Bob Kennedy (athlete)

Robert Owen Kennedy Jr. (born August 18, 1970 in Bloomington, Indiana) is an American distance runner. Now retired, he once held the American record in the 3000 meters (7:30.84), 2 miles (8:11.59) and the 5000 metres (12:58.21).

He was the first ever non-African to run the 5000 metres in less than thirteen minutes, and he is still one of only seven non-Africans to do so. He is regarded as one of the greatest U.S. distance runners in history.

Kennedy was twice state champion in cross country in high school. Kennedy was the 1987 national junior champion in cross country.

Kennedy opted to compete for the Indiana Hoosiers. He began in 1988 with a win at the NCAA cross country champions, becoming one of only a handful of true freshman ever to win the event. In addition, he won the NCAA 1,500 meter championship in 1990 and the indoor NCAA mile championship in 1991 before winning the cross country championship again, as a senior. A winner of 16 Big Ten track titles.

His senior year he also won the USATF National Cross Country Championships, becoming only the second person in history to win both the NCAA cross country nationals and U.S. national cross country championships in the same year. (Al Lawrence of Houston was the first, performing the feat in 1959 and 1960.) Kennedy's second USATF National Cross Country title came in 2004, the twelve-year gap between titles (1992 & 2004) being the longest in history of the USATF. Kennedy participated in several World Cross Country championships, his highest finish being 12th place in the 1995 race.

The highlight of Kennedy's career came in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. In the 5000 meter finals, Kennedy surged to the front at the beginning of the penultimate lap and forced the pace. He held the lead for almost a lap and was ultimately passed just before the closing lap, eventually placing 6th. He had also made it to the finals of the 1992 Olympic 5000 m race and placed 12th. He also ran the 5000 m in the World Championships in Athletics for the US in 1991 (12th), 1993, 1995 (12th), 1997 (6th), and 1999 (9th).

Kennedy held American records for the 3000 m (7:30.84 min in 1998) and 5,000-meter races (12:58.21 min in 1996), he participated in workouts with Kenyan athletes also coached by McDonald at the group's training bases in the U.S., Australia and England. McDonald rarely gave his athletes goal times for workouts, and they regularly ran sub-4 minute miles in practice

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