PROFILE: Herb Townsend has been running for 45 years

Herb Townsend will be 85 in a couple of months, and he's still running about 35 miles a week--an impressive amount. His secret might be that he trains at a slower pace than most, as slow as 20:00/per mile. At the same time, he can still crank 12:00s if he decides to enter a 5K race. "I feel cheated if something (like travel or illness) prevents me from having my daily run," says Townsend, who splits his time between Ocean City, NJ, and Naples, FL. "Maybe it is an addiction, but considering the associated health and fitness benefits, I consider running to be a positive addiction."

Career-profession? After getting a PhD in Materials Engineering and Science from the University of Pennsylvania, I worked for 34 years in the research department of Bethlehem Steel as an Engineer, Supervisor, Division Manager, and Senior Fellow.  Following my retirement, I became an independent

PROFILE: Kitty Consolo has been running (and winning) for 47 years

(Sep 2022) There probably aren't many runners out there who can say they have won more than 500 races. Kitty Consolo is one. A PhD in exercise physiology and qualifier for the first U.S. Women's Olympic Marathon Trials in 1984, Consolo, now 65, lives on Cat Run Road in Granville Ohio. (Yes, Kitty lives on Cat Run.) In her prime, she had a marathon best of 2:42.46. Today, she's still running about 30 miles a week and winning (in her age group) most of the races she enters. This, despite severe asthma and allergies. She follows the advice of legendary basketball coach John Wooden: "Do not let what you can not do interfere with what you can do.” And also her mother: “Leave people and things better than you find them.” 

Career-profession? I have been teaching at the University/College level since fall 1979.  I have a PhD in Exercise Science from Kent State University (1990) and have taught at many places.  I have been at Ohio University Zanesville since 2002 and am very proud and pleased to report that

PROFILE: Jenny Hitchings is getting faster, setting records at 59

(Aug 2022) Most age-group runners record their best times and maybe win a few races at the x0 end of their 5-year age-group: at 40, 50, 60 etc. Not Jenny Hitchings. She'll turn 60 next July, and watch out for her then. But she has also been on a record tear recently at 59. Last October, for example, the Sacramento CA resident ran 2:45:36 to win her age-group in the Boston Marathon. In fact, Hitchings is still getting faster. She credits that fact that she's motivated, very consistent, has a flexible schedule, trains 55 to 75 miles a week, and "probably the most important factor is good genes."

Career profession? I am a Running Coach.  I coach remotely up to 14 adults (intermediate to advanced runners) for the 5k-30k as well as a youth running club at our local elementary school and middle school XC.

When did you start running and why? I started running for fitness as a college student at UC Santa Barbara, but I didn’t realize I was a decent runner until my late 30’s to early 40’s.  In time, with proper training, running peers, a team and a coach, I was able to excel after I was 40.  I was a late bloomer with an untapped talent!

How much did you run in your peak years? I think I’m still in my peak years. I run 55-75+ miles per week (depending if I’m in marathon training). I have never gone beyond 80 miles per week even when training for a marathon.

Top performances?  Breaking 3 hours (2:58) on my 4th marathon, coming within 10 sec of making the Olympic Marathon Trials in 2011 (2:46:10 - you can imagine that this was very bittersweet), Winning Rocket City (Dec.2011) and Mountains to Beach Marathons (May, 2018), and placing 2 and 1st (2x) in the Boston Marathon in my age group. I’ve run my fastest times in

PROFILE: Kevin Boyle has been running for 53 years

(Jul. 2022) Kevin Boyle has hung out a fair amount with Gerry Lindgren and Matt Centrowitz, sr. That's not a bad resume for any runner. Boyle, now 58, says he has been running since first grade. He achieved a marathon best of 2:37 in 1990, and has finished a marathon in six straight decades. For some reason, he has done much running beside rivers. This makes him think: "Life is always flowing like a river; not always straight and not always calm. But always flowing, and you must flow with life, coping with and adjusting to the changes, the rough waters, and the twists and turns thrown at you."

