HBack in the 1970s and early ‘80s, I gave up the social sport of tennis for the solitude of long-distance running. It all started when I met a banker at the United Bank of Denver, now more commonly known as the “Cash Register Building” (aka the Wells Fargo on Broadway and 17th). The banker and I started running together for fun exercise, gradually increasing our mileage. The first month we did fun runs to the Cherry Cricket for beers, and then headed back to Washington Park. More beer calories in than exercise calories out.
Our first race was sponsored by the United Bank of Denver, and took place on May 4, either 1980 or 1981 (the posters I have show the race date, but not the year so I can’t be sure!). After that first year, my running partner dropped running, but the Denver running scene took off around the time of Mayor Peña. There were 10K runs, half marathons, Turkey Trots, the Governor’s Cup race (which I ran with DAC Members), the Idaho Springs half-marathon. I would frequently run with Ellen Hart from The DAC.
I ran four to five marathons a year, and over the years I started traveling for the purpose of running marathons at other destinations. The race posters I’ve collected include from San Francisco in 1983; Washington, D.C. in 1991 (and another unknown year); Big Sur, CA in 1992; NYC in 1992 and ’96; Honolulu in 1996; London in 1998; and Pikes Peak (which has you going 12,000 feet to the top and back down to Manitou Springs over the course of 28.2 miles) too many times to count.
I often get asked about my favorite and least favorite races.
Twin Cities captures my top spot. Running around Minneapolis and by three great lakes, there are so many beautiful homes and long sidewalks lined with spectators with fire pits, filling the air with the great smell of hardwood logs burning.
The Marine Corp Marathon is great as it starts at the Marine Corp Memorial, and travels eight miles around the Pentagon before crossing the Key Bridge into Washington, D.C.
Another thrilling race is the London Marathon. You take a train to start in a small town, and ultimately finish on the Westminster Bridge. Plus, the race was sponsored by Mars, so we had plenty of delicious chocolate at the finish!
San Francisco has runners travel along Fisherman’s Wharf, to the Presidio and through Chinatown.
And who could forget the thrill of Pikes Peak!
Most of my least favorite marathons were boring, or had poor course design. Las Vegas was boring. The 50-mile Raw Hide at Ft. Collins was also boring – it was just a 10-mile loop run five times. Sacramento had us run 13.1 miles out and then back. The most memorable of my least favorite was the 50-miles from Larimer to Cheyenne in Wyoming, running through Medicine Bow Forest in a downpour.
In my running career, I have completed 89 marathons and several 50-mile races. The plan is to complete one more 26.2 mile marathon this October – the Marine Corp Marathon in Washington, D.C.
Then of course, there are the people I’ve met through running.
Running through Washington Park, I got to run with Frank Shorter – at the time the only American long-distance runner to win a medal at the Olympics. I told him on the run that I would be running NYC in a couple weeks, and he told me “at sea level you will easily take 10 minute off your time.” Not to be: I did NYC slower than my personal best time in Denver! I again met up with Frank at the Twin Cities Marathon where he signed my official race pullover.
Another runner I remember was from just before the Chicago Marathon. I was eating dinner next to a quiet runner and his coach, who shared how the runner had been sponsored to travel from England to New York, all expenses paid. He got a cramp around mile 21 and had to drop out of the race. At the time, marathon running was not the moneymaker that other sports were, and the runner felt so bad that he returned all the money to the sponsor. The next day, that runner set the world record for the fastest time to ever complete a marathon.
I must acknowledge and give special thanks to my trainer at The DAC, Karen Richards. Karen has always encouraged me to GO FOR IT, and has been instrumental in setting my 36-week training schedule which not only increases my mileage every week, but includes strength training, breathing exercises, kettlebells and endless laps around The DAC track. Thank goodness for music apps and a lap counter – 80 laps around the track can get rather dull!
I hope to see some of you at the finish line!