Bill Rodgers Is so Inspiring
We spent last Saturday morning with Bill in Falmouth
Thursday, August 16th, 2012
There were four exciting highlights on our trip to Boston last weekend. (Photo: running the interviewing Bill Rodgers on Saturday in Falmouth was so exciting.) First was my training run with Roger Wright on Thursday (August 9) in Boston. We did a four mile training run along the Charles River. Roger has an amazing story. Before he found running he weighed 318 pounds. He could not run more than ten yards. Eleven months later he had dropped his weight down to 163 pounds and he ran the Boston Marathon. Roger has run three Boston Marathons and several others. He is now interested in not just finishing road races but he wants to improve on his time. His story is very inspiring and we are glad to have him part of our movie. Friday morning we met up with Jack Fleming at the B.A.A. offices in Boston. I have to say it was amazing to see everything on display. Jack let me hold the Boston Marathon official cup. It gave me chills. Very few people have held this cup and I felt honored to have it in my hands. Jack had me sign the official book near the front door. The names among the pages brought back so many good memories I have of the oldest annual marathon in the world. The first race, run in 1897, included only 15 male runners. There is nothing like the Boston Marathon. Our one hour interview with Jack was one of our best yet. He has so much to say and he says it so well. There are so many exciting stories surrounding the Boston Marathon and other events the B.A.A. sponsors. Our segment on the B.A.A. and the Boston Marathon for our movie is going to be so good. In one of the many cases is Mutai bib from the 2011 race. This is the race on April 18, 2011 that Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya ran the fastest marathon ever run. He ran 2:03:02. Next Jack showed us the library. They have a collection of Runner's World magazine dating back to 1971. I first started writing to Jock Semple in 1967. Jock was a key person in the B.A.A. at that time. Jock was the race official that attempted to remove Kathrine Switzer from the race in 1967 when women were not allowed to run the Marathon. The photographs taken of the incident made world headlines. Actually Katherine was not the first women to run the Boston Marathon. The year before Bobbi Gibb ran the race without a number. Just being in the offices and speaking with Jack I got so inspired. I have not run a marathon in 30 years. I told Michael that my body does not like races over the half marathon. But before we left I asked Jack what he thought about me running next year along with Mike. He thought it was a great idea. So, after I finish this 50 race challenge, Mike and I plan on being on the starting line in Boston next April. My goal would be to run 3:20 or better which should be good enough for five top in my age group. After visiting with Charlie at the Bill Rodgers Running Center we had lunch. Mike, Catherine, me and Barry really enjoyed Boston. The fish, lobster and Boston Clam Chowder is so good. After lunch we headed to Falmouth. It rained most of the way and it took over three hours to get there. We called it a night. We met Bill Rodgers the next morning for a training run. As we were waiting, Craig Virgin came by and we had a good chat. I had not seen Craig since he came out for National Running Week we sponsored 30 years ago in California. Craig was an amazing world class runner. Bill and I did a three mile training run (which we filmed) in the rain. After that we sat down for an hour. Bill has so much to share, so many great stories, and so much good information. We are so excited to have Bill part of our movie. The next day, we both ran the Falmouth Road Race. Bill had won the race three times in the past. Michael and I have wanted to make a running film for years. I am really enjoying working with Mike most every weekend. His vision is happening. This project is bringing so many people together. My brother Barry lives in Manhattan Kansas and we just have not seen much of each other for 25 years. But A Long Run has brought us together. It is super to have Barry on our crew. Photos by Catherine Cross
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Falmouth Road Race No 32
Lots of Humidity but what a fun event
Monday, August 13th, 2012
What an amazing trip back east. I have not posted before because we didn't get back yesterday until 2 am. Our plane from Atlanta was delayed a couple of hours. I am going to post several reports from the east coast but I want to start with the Falmouth Road Race. This was race number 32 for the year. The race starts at 10am in Woods Hole near the drawbridge on Water Street. It is a point to point course and finishes at Falmouth Heights Beach. Tommy Leonard started this race 40 years ago. We ran articles in Runner's World right from the beginning. I have always wanted to run th is race. That is what I like about doing this 50 race Challenge. I am running races I have always wanted to run but never did. Above Photo: Finishing in 49:18. Placed second for 60 plus. 61-year-old Mark Uliasz finished ahead of me running 46:33. I was one minute behind me at three miles and he blasted me the last four miles. Mike and I was at the starting line when we met Sharon Vos. One of the top 55 plus runners in the country. Her sisters Honor and Shelley live out my way but since Sharon lives on the east coast we had never met. They are the fastest triples on the Planet. The rain had just stopped and as I told Mike, "it does not rain on our parade." And it didn't. But the humidity hit 94%. It was not that hot but... I hit the first mile in 6:46 even with a couple of hills. Sharon was just ahead and I tried to keep her in sight but I didn't. She ran about a minute faster than me with 48:07. The first three miles have a lot of rolling hills. Not the type of course even without humidity that works for me. However, it was so beautiful and then it leveled out until a couple of hills in the last mile. And there are people all along the route the last three miles. Some places they are four to eight rows deep. I wanted to run under 49 minutes and I got 49:18. I know I lost at least one minute because of the humidity which it is not normal for Falmouth. Super runner Joan Samuelson at age 55 ran 43:44. What an amazing performance. This is 97.13% age-graded. Joan was the winner of the first Olympic Marathon for women in Los Angeles in 1984. She was so focused at the start... 76-year-old William Riley won his division by almost nine minutes. He ran 51:54. He started running forty years ago and that is when he first started reading Runner's World. Good story... The overall winner was Stanley Biwott from Kenya. He posted 31:59. This is 4:34 per mile. Just not sure how these guys can run so fast in this kind of humidity and with the hills. However, he was 51 seconds off the course record. So maybe when I am thinking I was a minute slower than what I thought I could do is not that far off... The last time I saw Rod Dixon was thirty years ago in Palo Alto during National Running Week, an event I put together when I was publishing Runner's World. Rod was such a great guy then and just as nice today. He had won the bronze medal at the 1972 Olympic Games in the 1500m. He is from New Zealand but now lives in Los Angeles. The year after I saw him in Palo Alto he won the New York City Marathon in a time of 2:08:59. He had run a New Zealand national record for the half marathon with 1:02:12 in 1981. He is now 62-year-old and he ran 53:45 yesterday in Falmouth. I beat three super star runners in my age-group yesterday...Rod, Bill Rodgers and Frank Shorter. I think their 100 plus mile weeks in the past might have caught up to them...BUT it is great to see them still running. We set down with Bill Rodgers after doing a training run and spoke for more than an hour on Saturday. Bill ran 54:06 the next day. Bill and Rod loves running just as much as ever. Frank and I had did not have a chance to speak but it appears he likes to at least jog. He finished in 1:08:36 but at least he is still involved in running. Frank was the official starter. I wonder what you have to pay Frank to start a race these days? The gang along with Catherine Cross who took all the photos. It was great working with my brother and Ujena Fit Club Coach Barry Anderson. Mike ran the entire course with the Go Pro on his head. He got some amazing footage. He started off early and I met up with him (after he got footage of the runners ahead of me) just past the three mile mark. He ran sub 7 minutes for a mile with me. This was one of my toughest races of the year. I was still able to get under 7 minutes per mile but for sure the humidity cost me a minute or more. I felt sluggish the whole way and if this had been a half marathon...it would not have been pretty. I am 14:40 minutes ahead of pace after racing 215 miles. I have 135 miles to go. I am really concerned about the half marathon in Kauai coming up September 3rd. There are hills the first seven miles and the humidity could be...Next race is this weekend in San Diego. Half Marathon. Some good downhills the first few miles but a tough hill in the last mile or so. Photos by Catherine Cross
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Falmouth is indeed a great race. The humidity was really dreadful this year. There have been other years with humidity as well, but I've never had this much rain beforehand as well. Was the wettest I've ever been, my feet as well!! Bob, I was also a minute slower than I wanted and that I ran 2 years ago. It's definitely the humidity!!
It was indeed a pleasure meeting you in person and I'm glad I happen to glance over and recognize you! Sharon Vos 8/15/12 7:58 am I am so glad we met too. It is amazing the effects on high humidity. I am thinking about running Boston in 2013 but there is no way I could have run 26.2 miles last Sunday. If you ever get out west, lets do a training run...all four of us! Bob Anderson 8/15/12 9:57 am |