At one point, when I was researching 1970s Newark harriers John Greenplate and Jim Bray, I unearthed a quote in The Morning News that has been rattling around in my head ever since.
“When a runner feels he’s getting tired his mind tells him to stop running before his body does. A disciplined runner will tell himself I’m going to keep running, running, running,” Newark coach Ray Ciesinski said in 1972. “John Greenplate, the greatest runner I ever had, proved this fact over and over again. He punished himself severely in practice. Ran 100 miles a week preparing himself for a 2-mile race. The only guy who could beat him had to practice running 110 miles a week.”
Ciesinski’s praise of Greenplate functioned as a reminder of what makes the runners on the list that follows exceptional: their extraordinary commitment and toughness. In a sport often prescribed as punishment both traits are prerequisites to greatness. Talent plays a role, but no one on this list, which marks the 30 greatest high school distance runners in Delaware history, set themselves apart on talent alone.