PROFILE--Bill Mallon has been running and cycling for 50 years

Add caption

 (Nov. 2020) Lifetime runners come in many shapes and sizes, and have many talents outside their 5K PR. Here's one, for example, who played on the professional golf tour, went to medical school, and ranks as perhaps the leading historian-statistician of the Olympic Games. (See Olympedia.org). Bill Mallon, 68, also loves nothing more than a hard workout--the kind that leave you dripping with sweat, chest heaving. He gets them primarily on the bike these days, in New Hampshire and Hilton Head, but also runs several times a week, as he has since high school. He's a motivational quote collector, too. An example, from Roger Bannister: "Remember that athletes need disappointments to succeed."

Career-profession? I’ve had several. I was a professional golfer, playing on the PGA Tour from 1975-79. Then went to Duke Medical School and became an orthopedic surgeon, specializing in shoulder surgery. I stopped practicing in 2014 but have been the editor of Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery since 2009 and continue to do that. I also have had a hobby of writing about the Olympics

PROFILE--"Flamingo Joe" Edgecombe has been running for 35 years

(Nov. 2020) Flamingo Joe Edgecombe has been running for 35 years and has never met an ultra he didn’t like. At 71, Joe Edgecombe is living large and still dreaming big. He made it to the “Big Dance” of the Boston Marathon, his first big dream, and then dared to dream even bigger and started doing ultras. As a race director, volunteer, and friend to every runner on the road and the trail, Joe, from Panama City FL, is famous for handing out tiny plastic pink flamingos. “When I see someone struggling I give them one of my little pink flamingos and twist it on their hydration pack. I tell them all will be ok and that they will never have to run alone again!” He figures he’s handed out over one thousand though the years. 

Career/Profession? I was the Director of Respiratory Care in a local hospital for 28 years and also did diagnostic pulmonary testing for an additional 10 years. I retired in 2014 and am loving it. I’m also President of the

PROFILE--Dan Brannen has been running and adventure racing for 53 years

Brannen and Marcy Schwam last March, Great Glen NH

(Oct 2020) Dan Brannen has never done things half-way. A one-time 2:31 marathoner, he moved up to the really-longer distances (like 48 hours, and 6 days). He also established a business measuring courses, and organizing events. In recent years, the 67-year-old from Morristown NJ has specialized primarily in adventure races where, in tandem with one or several teammates who must stick together at all times, he runs, bikes, hikes, skiis, and snowshoes through wilderness areas for 12 to 24 hours at a go. Along the way, he enjoys dealing with whatever issues come up. "Seriously, folks: There is a solution to every problem," he says. "It never just gets worse."

Career-profession: I am president of DJB Event Consultants, Inc. We are an event production company specializing in Operations & Logistics, concentrating primarily on footraces. But we have also been involved operationally with triathlons, cycling events, and non-athletic corporate events. I manage some aspects of course operations for the NYC Half-Marathon, Brooklyn Half-Marathon, and NYC Marathon. I am the Race Course Manager for the Broad Street Run and the Philadelphia Marathon. I am the Race Director of the Verizon Corporate Classic 5K in Morristown, NJ, the largest corporate team race in New Jersey. I also serve as the Director of Operations for the JPMorgan Corporate Challenge in Central Park, NYC. And I am the Course Director for the Garden State Fondo cycling event, which was named by Gran Fondo Guide magazine as the #1 Gran Fondo event in the U.S. I am also an IAAF/AIMS Grade A course certifier. I serve as the official course measurer for the NYC, Philadelphia, and New Jersey Marathons.

PROFILE--Ian Barnes has been running for 65 years. And he's still winning.

Photo here and below by Karen Harland.

(Oct 2020) Last week Ian Barnes gained at least 15 minutes of fame when a BBC video circulated widely around the Internet. In the video, Barnes, 85, finishes a one-mile track race in England in 8:10--apparently a British record for his age. That's also faster than the American record for an 85-year old. Members of Barnes's club, Darlington Harriers, helped Lifetime Running contact Barnes, and he graciously responded to our questions (in a very understated, British sort of way.) Barnes has become the first lifetime runner to recommend golf for cross-training. He's no softie, though. He's still running 40 to 50 miles a week, and believe in the no pain-no gain philosophy. "The harder you train, the luckier you get," he says.

Career-profession? I was employed  as a  Legal Executive  in the legal profession.

 

When did you begin running and why? I started running in 1955. The local harriers club was advertising  for new members in the local press. As I had  enjoyed running at school and in the army, I felt I should give it try. That was the beginning of my journey.

 

How much are you currently training? About 40 to 50 miles a week.

 

Best races and/or greatest achievements? As a senior athlete, I won medals in the 880 yards and one-mile events in the county championships. I also represented the county in the inter-county cross-country championships. 

 

As a veteran/master athlete, I have won several gold medals in

PROFILE--Phil Krajewski won the Virtual 2020 Boston Marathon in the 75-79 age group

(Oct 2020) Phil Krajewski was born on June 5, 1944--the eve before D-Day in Europe. The Allied forces prevailed the next day, and Krejewski has a strong racing record as well. As he notes below, "I have won just about every marathon I have entered." Indeed there he is atop the 2020 Boston Marathon leaderboard at 3:38:37, more than 30 minutes ahead of the second-place 75-79 runner. Krajewski, 76, from Eastport ME has achieved his success with several interesting approaches, not the least of which is his striving for "Lightness" in his life.

Career-profession? I am a tree farmer and have grown hardwoods, conifers, and shrubs, both native and ornamental species and varieties. I specialized in digging trees for market and have dug over 55,000 trees – by hand – in my lifetime. While this amount may seem staggering, it is very accurate.

When did you start running and why? I always loved running and ran to elementary, junior, and high school on many an occasion but running in high school was not en vogue. In my ‘meat and potatoes’ town a person played football, basketball, and baseball. My wife, Ellen, got me running with her in the early 2000’s when my daughters, Vinca and Evangeline, were 8 and 12 and had joined some local soccer and running programs.

How much did you run in your peak years? I am a minimalist and never have run more than 50 miles in one week.

What were some of your top race performances? I have won just about every marathon I have entered. I have won NYC 3 times and Chicago once. My Waterloo with running is the Boston Marathon as I have never done well there. However, I did finish third in 2016. I have had incremental wins at Boston with some firsts for my age while also beating all older, or runners a year or two younger than me, or being first or high in the US standings. 

I believe I will try to continue running until I have the good fortune to win Boston. I am presently ranked #1 in the world by Abbott World Marathon Major rankings for the 75/79 age group.

An estimate of your total lifetime miles? Somewhere in the neighborhood of 20,000 miles

How much are you running and cross-training now? I run about 35 – 40 miles per week. I do not and have never cross trained. My strength training is

Mary Haskins Has Been Running For 25 Years

(Sep 2020) Her friends believe Mary Haskins is part mountain goat for her love of running the TransRockiesRun (6 days 120 miles) and just about any rugged terrain on earth. Speed is not her goal. Beautiful scenery and distance suit her just fine. Haskins lives in Brooklyn Heights were she can be found at 5:00 a.m. walking her two dogs (who do wag their tails) before she heads out for her run. There is no one who doesn’t appreciate Mary Haskins. And that’s good for her job as Senior Manager, Volunteer Operations at NYRR. With her megawatt smile and personality to match, loyal volunteers come back every year.

  

Career-profession? I have had a lucky second career with NYRR after 28 years in the Commodity Trading business. At NYRR I’ve been a marathon coach for their charity team, Team for Kids, and now I am Senior Manager of Volunteer Operations. I love to run and I love runners and feel blessed that

Rick Lovett has been running for 40 years

(Sep. 2020) Rick Lovett is one of those all-around talents. He exercises, he writes articles and books, he keeps himself up to date on various scientific fronts ... and, importantly, he coaches. The coaching is really crucial, because severe familial arthritis has put an end to his running days. Instead, he walks. A lot. And up steep hills. Through his many endurance experiences, Lovett, now 67 and living in Portland OR, has learned he's not the "wimp" a certain high school P.E. teacher called him. He has also picked up a deep appreciation for the process. "Enjoy the doing," he tells his runners. "The results are something that simply happen when you do the doing."

Career-profession? I’ve done a number of things, ranging from being a law professor to working with a consulting engineering firm specializing in hazardous waste management, but since 1990, I’ve been a full-time freelance writer. Mostly, I do journalism, these days largely with a science-writing orientation, but I also write science fiction, at which I’ve won a number of awards. I’ve also written books about running, bicycling, and cross-country skiing, and well more than 100 articles about running, coaching, and exercise physiology. Sometime around 2003, I started converting all of this into coaching, starting with running partners, and gradually moving on to become the coach for Portland’s Team Red Lizard club, which I still coach. 

When did you start running and why? I took up running for a very simple reason. When I was