Patrick Ralph Porter (May 31, 1959 – July 26, 2012) was an American distance runner. Born in Wadena, Minnesota, he graduated from Adams State in 1982 with a degree in marketing, after which he became one of the most dominant U.S. distance runners of the 1980s. Porter was a two time U.S. Olympian, running the 10000 meters at the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games. In 1983 he set the World Record for a road 10K at 27:31.8. He won the silver medal at the 1985 IAAF World Cup in Canberra, Australia, getting nipped at the tape by Ethiopia's Wodajo Bulti by six hundredths of a second.
Running career Early career Porter had a personal record of 4:29 in the mile while running for Evergreen High School in Evergreen, Colorado. He was not heavily recruited to run in college. He is a 1982 alumnus Adams State College in Alamosa, Colorado, and flourished under the training of coach Joe Vigil.Moore, Kenny. Sports Illustrated. March 17, 1986. accessed on September 8, 2008 At Adams State, Porter won 6 RMAC championships, and 3 national NAIA championships.
Post collegiate Porter was best known for his cross country running accomplishments. He won a record eight consecutive USA Cross Country Championships from 1982 to 1989.USA Track and Field Statistics, USATF.org accessed on September 8, 2008 Porter also represented the United States at the World Cross Country Championships each of these years. His best finish at the World Championships was 4th in 1984, followed by 6th, 7th, 9th and 10th-place finishes throughout his career.
1984 Porter finished 15th in 28:34.59 at the Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics - 10000 metres.
1988 Porter did not advance to the Athletics at the 1988 Summer Olympics - 10000 metres final after finishing 11th in 28:45.04 in the 1st round, ranking him 23rd in the Olympics that year, but only 20 qualified to the final. His time would have ranked 17th as several runners ran slower in the final, still almost 1:25 (almost a lap and a half) behind the winner.
In 1998 Porter played Finnish distance runner Lasse Virén in Without Limits, a biographical film about American distance legend Steve Prefontaine. accessed on September 8, 2008 He was married to fellow U.S. 1988 Olympic Team member high jumper Trish King.
Honor Porter was inducted in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame in 1987. Porter was inducted in the RMAC Hall of Fame in July 2012.Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Only days before his death, on July 20, Porter had been inducted into the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs and was also inducted into the Adams State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000 in Alamosa, Colorado.
Death
On July 26, 2012, at approximately 8:30 a.m., Porter was killed in an airplane crash along with his 15-year-old son Connor and his son's friend, 14-year-old Connor Mantsch. Porter, an avid pilot, on takeoff hit a boundary fence at the southbound end of the Sedona Airport runway in Sedona, Arizona, then went down a steep mesa and burst into flames upon impact at the bottom of the hill. He was 53 years old.
Competition record
Cross country Representing the 1982World Cross Country ChampionshipsRome, Italy64th12 km35:231983World Cross Country ChampionshipsGateshead, England9th12 km37:121984World Cross Country ChampionshipsNew York City, United States4th11.8 km33:341985World Cross Country ChampionshipsLisbon, Portugal12th12 km34:021986World Cross Country ChampionshipsNeuchatel, Switzerland6th12 km35:481987World Cross Country ChampionshipsWarsaw, Poland7th12 km37:041988World Cross Country ChampionshipsAuckland, New Zealand28th12 km36:261989World Cross Country ChampionshipsStavanger, Norway31st12 km41:311991World Cross Country ChampionshipsAntwerp, Belgium68th12 km35:29
Track and field Representing the 1982USA Outdoor Track and Field ChampionshipsKnoxville, Tennessee6th10,000 m28:48.81983USA Outdoor Track and Field ChampionshipsIndianapolis, Indiana5th10,000 m28:35.921984US Olympic TrialsLos Angeles, California3rd10,000 m28:03.86Olympic Games Los Angeles, United States15th10,000 m28:34.591985USA Outdoor Track and Field ChampionshipsIndianapolis, Indiana3rd10,000 m28:12.9World CupCanberra, Australia 2nd10,000 m29:23.021987USA Outdoor Track and Field ChampionshipsSan Jose, California4th10,000 m28:29.71988US Olympic TrialsIndianapolis, Indiana3rd10,000 m29:09.92Olympic GamesSeoul, South Koreaheats10,000 m28:45.041989USA Outdoor Track and Field ChampionshipsHouston, Texas1st10,000 m28:45.781990USA Outdoor Track and Field ChampionshipsNorwalk, California7th10,000 m28:38.991991USA Outdoor Track and Field ChampionshipsNew York, New York5th10,000 m28:26.491992US Olympic TrialsNew Orleans, Louisiana6th10,000 m28:54.61994USA Outdoor Track and Field ChampionshipsKnoxville, Tennessee6th10,000 m29:24.05
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