Jon Rankin
{{Short description|American track and field runner}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| headercolor = lightblue
| name = Jon Rankin
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| image =
| nationality = American and Caymanian
| residence =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1982|02|09|df=y}}{{cite web|url=https://worldathletics.org/athletes/cayman-islands/jon-rankin-14249142|publisher=World Athletics|title=Athlete Profile - Jon Byron Rankin|access-date=14 March 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://uclabruins.com/news/2013/4/17/208206878.aspx|publisher=UCLA Bruins|title=Player Bio: Jon Rankin - UCLA Official Athletic Site|access-date=14 March 2021}}
| birth_place = Spring Valley, San Diego, California
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height = {{convert|1.78|m|abbr=on}}
| weight = {{convert|65.8|kg|0|abbr=on}}
| spouse =
| life_partner =
| website =
| country = {{CAY}}
| sport = Track and field
| rank =
| event =
| collegeteam =
| universityteam = UCLA Bruins
| club = Nike Team Run LA
| team =
| turnedpro =
| partner =
| former_partner =
| coach = Joaquim Cruz
| retired = 2012
| pb = 800m: 1:47.01
1500m: 3:35.26
Mile: 3:54.24
| coaching =
| worlds =
| regionals =
| nationals = 2001 USA Track & Field Junior National Championships (1,500 m – 1st)
| olympics =
| highestranking =
| show-medals =
| updated =
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport | Men's athletics}}
{{MedalCountry|
{{USA}} (until September 2009)
{{CAY}} (since October 2009)}}
{{MedalCompetition|CAC Championships}}
{{MedalBronze |2011 Mayagüez|1500 m}}
}}
Jon Byron Rankin (born 9 February 1982) is an American born retired Caymanian middle and long-distance track and field runner. The highlight of his track and field career was winning the USA Junior Outdoor Track & Field Championships at 1500 metres and the 2007 Emsley Carr Mile in England. He is the CEO of Go Be More, who design apparel. He is also a copywriter working for various organisations and for himself.
Early life and amateur career
Rankin graduated from Monte Vista High School in Spring Valley, California. He then went on to attend the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where he studied for a Bachelor of Arts degree in English language. In 2004 he became UCLA's number one runner for the season and was an All-American.{{cite web|url=https://blackmarathoners.org/2015-hall-of-fame |website=blackmarathoners.org/|title=2015 National Black Distance Running Hall of Fame|access-date=15 March 2021}} On 9 April 2005, he became then the 17th African American and 268th American overall to run a sub four-minute mile.{{cite web|url=https://www.runnerstribe.com/latest-news/jon-rankin-the-sub-4-miler-who-survived-terminal-kidney-disease/|website=runnerstribe.com|title=Jon Rankin: the sub-4 Miler who Survived Terminal Kidney Disease|date=26 August 2020 |access-date=15 March 2021}}{{cite web|url=http://hawimanagement.com/jon.html|website=hawimanagement.com/|title=Jon Rankin|access-date=15 March 2021|archive-date=6 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200206052212/http://hawimanagement.com/jon.html|url-status=dead}} He graduated from UCLA in 2005.
Professional career
=Athletics career=
After graduating, he turned professional as a sponsored athlete with Nike. Rankin trained and raced throughout the US and Europe. On 11 August 2007 he won the Emsley Carr Mile in Manchester, England in a personal best time of 3:54.24, A year later in 2008, at the time of the United States Olympic Trials, he was diagnosed with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), although his official diagnosis didn't come about until the end of 2008.{{cite web|url=https://go-be-more-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/jons-kidney-disease-story-ep-31|website=simplecast.com|title=Jon's Kidney Disease Story (Ep 31)|access-date=15 March 2021}} FSGS is estimated to occur in 2-3 persons per million, with males and African peoples at higher risk.Tucker JK. Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis in African Americans. Am J Med Sci. 2002 Feb;323(2):90-3. doi: 10.1097/00000441-200202000-00006. {{PMID|11863085}}.Kitiyakara C, Kopp JB, Eggers P. Trends in the epidemiology of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Semin Nephrol. 2003 Mar;23(2):172-82. doi: 10.1053/snep.2003.50025. {{PMID|12704577}}. Later in 2011, Rankin underwent an experimental stem cell surgery to reverse his disease.{{cite web|url=https://nays.org/sklive/features/go-be-more/|publisher=National Alliance for Youth Sports|title=Go Be More|access-date=15 March 2021}}
Earlier, on 1 October 2009, Rankin decided to switch his allegiance to the Cayman Islands, "Jon is eligible to do this because both of his parents were born in the Cayman Islands," wrote his manager, Merhawi Keflezighi. He retired from professional competitive racing at the end of 2012. In 2015 Rankin was inducted into the National Black Distance Running Hall of Fame by the National Black Marathoners’ Association.
==Personal bests==
| class="wikitable" | |||
| Distance | Time | Place | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 800 metres | 1:47.01 | Indianapolis, USA | 11 June 2008 |
| 1500 metres | 3:35.26 | Stockholm, Sweden | 26 July 2005 |
| One mile | 3:54.24 | Stretford, England | 11 August 2007 |
| 5,000 metres | 14:08.09 | Los Angeles, USA | 11 March 2011 |
| 10k | 30:44 | New York City, USA | 15 May 2010 |
| 15k | 47:53 | Jacksonville, FL, USA | 9 March 2013 |
| Half marathon | 1:08:59 | Carlsbad, CA, USA | 24 January 2010 |
| Marathon | 2:34:29 | Sacramento, CA, USA | 5 December 2010 |
==Competitions==
=Career outside of athletics=
Since graduating, outside of athletics, Rankin has been a freelance senior copywriter, and since 2018 he has been the chief executive officer of both Go Be More and Catchy Content Co.{{cite web|url=https://www.zintro.com/profile/jon-rankin1|website=zintro.com/|title=Jon Rankin|access-date=14 March 2021}}{{Dead link|date=February 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20210308114733/https://gobemore.co/jon-rankin/ Go Be More profile of Jon Rankin]}}
- {{iaaf name|14249142}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rankin, Jon}}
Category:Track and field athletes from San Diego
Category:University of California, Los Angeles alumni
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2011 Pan American Games
Category:African-American track and field athletes
Category:UCLA Bruins men's track and field athletes
Category:American male middle-distance runners
Category:American male long-distance runners
Category:American male cross country runners
Category:American male marathon runners
Category:American people of Caymanian descent
Category:Caymanian middle-distance runners
Category:Caymanian long-distance runners
Category:Caymanian male athletes
Category:Caymanian marathon runners
Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen