By STEPHANIE SIMON
Last month, my dad celebrated the 30th anniversary of his running streak.
In other words, he has run every day for 10,987 consecutive days. The last time he took a pass — he was feeling a bit sore after a marathon — was Oct. 30, 1978.
Obsessive doesn’t begin to describe it.
When he travels overseas, my dad, who is 66, plans layovers so he can get in a couple miles around the concourse, lest he miss a day to the time-zone shift. During blizzards, he wraps his feet in plastic bags, pulls galoshes over his sneakers and screws in cleats for traction. Then he waits for a snowplow to pass his front door, so he can follow in the freshly cleared path.
My father, Dr. Harvey B. Simon, practices internal medicine in Boston and teaches at Harvard Medical School. Rationally, he knows that running 10 miles a day, every day, for three decades is not great for his ever-more-creaky body. He’d never advise his patients to do it. In fact, he’s written several health and fitness books stressing the virtue of moderation in exercise. And yet….
He’s run with broken toes and the flu and a nasty infected heel and near-crippling back spasms. He goes out before dawn in every kind of weather; he’s become such a fixture in the neighborhood that a couple times when a freak thunderstorm has rolled in, strangers have driven out to find him. They didn’t know his name. They just knew he’d be out there, plodding away, and figured he might appreciate a ride home.
My dad isn’t alone in this nutty obsession. The U.S. Running Streak Association lists 31 members who have been running daily for 30 years or more. The reigning champ is a running coach out of California by the name of Mark Covert. He hasn’t missed a day since he was 17. He’s now 57.
Every streaker has a story of inspired persistence — or, viewed another way, lunacy. One tells of holding his catheter aloft as he hobbled out after surgery. Another ran on a cruise ship — during a tropical storm.
Ronald Kmiec, a concert pianist in Carlisle, Mass., jogged for four days through severe chest pains, until his wife dragged him to the hospital. Turned out he’d had a heart attack. He was so determined to keep the streak alive, he asked the nurse to take him to a treadmill. She nixed that idea, and his streak ended one day short of 32 years. (Undaunted, Mr, Kmiec got right back on the road and completed his 35th consecutive Boston Marathon five months later.)
By ASHLEY PHILLIPS
Larry Cox was a Chillicothe Police officer who was killed in the line of duty in 2005.
The race supports the local Crime Stoppers tip line in which individuals can receive monetary rewards for offering tips leading to the arrest and conviction of criminals.
Dave Strickland, president of the Southern Ohio Crime Stoppers, said in the first three years they raised about $12,000.
An estimated 380 people participated in the event, which is 110 more people than last year.
Outrunning the pack and coming in first place was Chillicothe native Keegan Rathkamp.
Crossing the finish line first, Rathkamp said that was a great accomplishment.
Participating in the Turkey Trot since it began, he said it is something he enjoys spending his holiday doing.
A cross country runner at Shawnee State University, he said he keeps in shape by running and it helps him prepare for races such as these.
Following not too far behind Rathkamp, crossing the finish line second was 19-year-old Galen Dills.
Dills also is a cross country runner. He runs at The Ohio State University, where he said he gets a lot of training done.
“I usually run around 70-75 miles a week; it helps you increase your speed,” he said.
Another tradition at the Turkey Trot is an individual runner is selected to carry Cox’s running shoes during the race.
The top five men and women in the race each receive pumpkin pies.
This year, Pam Allen, a Huntington school teacher, was selected to carry Cox’s running shoes during the race.
Strickland said people from all over the state come to compete in the race each year and show their support for Crime stoppers.
“The Junior Civic League helped sponsor our event and we are so thankful for their support,” he said.
Having her family push her in a wheelchair during the friendly walk portion of the race, Barbara Kuhner said she enjoyed every minute of it.
“My brother has participated in the race every year, and this year I decided to participate,” she said.
Having so much fun in the race, Kuhner said she definitely will be back next year.
(Phillips can be reached at 772-9376 or via e-mail at phillips@nncogannett.com
I pull into the YMCA back parking lot at 4:30 a.m.
I get out of my car and join a small group of runners.
It feels like we are the only ones in Chillicothe awake – that even the town itself is sleeping.
Normally at 4:30 a.m. I’ve been in bed for about an hour or so. (In case you didn’t know, sports writers are one of nature’s nocturnal creatures, and we’re never up to see the sun rise.)
But for the 16 members of the Chill Running Club, there is no better way to start the day.
October 18, 2008
Chill Running Club members are set to run the Nationwide Better Health Columbus Marathon Oct. 19th.
