robert owen kennedy jr. (born august 18, 1970 in bloomington, indiana) is an american distance runner. he is considered one of the best american distance runners in history. now retired, in 1996 he was ranked 4th in the world at the 5000 meters. he once held the american record in the 3000 meters (7:30.84), 2 miles (8:11.59) and the 5000 meters (12:58.21).