over fifty to break a three-hour marathon with a time of 2:57:25. D’Elia became a mainstay at marathons from New York City to Boston, always placing in her age group, if not outright winning in the master’s category. On July 10, 2005 at the Boilermaker Road Race, D’Elia set the American record for Women 75-79 in the 15K with a time of 1:24:55;

Wes Santee

A 1952 Olympian, Santee, known for his prowess in the mile and 1,500 meters, was close to breaking the 4-minute mile and chased Bannister and Landy for the record. In 1955, Santee set the world record indoor in the 1,500 meters at 3:48.3. He also set the world record in the 1,500 meters in 1956 with a time of  3:42.8. Santee, who was inducted in the USATF Hall of Fame in 2005, also set the indoor mile world record twice (4:04 and 4:03.8).

Dick Beardsley

Beardsley is a two-time champion and course record holder of the Grandma’s Marathon as well as a two-time Olympic Marathon qualifier. One of the most memorable moments of Beardsley’s career was his head to head battle with Alberto Salazar at the 1982 Boston Marathon. Salazar just edged Beardsley out at the end. Beardsley is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the only man to have ever run thirteen consecutive personal bests in the marathon;

Wilma Rudolph

Rudolph was the winner of three gold medals in the 1960 Olympics 100 meter, 200 meter and the 400 meter relay and the first woman to win three gold medals during one Olympics. Her first Olympic was the 1956 where her 200 meter relay team took home a bronze medal;

Jorge L. Gonzalez

Gonzalez won a silver medal in the Central American Games and also won the Venezuela International Marathon and Modesto Carrion Half Marathon. Gonzalez continued to excel as a runner in 1982 he won 2 gold medals in the Central America and Caribbean Games and a first place in the 30K Aruba International Race;

Johnny Hayes

Hayes won the 1908 Olympic Marathon, beating Dorando Pietri, who collapsed in the stadium. This marathon was significant because it was the first marathon held at the now standard distance of 26 miles, 385 yards. It was also the first time an American won the Olympic Marathon against a truly international field. Hayes also won the first Yonkers Marathon in 1907, and placed 2nd (1908), 3rd (1907), and 5th (1906) at the Boston Marathon. Hayes kicked off a period of intense competition in the marathon after he turned pro shortly after his Olympic victory;

Uta Pippig

Pippig was the first woman to win the Boston Marathon three consecutive times (1994-1996). In 1994, she set the Boston Marathon course record in a time of 2:21:45  Pippig won the Berlin Marathon three times (1990, 1992 and 1995) and won the New York City Marathon in 1993.

These twelve finalists were chosen after a five-month nomination and selection process which incorporated a variety of sources, including sportswriters from across the nation, broadcasters, track and distance running writers, members of the Hall of Fame, industry sources and distance runners, according to Timothy Reed, executive director of the National Distance Running Hall of Fame.  “There are so many deserving athletes, this is always a difficult selection process,” Reed said. “This year, we received 31 nominees, all of which are outstanding individuals with remarkable accomplishments.”

The three inductees into the Class of 2008 will be announced Saturday, April 19 at 4:00 p.m. during the Running Network’s Race Directors Reception at Jury’s, 350 Stuart Street, Boston. This event surrounds the Boston Athletic Association’s Boston Marathon.  As a cooperative partner, the B.A.A. allows the Hall of Fame to announce its new class annually as part of its prestigious event.  The induction class is selected by the votes from the Hall of Fame’s Advisory Board, Executive Board and Hall of Fame Members.

The National Distance Running Hall of Fame is located in Utica, New York, along a stretch of the New York State Thruway that could be called “Hall of Fame Corridor.”  Established in 1998, it currently has 30 members, including Bill Rodgers, Frank Shorter, Alberto Salazar, Grete Waitz, Kathrine Switzer, Joan Benoit Samuelson and the late Steve Prefontaine.  The Hall is dedicated to honoring the sport of distance running and the athletes who have made contributions to the sport, from top runners and the most decorated athletes, to those who pushed the sport’s barriers and eventually broke them. The Hall is housed in a three-story brownstone building and honors these athletes’ talents, initiative and drive through the pictures, memorabilia and awards that decorate the exhibit rooms and pull the visitor into the runner’s world, a place often inhabited by the runner alone as she/he challenges the limits of the human spirit. The Hall’s induction is celebrated at an annual ceremony held in conjunction with the Boilermaker Road Race during Hall of Fame Weekend, the second weekend each July, in Utica, New York. The Hall of Fame offers membership opportunities for road races, clubs, organizations and individuals, at a variety of levels.  More information on this, or other information, can be found at www.distancerunning.com.