Competition Track and Field Athlete. He was a world-class long-distance runner who broke Paavo Nurmi's record for the two-mile run. He was also the winner of the 1938 James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States. A 1988 article in Sports Illustrated called him "the first great American long-distance runner," and "possibly the best U.S. cross-country runner ever." Born in Bluffton, Indiana, he grew up in Auburn, Indiana, where he graduated from high school in 1933 after setting an Indiana state record of 4:30.5 for the indoor mile. As a student at Indiana University, he set a United States record of 31:06.9 for 10,000 meters. In June 1936, he broke Nurmi's 1931 world record for the two-mile, running 8:58.4, besting Nurmi's time by 1.2 seconds. He was also NCAA 5,000-meter champion and AAU three-mile and six-mile champion in 1936. Competing for the United States at the 1936 Summer Olympics, however, he placed only 13th in the 5,000-meter and only eighth in the 10,000-meter. From 1934 to 1940, he won seven consecutive U.S. national cross-county titles. Lash also won the AAU indoor three-mile championship in 1938 and 1939 and the six-mile title in 1940. Lash's professional career was primarily in law enforcement. He became an Indiana State Trooper in 1938 and joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation as an agent in 1941. He retired from the FBI in 1962 to become director of a five-state region for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and appeared frequently as a motivational speaker. In 1966, he started a boys' camp near Marshall, Indiana, that grew into the National Conference Center of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Lash opened a real estate business in Rockville, Indiana, in 1973. A Republican, he was elected to five terms (1973 to 1982) in the Indiana House of Representatives. He was inducted into the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1995. Don Lash Park in Auburn, Indiana, is named for him.
Competition Track and Field Athlete. He was a world-class long-distance runner who broke Paavo Nurmi's record for the two-mile run. He was also the winner of the 1938 James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States. A 1988 article in Sports Illustrated called him "the first great American long-distance runner," and "possibly the best U.S. cross-country runner ever." Born in Bluffton, Indiana, he grew up in Auburn, Indiana, where he graduated from high school in 1933 after setting an Indiana state record of 4:30.5 for the indoor mile. As a student at Indiana University, he set a United States record of 31:06.9 for 10,000 meters. In June 1936, he broke Nurmi's 1931 world record for the two-mile, running 8:58.4, besting Nurmi's time by 1.2 seconds. He was also NCAA 5,000-meter champion and AAU three-mile and six-mile champion in 1936. Competing for the United States at the 1936 Summer Olympics, however, he placed only 13th in the 5,000-meter and only eighth in the 10,000-meter. From 1934 to 1940, he won seven consecutive U.S. national cross-county titles. Lash also won the AAU indoor three-mile championship in 1938 and 1939 and the six-mile title in 1940. Lash's professional career was primarily in law enforcement. He became an Indiana State Trooper in 1938 and joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation as an agent in 1941. He retired from the FBI in 1962 to become director of a five-state region for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and appeared frequently as a motivational speaker. In 1966, he started a boys' camp near Marshall, Indiana, that grew into the National Conference Center of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Lash opened a real estate business in Rockville, Indiana, in 1973. A Republican, he was elected to five terms (1973 to 1982) in the Indiana House of Representatives. He was inducted into the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1995. Don Lash Park in Auburn, Indiana, is named for him.
Bio by: Michael Walter
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