Welcome to the Eric Mettaxas show with your host, Eric Mettaxas.

Oh, hello. Folks, today is Wednesday. The Olympics is happening evidently. I haven't been watching the Olympics. It's in Tokyo, Beijing. I really don't even know where it is happening. But actually, I do. But listen, I'm really excited because I have as my guest, an Olympic champion, and way more than an Olympic champion.

Where do I begin?

Before I introduce him, I will just tell you, Albert and I have mentioned this, Jim Ryan, who's my guest, he was a congressman from Kansas from 1996 to

2007. But that doesn't begin to describe him. He was probably the greatest high school

athlete in the United States of America in any sport. Maybe that's debatable, but believe me,

there are people who would say that.

He's the first high schooler ever to break four minutes in the mile in high school in the early 60s.

He's a legend in the world of track and field.

And he is my guest.

Jim, welcome to the program., it's great to be on with you. I'll never forget when I met you. I met you at Chuck Colson's Memorial Service. I don't know if that's about eight or nine or ten years ago. I can't even remember when it was. But honestly, I was so thrilled to meet you. I couldn't believe that I was meeting you. I didn't know that you were a professing Christian. How's that for a good term? Professing. And to somebody who ran

cross-country in high school and who's been running through the decades to meet Jim Ryan,

one of the world's greatest milers, just a joy. And then as I've gotten to know you and your wife and your son, Ned, I just thought, we've got to get you on the program. The Olympics is happening, and it's happening in Tokyo. Am I getting this right? Is it happening in Tokyo? It is. Tokyo, Japan, right. 1964, 57 years ago?

I don't believe.

It can't be 57 years ago.

Can it be 57 years ago?

Well, it was 57 years ago.

In fact, in those days, when I went to the Tokyo Olympics, we had to fly through Anchorage, Alaska,

because the planes weren't large enough with enough fuel

to fly straight across the Pacific. So it was a different world in than it is now.

Well, Jim, where do we start? I mean, you're in your 70s now, but you, people will always talk

about your teen years. Let's just start there for a minute, if you don't mind.

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