Jim R. Ryun (born April 29 1947), American athlete and politician, has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 1997, representing the 2nd District of Kansas. (map)

Ryun was born in Wichita, Kansas. Attending Wichita East High School, he became the first high school athlete to run a four-minute mile (1609m). In 1965, he set the male High School Mile Record of 3:55.3, which stood for 36 years. At age 19, he set the world record in both the mile and half-mile, and received Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" award. He participated in the 1964, 1968, and 1972 Olympic games, winning a silver medal in the 1500 meters in 1968. He was educated at the University of Kansas, and was a business owner, product consultant and motivational speaker before entering the House.

On November 2, 2004, Ryun was re-elected to serve a fifth term in the House. He defeated Democrat Nancy Boyda handily, though she was widely seen as a formidable and viable challenger to Ryun. Ryun had 55% of the vote to Boyda's 42%. Earlier polls had shown Boyda leading Ryun by as much as seven percentage points.

External link

• official website