Some maintain that records are made to be broken. Others are adamant that a changing of the guard is an unwelcome occurrence.
Though he is quick to forge an opinion on most issues, on this one Craig Virgin sits squarely on the fence.
Every November for the last 38 years, Virgin, one of the more accomplished runners to ever lace up a pair of Nikes, is curious to see how his eye-popping, all-time mark of 13 minutes 50.6 seconds in the Illinois boys cross country championships will hold up.
Thus far, except for a recent pair of close calls, it has been solid as a rock.
"I realize records like mine are meant to be broken," Virgin said. "Secretly, of course, I want it to last as long as it can."
Despite many a life-altering roadblock, Virgin, 56, has proven that he has what it takes to stay the course. The Belleville native who went on to star in cross country and track at the University of Illinois, didn't stop until he made his mark on first a national, then an international stage.
The first of those hurdles was a well-documented battle with a urological disease that required Virgin to undergo reconstructive bladder surgery in the eighth grade. He later had to deal with a head-on automobile collision in 1997 that cost him two years in surgeries and rehabilitation.
Such detours were not about to derail Virgin, a 1973 national high school athlete of the year, whose jam-packed resume is one for the record books.
His list of accomplishments includes:
• Wins in all 48 of the prep cross country meets he entered as a junior and senior, setting records in 47 of them.
• Five Illinois state championships -- two in cross country and three in track.
• Wins in 95 of 100 cross country races from his sophomore year in high school to his senior year at Illinois.
• Nine Big Ten titles at Illinois -- four in cross country and five in track.
• Two cross country world championships.
Virgin's humble beginnings at Lebanon High date back to when the school had no weight room or track, and to when health issues made it unclear whether he'd life, much less run. Without that rough start and his days growing up on the family farm, Virgin doubts he would be where he is today.
"A lot of it is just learning to survive in the face of adversity," Virgin said. "My farm background helped me. I had to deal with a lot of discomfort. I learned how to focus through it."
Virgin's dream as a youngster, being a St. Louis Cardinals second baseman, was interrupted when former Lebanon baseball coach Rich Neal recognized Virgin's outstanding running ability and passed the word on to Greyhounds track coach Hank Feldt.
"Craig was in really bad shape in junior high, and I wasn't sure he was going to make it," said Feldt, 78, a former Lebanon teacher who now coaches softball there. "They operated only on one kidney. He proved them all wrong."
Feldt said the area has produced some top-notch runners since, but none of Virgin's ilk.
"He went on to Illinois and set beaucoup records," said Feldt, who still sees Virgin from time to time. "He'll come by every now and then, but he's always got somewhere to get to. That's the secret to his success."
Upon graduation from college, Virgin founded Front Runner Inc., a sports marketing and promotions company. The outside-of-the-box thinker did it because he needed a way to earn a living and maintain the flexibility to compete in world class events without losing his amateur status. Through the company, he was able to reimburse himself for travel expenses.
"I was setting a whole new templet," Virgin said. "I wanted to have my cake and eat it, too."
A three-time Olympian, Virgin would have been one of the top American distance runners in Moscow had the United States not boycotted the 1980 games.
Past hurdles are the basis for a lot of the messages Virgin, a motivational speaker, delivers today. But that's just one of several employment ponds he's dipped his toes into.
In addition to speaking engagements and the company, Virgin ran for the Illinois Senate in 1992. But his foray into politics was short-lived.
In the last few years, Virgin has delved into broadcasting, his major in college. Just last Sunday, he was in Champaign to serve as an analyst for the Big Ten cross country championships.
Virgin will be at Detweiller Park in Peoria this weekend where he can keep tabs on his record during the Illinois state cross country championships.
Back in 2007, Chris Derrick of Neuqua Valley in Naperville, Ill., came within two seconds of Virgin's mark, finishing in 13:52. Just last season, Lukas Verzbicas of Orland Park Sandburg was just four seconds off.
"People were beating the drum on that one for six weeks," Virgin said of Derrick's run. "From what I've heard, no one will be under 14 minutes this year."
He won't be involved in any broadcasts at the state championships this weekend, but Virgin is working toward a possible assignment at the London Olympic Games in 2012.
"I'm going to London come hell or high water," Virgin said. "I am just a news hound. I love being able to use my knowledge of running in the broadcasts."
Virgin will be honored twice in the upcoming months. On Nov. 16, he will be inducted into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame. Then in December, Virgin will become a member of the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame during the organization's convention at the Hyatt Regency in St. Louis.
"In the first one I get inducted with athletes I grew up idolizing," he said. "For the second, I go into a hall with the likes of runners Steve Prefontaine, Frank Shorter, Billy Mills and Bill Rodgers. It is a terrific honor."
Virgin actually was elected to the hall last year but deferred his induction in order to accept the honor in St. Louis.
"You can't write a better script than that," Virgin said. "I always tell kids to set the bar high. I feel very fortunate about the things I was able to do, and I want to pass it on."
