Continuing education at the Broadcast Center & Center of Contemporary Arts in St. Louis with focus on electronic journalism, acting for the camera, voice-over & video production.

President & Founder of Front Runner Inc. (1980)

• A sports marketing company specializing in running & fitness promotions
• Public Relations consultant
• Freelance Broadcaster
• Professional Public Speaker
• Special Event Coordinator
  

23 years of competition in the three sports available in long distance running:
cross country, track, & road racing. Rated national or world class for most of his open career. Retired from serious competitive running in January of 1992. Runs 20 to 30 miles per week in addition to various cross training activities for fitness. Still enjoys promoting both the sport & personal fitness.

• Inducted into the U.S. Distance Running Hall of Fame in 2001. He was a member of the fourth class of inductees & joined his early American running heros Steve Prefontaine, Billy Mills, Frank Shorter, and Bill Rodgers in the Hall of Fame
  
• 3-time U.S. Olympian in 10,000 meter event. (1976, 1980, 1984). This accomplishment is unprecedented in that event. He finished 2nd in the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1976, first in 1980, & second in 1984. He set the U.S. Olympic Trials record of (27:45.6) for that event in 1980. That record held for 24 years until it was broken in 2004. He ran the fastest 10,000 meter time (27:29.2) in the world during 1980, but was prevented from competing in the Moscow Olympics by the United States-led boycott. It was the biggest disappointment of Craig's running career. Craig had wanted to be the first American to win a gold metal in the 10,000 meter track event since Billy Mills in 1964.
  
• 2-time World Cross Country Champian. Craig was the first American man to win the I.A.A.F. World Cross Country Championship, winning in Paris & again in Madrid. He qualified for 10 - U.S. Teams for the 12K (7.5 mile) international cross country race which is the only running world championship held yearly.
  
• 3-time U.S. Tack & Field National Champion. Set the National Championship meet record of (27:39.4) for the 10,000 meter event in 1979. It stood for 25 years until it was broken in 2004.
  
• Former U.S. Record Holder at the 10,000 meter track event distance ((27:29.2)
  
• Former U.S. Record Holder at th 8K (22:46), 10K (28:04), & 10 mile (46:30) road race events.
  
• NCAA & 9-time Big 10 Champion at the University of ILLionois. Craig set the collegiate record of (27:59.4) for the 10,000 meter run in 1976 while competing for the University of ILLinois Fighting ILLini. He finished 2nd twice in the 10,000 meter event in the NCAA Track & Field Outdoor Championships in 1976 & 1977. He placed 2nd & 3rd in the indoor 2-mile & 3-mile runs, respectively, in the 1976 & 1977 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. Craig was a 9-time NCAA All-American in cross country, indoor track & outdoor track. He won 13 titles in the ILLinois Intercollegiate Championships.
• Former National H.S. Record Holder in the 2- mile track event
• 5-time ILLinois H.S. State Champion in the 1-mile & 2- mile track events as well as in the 3- mile cross country race
• Craig won many of the major U.S. sub-marathon road races : The Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, Bay to Breakers in San Francisco, Crescent City Classic in New Orleans, Falmouth Raod Race on Cape Cod, Trevira Twosome in New York, and the Maggie Valley Road Race in North Carolina.
• Craig ran only 4 marathons: finished first in the 1979 Mission Bay Marathon (2:14.46) at that time a world record for a marathon debut, finished 2nd at the Boston Marathon in 1981 with a time of (2:10.6) his marathon personal best. Knee & kidney problems curtailed his marathon training & racing after 1982.
• Craig was selected as Track and Field News prestigious High School Athlete of the Year on the basis of performances set at 1-mile (4:05.0), 3,000 meters (8:40.9), 2-mile (8:40.9), 3-mile (13:36.8), and 5,000 meters (13:58.2) events during his senoir year of high school. He won 5 -ILLinois State Championships in cross country, as well as the 2-mile & 1-mile track events in 1972-1973. Craig still holds the IHSA State Cross Country Championships 3-mile course record of (13:50.6), as well as the State Track Meet 2-mile event record of (8:42.6). His fastest high school 2-mile record of (8:40.9) broke Steve Prefontaine's national high school record. That performance still stands as the fastest time ever in an all high school race.
  
  Front Runner Inc.
  P.O. Box 215
  Lebanon, IL. 62254
  
  618-537-9500
  (fax) 618-537-9555
  

craig@craigvirgin.com