Jim Ryun
From Academic Kids
Jim R. Ryun (born April 29 1947), American athlete and politician, has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 1997, representing the 2nd District of Kansas. (map (http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/preview/congdist/ks02_109.gif))
Ryun was born in Wichita, Kansas. Attending Wichita East High School, he became the first high school athlete to run a four-minute mile (1609m). In 1965, he set the male High School Mile Record of 3:55.3, which stood for 36 years. At age 19, he set the world record in both the mile and half-mile, and received Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" award. He participated in the 1964, 1968, and 1972 Olympic games, winning a silver medal in the 1500 meters in 1968. He was educated at the University of Kansas, and was a business owner, product consultant and motivational speaker before entering the House.
On November 2, 2004, Ryun was re-elected to serve a fifth term in the House. He defeated Democrat Nancy Boyda handily, though she was widely seen as a formidable and viable challenger to Ryun. Ryun had 55% of the vote to Boyda's 42%. Earlier polls had shown Boyda leading Ryun by as much as seven percentage points.
External link
- official website (http://www.ryun.house.gov/)
