Now this is racing! "Drama all the way!"

This is quite a race and definitively worth a watch if you are a fan of running. I won't give away the end result, but there is so much happening in this 1979 5000 meter track race with the great runners of that time. In this race are the world record holder holder Henry Rono (13:08.4), Rod Dixon bronze medalist at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games in the 1500 meters as he is moving up in distance at this point (a few years later-1983-he would win the New York City Marathon);  Brenden Foster, the bronze medalist at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games in the 10,000 meters;  Eamonn Coghlan, the speedy miler who would later win the gold medal at the 1983 World Championships for 5000 meters; Bernie Ford, and English runner who finished 3rd in the 1976 World Cross-Country Championships, American Rudy Chapa, Alberto Salazar's college roommate and storied high school and collegiate distance runner, and English runner Mike McLeod, who would later finish 2nd at the 1981 Falmouth Road Race and win the silver medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games 10,000 meters. Throw all that talent in a race and interesting things are sure to happen, especially with Henry Rono's weird surging tactics. There is even a fall in the race. Watch and enjoy. This is spectacular racing and the video is very high quality, something you don't often see in these older videos.

At the end of this race, there is a bonus race of Steve Ovett setting the 2 mile world record. It only shows the final mile, but again we have Henry Rono, Eamonn Coghlan, and Mike McCleod, as well as Nick Rose. Steve Ovett plays with the constantly surging Henry Rono and celebrates as he passes for the win and Henry's record.

Of course, showboating the finish didn't always work out for Steve Ovett, as this popular video "Arrogance Personified" shows. John Treacy never gives up  in this race. We also get to see the late great Bill McChesney running.