Chillicothe, Ohio (Oct.16th) – You just arrived in the YMCA parking lot. It’s 4:48am and runners are circled together, casually talking amongst themselves before glancing your way. You’re late for the morning run and they start to take off. Welcome to the Chill Running Club training sessions—starlit skies glare down, heads glance up, once closed eyelids heavily open, the air is fresh [until the route leads you near Glatfelter, or a squished possum], and the company always refreshing. Feet pound the pavement like a series of subtle African drums–some run to their own beat, but typically, the runner’s feet stumble into the rhythm of their own pace group. If you are a 6 minute miler, you’ll run with Paul, Tracy, Rocky, and Phil. If you are a 7 minute miler you’ll run with Jodi and Jeff. If you’re a 7:30 miler you’ll run with Brad, Thad, Kristine, and Jason. If you’re an 8 min. miler you’ll run with Pam, Mark, Rachel, Brooke, and Matt. If you’re a 9 minute miler you run with Jen and Christy.
No matter how fast your feet hit the pavement in the beginning, your tempo will eventually settle and, before you know it, the miles pass in what seems like fleeting moments—you soon realize that you are surrounded by a delightfully, dedicated few. Conversations with the Chill runners varies from the invention of “poop-colored pants” and random weekend activities, to how many stray dogs each has attracted and how many of them made the transition to family pets and morning running companions. Sometimes, the conversations become as serious as who you are, where you are headed, and what you enjoy the most, and want more of, in life. The only guarantee in each discussion is that there are no u-turns for circular reasoning, and no back-tracking more than 200m into the past. You see, these runners look ahead and not backward—after speaking with them it’s easy to see that they are not running from something, they are running towards something—the goal of completing the Columbus Marathon!
It’s not long before you understand why they hold running so dear to their hearts. “We have so many neat people in our group,” says Jodi Roderick. “Even if you don’t like running, you would probably still hop on your bike and show up just for the fire and ice mixed camaraderie—that’s just how awesome some of these people are!”
Paul Linche began running when he decided to do an Ironman. Upon the completion of his first Ironman, he had qualified for the Hawaii Ironman—most touted nationally competitive Ironman event. Paul has been dubbed the Chill Running Club President for his lead-by-example, can-do attitude. “He’s the first person to always remind you that it’s good to get outside your comfort zone when you are struggling during sprint workouts,” says Roderick. Paul’s leads the way during 99.9% of the Chill Running Club training sessions. “You know you’re a great runner when you’ve only ran two marathons, and one of them is Boston!” says novice marathoner, Mark Erslan, when elaborating on Paul’s ability.
The Boston Marathon is often described as the Mecca of USA Marathons—everyone who enters has to run a qualifying time in another marathon to gain admittance. Of the Chill Running Club members, five have qualified and ran Boston in past years. Those five members hope to qualify for Boston in with their Columbus Marathon time on Sunday—that alone, speaks volumes for the dedication and competitiveness of this group.
Some of the other club members are novice marathoners, who have participated in multiple half marathons, but have decided to take the plug for the full this year. “This is my first marathon and I’ve been training for just four weeks,” said Matt Spetnangle, the newest addition to the club. “I read Dean Karnazes book The Ultra-Marathon Man and got inspired to try a full.
This group is full of inspiration. Pam Allen, Chillicothe High School girls varsity soccer and swim coach, is a one of the running club’s most competitive veteran members. Pam has won 1st place in her division of the Athens half marathon every year she competes, and continues to place in the top three in other races throughout. “Pam’s a pistol. If ever there was an Ironwoman, she’s it!”, says Brooke Betts. Betts is a first-time marathoner who is also up for the challenge of going the distance. “Running is a good-for-your-health addiction, so I didn’t mind committing to our rigorous training schedule.” Betts is famous for yelling, “Beat Tracy! Beat Tracy” while sprinting ahead of the back for a nose dive lead during training runs. “Tracy is the fastest girl, so if I can nose-dive and beat her, I’m running well—even if it’s only for 200 meters.
Tracy Weitthoff is the Southeastern cross-country coach, and 4-time Boston marathon qualifier, who will also be the female front-runner of the Chill Running Club in Columbus this weekend. It’s Weitthoff, who is responsible for the slogan on the back of their running club shirts: “Got the Runs?”—That’s quite a catch phrase for a club that has woken up before dawn to train together for the past 4 months. “It became our way to ask ourselves daily if we were determined to go the distance,” Weitthoff explains. “We’ve trained hard since June, and I’m looking forward to finishing and cheering on everyone who runs the race.”
Today the Chill Running Club members completed their last training run, stretched, and drove their separate ways. Leaving the YMCA parking lot you can’t help but smirk at finding out about something you never even knew existed. Maybe, to some, they are just runners, venturing into the dark at the start of each day. But come Sunday, it’s clear they will be the heart of Chillicothe setting out to conquer 26.2 before most of us even start the day.
If this unique running story didn’t given you the chills yet, then show up on race day to truly understand what the heart of the Chill Running Club is all about. Fair WARNING: You too, just might catch what they laughingly call: The Runs [the determination to go the distance].
Best of Luck Chill Running Club Members! Make Chillicothe Proud!
-b
