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Craig Virgin's personally-owned and -worn Onitsuka Tiger racing flats in maroon and white, purchased by him in the fall of 1970 and worn during his sophomore, junior, and senior years of high school. The lightweight racing shoes feature maroon nylon uppers with contrasting white Onitsuka Tiger stripes along the sides, traditional lace-up closures, and reinforced leather panels at the back of the heels and toe boxes at the front. Both shoes exhibit some wear from use, with some discoloration, tears and fraying to the fabric stripe appliqué.
His second-most used pair of running shoes in high school, Craig wore these flats on cross-country courses with long road sections and at track meets on rubberized asphalt tracks. His fastest races in them were a 14:08 three-mile in cross-country and an 8:48 2-mile on the track in May 1973.
An exceptional pair of racing flats from the formative years of Craig Virgin's legendary distance-running career. Competing for Lebanon High School in Illinois, Virgin emerged as one of the nation's most extraordinary young runners, culminating in his record-breaking senior season in 1973, when he established a national high school outdoor two-mile record of 8:40.9. His remarkable high school success laid the foundation for an illustrious career that included nine NCAA All-American selections, an NCAA cross-country championship at the University of Illinois, recognition as a three-time Olympian, and consecutive World Cross Country Championship victories in 1980 and 1981. Worn during the years that launched his rise to national prominence, these racing flats offer a tangible connection to the earliest achievements of an American distance-running legend.
Per Virgin's own race log, he wore these in 42 races from September 1970 to May 1973:
1970 Cross Country (Sophomore)
9/25/70: Lebanon Triangular, 2.75M, 1st, 13:59
9/29/70: St. Henry-Wesclin Triangular, 2.75M, 1st, 14:12
10/2/70: Flora Invitational, 2.75M, 1st, 12:43.6
10/12/70: Columbia Dual, 2.75M, 1st, 13:00
1971 Road, Outdoor Track, and Indoor (Sophomore)
2/6/71: Mattoon Road Race, 10M, 4th, 50:11
2/12/71: Indoor meet at St. Louis Armory, DMR, 3rd
1971, date unknown: Ozark AAU, Edwardsville, 10M, 54:21
1971, date unknown: Florissant Valley Relay, 60M, six-mile legs of 29:12 and 30:45
1971 Cross Country (Junior)
9/7/71: Highland, O'Fallon Triangular, 2.75M, 1st, 13:26
9/9/71: Red Bud Dual at Lebanon, 2.95M, 1st, 14:40
10/2/71: Flora Invitational, 2.9M, 1st, 13:14
10/13/71: St. Henry, Okawville Triangular, 2.95M, 1st, 14:12
10/16/71: Mattoon Invitational, 2.8M, 1st, 12:41
10/26/71: Marissa District, 2.9M, 1st, 13:50
Late 1971 or early 1972, date unknown: AAU, SIU-Edwardsville, 4M, 1st, 19:17.6
1972 Indoor (Junior)
1972, date unknown: Champaign Indoor, 1M, 4:14.5
1972, date unknown: WIU Indoor, Macomb, 1M, 1st, 4:18
1972, date unknown: EIU Indoor, Charleston, 1M, 1st, 4:17.7
3/11/72: Charleston Indoor, 1M, 1st, 4:17.7
1972 Outdoor Track (Junior)
4/25/72: St. Clair County, 2M, 1st, 9:00.4
4/25/72: St. Clair County, 1M, 1st, 4:18.4
5/2/72: O'Fallon Relays, 2M, 1st, 8:55.1
5/20/72: Highland District, 2M, 1st, 9:05.6
5/23/72: Meet of Champions, 2M, 1st, 9:01.1
1972 Cross Country and Road (Senior)
9/2/72: Wesclin-Highland St. Paul Triangular, 3M, 1st, 14:15
9/5/72: Highland-O'Fallon Triangular, 1st
9/11/72: Marissa-New Athens, result not recorded
9/18/72: Belleville East-Mascoutah, result not recorded
9/27/72: St. Henry Dual, Lebanon, 3M, 1st, 14:07
9/30/72: Flora Invitational, 3M, 1st, 14:03
10/12/72: Highland Dual, 3M, 1st, 16:06
10/14/72: Mattoon Invitational, 2.8M, 1st, 12:37.3
10/20/72: Red Bud-New Athens, 3M, 1st, 14:15
10/24/72: Lebanon District, 3M, 1st, 14:08.3
November 1972: Alton, 10M, 4th, 50:20.0
1972, date unknown: Triad AAU, 3M, 1st, 14:42
1973 Indoor and Outdoor Track (Senior)
3/16/73: Sumner Relays, St. Louis, DMR, 4:26
4/24/73: St. Clair County, Belleville East, 2M, 1st, 8:55.6
5/2/73: O'Fallon Relays, 2M, 1st, 9:24.1
5/18/73: Highland District, 2M, 1st, 8:53.6
5/21/73: Meet of Champions, 2M, 1st, 8:48.6
