PROFILE--76-yr-old Gary Patton holds a lot of American Records

(Jul. 2022) If you're not in Tampere, Finland, right now, you haven't seen Gary Patton this week. He's in Finland competing in the 2022 World Masters Track & Field Championships. (We're not keeping up on the daily results, but can note that Patton has already finished second in the age 75-79 800 meters event--running 2:39.71--and tied-for-second in the 6K cross-country race. That's second in the WORLD.) Patton's list of American Record and World Record performances in the middle distances is about as long and impressive as you'd ever want to see. And the 76-yr-old from Rock Rapids, Iowa, does it on far less running mileage (and perhaps more cross-training) than most elite runners. His success stems in part

PROFILE--Bill Shreffler started running, lost 70 lbs, and is going strong 100,000 miles later

(May, 2022) Bill Shreffler started running for a typical reason: He didn't like the way he looked in the bathroom mirror after stepping out of the shower. Seventy pounds later, he was off and entering marathons. His personal record isn't sensational--3:34--but his consistency is. Now 68 and living in Coumbia, MO, Shreffler is still running every day of the week and logging more than 50 miles per week. His attitude is world class: "I know that every day I have over an hour of quiet time early in the morning," he says. "I can reflect on yesterday, think about the day ahead, forgive myself for the many mistakes I have made in my life and get excited about the future." 

Career-profession? Managing Member of BridgeWorx – medical device distributor.

When did you start running and why? I was 70 pounds overweight and bet a co-worker that I would lose more weight than he did. I won the bet. 

How much did you run in your peak years?  Peak years I ran 100 miles/week as I trained for marathons. 

Best performances? After living in Colorado Springs and training at an altitude of 6,500 feet I ran my 7^th Chicago marathon and had a PR of 3:34:00. Before I had my PR at Chicago I ran the Los Angeles Marathon in March 1992 after training through a harsh Chicago winter and finished in 3:50:26. 

Total lifetime miles? I passed 100,000 miles last October (all well documented with some commentary about the run) 

How much are you running and cross-training now? I run 54 miles/week – 8 miles Monday through Saturday and 6 miles on Sunday. I also lift weights

PROFILE--Richard Houston has completed 27 Boston Marathons in a row

(Apr. 2022) Richard Houston just completed the Boston Marathon in 4:39:18. It sounds a modest achievement until you consider that it was his 27th Boston in a row, 34th overall, and he's now 65 years old. A melanoma survivor, he credits his long-term success to learning when the can "run through" an injury, and when that's a bad idea. He likes the 1979 Boston Marathon poster of Bill Rodgers hitting the finish with just a single word on the poster: "Relentless."

Career-profession? I recently retired after 43 years of teaching high school history. I worked at St. John's High School in

Steve and Paula Boone have run nearly 1200 marathons (collectively)

(Mar. 2022) Steve (72) and Paula Boone (a mere 55) are fixtures in the running community. Based in Humble TX, they run on average 20-35 marathons a year. Paula was originally from Utah but after meeting a longhaired hippy at the 1997 Boston Marathon she lost her heart to him and embraced Texas.  Steve just completed his 800th marathon at the Houston Marathon in January. He did his first marathon there and runs it every time he hits a 100 anniversary. His most prolific year of marathons was in 2014 when he ran 46.  Paula reached her milestone of 365 marathons in January of 2021. “This way I have a tee shirt for every day of the year without doing laundry,” she comments.  She runs an average of 14 marathons a year and as many as 35 but says Steve is much more dedicated than she is. “I don’t love running.  I love to eat, travel and hang out with my friends and doing marathons in all 50 states multiple times allows me to do all of those things.  Running is just the painful part of getting there,” says Paula.  Between them, they have 6 kids, 9 grandkids and 1 great-grandkid.  

 

Career-profession? Steve: I am mostly retired from my career as a computer programmer and feel a bit like a blacksmith after cars became widely available. Paula is a retired schoolteacher. In 1992 I created the Marathon Challenge program. The original intent was twofold. I wanted

PROFILE: Yuko Gordon, 71 next month, is one of the world's greatest marathon runners

(Jan. 2022) Yuko Gordon, who will turn 71 next month, is undeniably one of the world's greatest marathon runners. She competed in the first major global marathons for women--the 1983 World Championships and 1984 L.A. Olympic Games--and last fall won the 70+ division in the WANDA age-group world championships in the London Marathon. Two years earlier, she ran 3:19:37 to set the age-68 world best time in the Berlin Marathon. Gordon--born in Japan, raised in Hong Kong, and living for decades in Great Britain--set her lifetime PR, 2:38:32, in 1987. "I'm a fighter, and I don't give up easily," she says. "Progress occurs only outside of comfort zone." How long will she keep running? "I have no plan, I don’t have to--because my body will tell me one day."

Career-profession? My main career was Flight Hostess (Airline Stewardess) at Cathay Pacific Airways for 10 years from 1974 to1984. I left Japan for Hong Kong to take up the job when I was 23. I loved flying and travelling around the world, which was so liberating and exciting seeing the different places, the cultures and the people. In recent years, I only do volunteer work one morning a week as a gym assistant for the day patients at a local Hospice.   In 1984 before the Olympics, the only crucial mistake I made,

PROFILE--Mike Wien won the 70-74 division at both Boston and New York City last fall

(Jan 2022) How many runners do you know who are fabled in the marathon-triathlon world and also in corporate marketing circles? Not too many. But Mike Wien, a 70 yr old from Boulder, CO, is one, thanks to his involvement years ago in the launch of Tostitos, the crunchy, salty tortilla chips. More recently, he ran 3:29:34 at Boston and 3:34:54 in New York City to win the 70-74 division in both marathons last fall. Wien has achieved lots of triathlon podium finishes as well, and believes his success in running and life can be attributed to good balance. That is, a meshing of the Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and Spiritual. Oh, and then there's his wife, Nannette. She has long supported all his endeavors, and excels particularly in providing healthy, high-calorie meals and expert on-course "competitive intelligence."

Career profession: I spent the first 28 years of my career in senior marketing roles with Frito-Lay, Pepsi, Omni Hotels, CitiBank, and Deloitte. While at Frito-Lay, I launched FANTASTIX (a huge failure) followed by TOSTITOS (a very big winner.) The next 15 years were in the

PROFILE: Andy Ferrara has been running for 58 years

(Dec. 2021) After growing up in Brooklyn and starting a teaching-coaching job there, Andy Ferrara had to move to a Houston suburb for a new position during New York City's financial difficulties. The move took root, and he continued running and teaching. Now 73, he has covered more than 100,000 miles and has a daily running streak that goes back more than 44 years. His secret? Maybe that when his body starts hurting, "Those times don't consume me."

Career/profession? I was a high school teacher and track & field/cross-country coach for 52 years. Retired in June 2021. 

When did you start running, and why? I started running as a sophomore (1963) in high school (Erasmus Hall in Brooklyn). I just wanted to make the track team. Once