Donald Ray Lash (August 15, 1912 - September 19, 1994) was an American long-distance runner who won 12 national titles from 1934 to 1940, including seven consecutive men's national cross-country championships, and who set a world's record for the two-mile run in 1936. August 15 is the 227th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (228th in leap years), with 138 days remaining. ... 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... September 19 is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years). ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... The Minnesota State High school Cross Country Meet A cross country race in Seaside, Oregon. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Born in Bluffton, Indiana, Lash grew up in Auburn, Indiana, where he graduated from high school in 1933 after setting a new Indiana state record of 4:30.5 for the indoor mile. As a student at Indiana University, Lash set an American record of 31:06.9 for 10,000 meters. In June 1936, he broke Paavo Nurmi's world record for the two mile, running 8:58.4, besting Nurmi's record by 1.2 seconds. Competing in the 1936 Olympics, he placed 13th in the 5,000-meter run and eighth in the 10,000-meter. In 1938, Lash set a meet record of 14 min., 39 sec., for 5,000 meters at the Amateur Athletic Union indoor national championships. That same year he won the James E. Sullivan Award as the nation's top amateur athlete. Bluffton is a city located in Wells County, Indiana. ... Auburn is a city located in DeKalb County, Indiana. ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... Indiana University is the principal campus of the Indiana University system. ... Paavo Nurmi (June 13, 1897 – October 2, 1973) was a Finnish runner. ... 1936 Olympics refers to both: 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin, Germany 1936 Winter Olympics held in Bavaria, Germany This number-oriented article is a disambiguation page — a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... - The Amateur Athletic Union, widely known as the AAU, was formed in United States. ... The AAU James E. Sullivan Award is awarded annually by the Amateur Athletic Union to the outstanding amateur athlete in the United States. ...

World War II precluded any further chance for Lash to compete in the Olympics. Having married Margaret May Mendenhall in 1938, Lash began a law-enforcement career with the Indiana State Police, then became an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1941. He retired from the FBI in 1962 to become a regional director of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and appeared frequently as a motivational speaker. In 1973, he opened a real estate business in Rockville, Indiana. He also was elected to five terms (1973 - 1982) as a Republican member of the Indiana State House of Representatives, serving Fountain, Montgomery and Parke counties. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a federal criminal investigative, intelligence agency, and the primary investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... Mission The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is a not-for-profit organization that has been based in Kansas City, Missouri since 1956. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... Real estate is a legal term that encompasses land along with anything permanently affixed to the land, such as buildings. ... Rockville is a town located in Parke County, Indiana. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Republican Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. ... Fountain County is a county located in the state of Indiana. ... Montgomery County is a county located in the state of Indiana. ... Parke County is a county located in the state of Indiana. ...

Lash died of spinal cancer at a hospital in Terre Haute, Indiana, and is buried in Rush Creek Cemetery near Tangier in Parke County. He and Margaret had two sons and a daughter. Don Lash Park in Auburn is named for him. Lash was inducted into the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1995. Spinal tumors are located in the spinal cord and are mostly metastases from primary cancers elsewhere (commonly breast, prostate and lung cancer). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... USA Track and Field is the authority on track and field events within the United States. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Find A Grave profile
• Men's Long-Course Champions
• USA Track & Field Hall of Fame: Don Lash
• Indiana University Hall of Fame: 1982 Inductees
• Fort Wayne, Indiana News-Sentinel: Lash Runs into History
• Sports Illustrated: 50 Greatest Indiana Sports Figures of the 20th Century