DAN O'CONNER

Birthday: March 29th, 1952
Current Residence : Bellmore, NY
Hometown: Wantagh, NY
College: University of Tennessee, Knoxville

PRS

Outdoors
20 km - 1:25:56
50 km - 4:09:29

Dan O'Connor was at the University of Tennessee on a running scholarship when, just before the Division I NCAA cross-country championships, he stepped in a pothole and twisted his ankle. The trainer taped him up so tight that he lost all flexibility in his ankle.  Barely able to finish his race, he aggravated a cyst and damaged his knee.  O’Connor managed to limp through two more seasons before accepting that he could no longer run competitively.

Luckily for O'Connor, he had race walked briefly in high school with instant success.  Having trained for only three days as a senior, he walked a 7:15 mile and earned a N.Y. State high school record. This experience made O'Connor’s decision to return to walking easier.  He felt no pain and amazingly was able to immediately translate his running workload to walking. When O'Connor uses the term workload, he says it flippantly, but his workload was one hundred miles a week! 

Once he became a race walker, he never looked back. While he worked full-time, he trained the only way he could to fit in long miles. He carpooled to work and then walked the 15 miles from Far Rockaway back to his home. The approach paid off, as he qualified in both Olympic race walking events in 1980, only to miss the Games because of the boycott. However, he did realize his Olympic dreams in 1984 when he qualified and competed in the 20K at Los Angeles, finishing 6 th.

Over the course of his career, O'Connor amassed 14 national titles, including one 50K, one 20K—with a record-breaking time of 1:26:26 in 1980—and four consecutive 40Ks. Track and Field magazine ranked him nationally for 20 consecutive years, dubbing him Mr. Longevity.  Today he remains the only track and field athlete in any event to have achieved this milestone.

Eventually, family obligations became more pressing and O'Connor gave up competitive race walking. He is now the head girls’ track coach for Far Rockaway High School, and two of his relay teams won at the Penn Relays in 2003. He is the proud father of four children who each ran the mile competitively by age six. O’Connor no longer walks, but jogs to stay fit.

20K US Ranking by Track and Field News
1988
       6th - 1:27:56
 1986
       6th - 1:30:53
 1984
       3rd - 1:25:56
 1983
       3rd - 1:27:37
1982
       4th - 1:31:27
1981
       2nd - 1:28:27
1980
       3rd - 1:26:26
1979
       6th - 1:31:37
1978
       3rd - 1:32:43
1977
       3rd - 1:34:43 
1976
       7th - 1:35:32
       
50K US Ranking by Track and Field News
1988
1991
       9th - 4:19:59
1990
       6th - 4:19:28
1989
       4th - 4:20:53
1987
       4th - 4:10:29
1986
       2nd - 4:18:46
 1985
       3rd - 4:28:34
 1984
       7th - 4:10:03
 1983
       3rd - 4:09:29
1982
       2nd - 4:21:20
1981
       4th - 4:22:24
1980
       3rd - 4:11:03
1979
       3rd - 4:17:34
1978
       4th - 4:29:56
1977
       3rd - 4:24:06
1976
       3rd - 4:23:13
1975
       7th - 4:41:21
1974
       8th - 4:59:53 
1973
       8th - 4:51:57
Major U.S. Championships (Indoors)
None
Major U.S. Championships (Outdoors)
1990
       40K - 3:26:57
1988
       30K - 2:24:15
1987
       30K - 2:21:52
1982
       50K - 4:22:22
       25K - 1:57:23
1981
       40K - 3:21:51
1980
       35K - 3:00:31
       40K - 3:24:21
       20K - 1:26:26
1979
       5K - 21:45
       30K - 2:22:43
       40K - 3:23:10
1978
       40K - 3:31:25
1977
       25K - 2:05:11.4

50K Olympic Games
1992 - 23 rd - 4:13:38 - Barcelona, Spain
1988 - 23 rd - 3:57:44 - Seoul, Korea
1984 - 6 th - 3:59:46 - Los Angeles, USA

50K World Championships
1991 - DNF - Tokyo, Japan
1987 - 16 th - 3:57:09 - Rome, Italy

50K World Cup
1997 - 72 nd - 4:19:46 - Podebrady, Czechoslovakia
1995 - 42 nd - 4:06:45 - Bejing, China
1991 - 31 st - 4:08:51 - San Jose, USA
1987 - 24 th - 4:03:02 - New York City, USA
1985 - 19 th - 4:13:14 - St. John's, Isle of Man
1979 - 44 th - 4:27:24 - Escborn, West Germany

50K Pan Am Games
1987 - 5 th - 1:29:53 - Indianapolis, USA

20K Pan Am Cup
1990 - 7 th - 1:28:21 - Xalapa, Mexico
1988 - 6 th - 1:31:39 - Mar del Plata, Argentina
1986 - 9 th - 1:25:04 - St. Leonard, Canada

50K Pan Am Cup
1992 - 10 th - 4:24:46 - Guatemala City, Guatemala
1984 - 4 th - 4:20:56 - Bucaramanga, Columbia

 

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