Jim Spivey took up competitive running in Illinois where he became one of the best high school runners from his state.
16 Facts About Jim Spivey
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Jim Spivey was the 1982 NCAA DI men's 1500-meter champion with Indiana University.
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Jim Spivey enjoyed a long Olympic career, in which he participated in the Olympic Summer Games in 1984,1992, and 1996.
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Jim Spivey began running competitively in 1975 as a sophomore in cross country and on the track at Fenton High School in Bensenville, Illinois.
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Jim Spivey was runner-up at state cross country his junior and senior year, running 14:00 for three miles at the Illinois State course in Peoria, Illinois.
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Jim Spivey won the Silver Medal at the 1987 Pan American Games in Indianapolis, Indiana.
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In 1992 Jim Spivey won the US Olympic trials 1500 meters in New Orleans ahead of Steve Holman to qualify for the Olympic Games in Barcelona, where he came eighth.
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In 1996 Jim Spivey competed in the Olympic 5000m competition in Atlanta, where he was a semi-finalist with a 14:27.72.
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Jim Spivey currently holds the American record for the 2,000 m at 4:52.44 set in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1987.
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Jim Spivey was a member of the 1983 Helsinki, Finland; 1987 Rome; 1991 Tokyo; 1993 Stuttgart, Germany and 1995 Gothenburg, Sweden USA World Championship teams.
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Jim Spivey was the head coach of men and women cross-country and track and field at the University of Chicago from 1997 to 2001, and had 13 all-Americans of the athletic department's 24 during that time.
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Jim Spivey moved over from Team Sales to Sports Marketing in May 2018, working with college and other sponsored programs throughout the United States.
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Jim Spivey helped coach Wheaton Academy high school in West Chicago for 4 years, the boys' and girls' cross country teams and assistant role in track.
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Jim Spivey is presently a volunteer coach for the girls' cross country and track teams at Wheaton North in Wheaton, Il.
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Coach Dan Daly asked Jim Spivey to help him coach his boys' and girls' cross country and track teams, beginning in August 2017 - The partnership with Jim Spivey writing the training and Dan implementing the workouts, to have Dan's first ever Illinois State Champion in the 1600m run in May 2018, a freshman who ran 4:56.
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Jim Spivey's signature is handing out half-sticks of gum to his runners after the workout.