August 2 Birthdays

1955

Craig Steven Virgin, United States, distance runner. As a high school runner in Illinois, Craig Virgin broke Steve Prefontaine's national record for the high school two mile, setting a new record of 8:40.9. He went on to qualify for three U.S. Olympic teams in the 10,000 meters and finish second at the 1981 Boston Marathon (2:10:26), but his greatest successes were as a cross-country runner. He won the NCAA cross-country championship in 1975 and won the World Cross Country Championships in 1980 (Paris) and 1981 (Madrid). He remains the only American to ever win a world cross-country title.