Wes Santee

Wes Santee (born March 25, 1932) was an American middle distance runner and athlete who competed mainly in the 1,500 meters.

Born in Ashland, Kansas, Santee was nicknamed the "Ashland Antelope." Santee attended high school in Ashland, where he set a state record in the mile run. He later attended the University of Kansas where he set records in Cross Country and the mile and two-mile events. He was the Individual NCAA Cross Country Champion in 1953, while leading his team to the overall championship.

Santee competed in the 5,000 meters in the 1952 Summer Olympics at Helsinki, Finland, but did not win a medal. Three years later, Santee won the silver medal in the 1,500 meters at the 1955 Pan American Games in Mexico City.

During this period, Santee was one of the top milers in the world, aspiring to become the first man to run a four-minute mile. His chief competitors were Great Britain's Roger Bannister and Australia's John Landy.

On May 6, 1954, Bannister became the first to break the barrier with a historic time of 3:59.4. Seven weeks later, Landy surpassed Bannister's mark.

In early 1955, Santee came breathtakingly close to a four-minute mile of his own, with a time of 4:00.5. Unfortunately, Santee would never surpass this time. Shortly afterwards, Santee was suspended by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) in a dispute over his amateur status. AAU rules at that time limited amateurs to $15 per diem expenses to cover food and lodging, and the costs of air travel. For three track meets over a nine-day period in May, 1955, Santee had been paid $1,127.85 of expenses [ "The Santee Situation", in "Events and Discoveries", "Sports Illustrated", Nov. 14, 1955, p15; in current dollars, the amount would be more than $8,500 ]

In 1956, Santee was permanently barred from amateur events, ending his chance to surpass Bannister and Landy and also costing him a place in the 1956 Summer Olympics at Melbourne, Australia.

During his abbreviated career, Santee set world records in the 1,500 meter run, indoor 1,500 meter run and indoor mile.

Santee's track career, including his rivalry with Bannister and Landy and his troubles with the AAU, is chronicled in Neal Bascomb's 2004 book The Perfect Mile. A film based on Bascomb's book is currently under development.

External links

* [http://www.usatf.org/HallOfFame/TF/showBio.asp?HOFIDs=214 National Track and Field Hall of Fame - Wes Santee]
* [http://www.kshof.org/hof-profiles.cfm?record_id=127 Kansas Sports Hall of Fame - Wes Santee]