 

Career-profession?  My career has been very interesting and varied. I attended law school at night at St Johns University in New York City. During the day I was a

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 he 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

PROFILE: Mark LeDuc has been running for 43 years

(Oct. 2021)Mark LeDuc completed his first run on April 1, 1978, but there's nothing foolish about his career running record. In particular, he shines at compiling his running data. How many of us can say, "I have run in 1224 races lifetime, winning 46 races outright and placing first in my age division 247 times." Now 67 and living in a Minneapolis suburb, LeDuc is still logging 30 to 50 miles a week. He follows the Cabbage Soup Diet when he needs to lose a few pounds, and is still chasing

PROFILE--Ray Charbonneau has been running for 30 years

(Aug. 2021) Ray Charbonneau started running as a quarter miler in high school, then took some time off for Doritos and beer. Since coming back, he has found himself drawn to marathons and beyond. Now, 60 and living in Arlington, MA, Charbonneau still feels the force, but also deals with a "brittle" body. He says that getting slower doesn't bother him as much as knowing "I'm going to keep getting slower." He advises other runners: "On race day, you can run faster than you’ve trained or farther, but not both." When not running (or cycling, or kayaking), he operates an independent IT company, writes books and articles, and helps freelance authors to publish their books on Amazon and other digital platforms.

Career-profession? After many years of corporate IT, I am now sole proprietor of ReallyFixIt.com, an IT service business, and y42K Publishing Services, where I help

PROFILE: Nancy Ditz has been running for 42 years, including one Olympic team

(July 2021) Nancy Ditz is one of those rare runners who can say that she won her first marathon. In her case, it was the 1982 San Francisco Marathon, where she clocked a strong 2:44:34. Three years later, she ran 2:31:36 at Cal International, and in 1988 she qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team in the marathon, finishing 17th in Seoul, South Korea. After 22 years away from running, Ditz started up again in 2014 to enjoy running with her daughter, Emily. Since then, she has tried

PROFILE--Jeannie Rice has been running for 37 (very fast) years

(June 2021) Jeannie Rice, now 73, holds the single-age world record for a marathon by a 71-year-old woman. She set that mark, 3:24:48, at Berlin in 2019, improving by 3 minutes on her 70-year-old time (3:27:50) the previous fall in Chicago. “I’m more competitive than ever,” says Rice, who laughs that she gets faster as she gets older. She also knows there are no short cuts to training and works hard, putting in the weekly miles and the speed workouts to meet her goals. This October's Tokyo Marathon (her 124th overall) is next on her list. It will give her all six of the Abbot World Marathon Majors. Rice, who was born in Korea and came to the states as a 19-year-old, splits her time between Ohio and Florida.

Career-Occupation? I am a semi-retired real estate agent. I like to keep busy and also keep my own schedule so I can get in my training.

When did you start running and why? I started running in the summer of 1983 when I was 35. I had been visiting family in Seoul, Korea, for 3

PROFILE--Don Chaffee has been running for 61 years

Winning Dipsea, 1979

(June, 2021) Don Chaffee has run, biked, and swum in California, Kenya, Uganda, and Michigan. He may be the only person on earth who can claim the following: He has won the Dipsea Race and been congratulated after a Kenyan marathon by the legendary Kip Keino. He has also served as a guide runner for Harry Cordellos, run a 2:43 at Boston, and been competing in triathlons for 30+ years. Chafee, now 81, appreciates Walt Stack’s credo: “Start slow and taper off.” On his current runs and bike rides, he makes sure to “loudly thank whatever deities have blessed me.” That’s never a bad idea.

Career-profession? I spent 50 years trying to inspire college students to think like economists starting with graduate school at the University of California, Davis. Besides Davis, I taught at Middlebury College (undergraduate alma mater); University of South Carolina; Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda; San Francisco State University; Golden Gate University; and for the last 24 years of my career, Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. 

When and why did you start running? In spring 1959, my junior year in college, I began jogging

PROFILE--Rob Hadgraft has been running for 40 years

(May 2021) Rob Hadgraft is a British runner, journalist and book author who has written books about historic runners quite a bit faster than he (Alf Shrubb, Deerfoot, etc). Now 65 and living in Colchester, U.K., he reports that he has a half-marathon best under 1:20 but "never had the patience or aptitude to do well for the full 26.2." Instead, he chose to run 20 to 30 miles a week and enjoy various club and regional races. Like the one where he suited up next to Seb Coe. He'll also happily tell you about the benefits of beer for runners.

Career-occupation? I worked as a news and sports reporter, sub-editor and editor for UK and European regional newspapers and briefly in corporate public relations before turning freelance to write books and features on sports history.

When did you start running and why? It began for me in 1981 when

PROFILE--Hal Goforth has been running for 50+ years

(Apr. 2021) Hal Goforth has a particular fondness for the Boston Marathon, which he has completed 39 times. He set his marathon PR in Boston in 1981 with a 2:28:33. In 1998, when 53.5, he won the 50-59 division. He has also been an eight- time winner of his age-group in the BAA Half Marathon. Now 76, Goforth lives in El Cajon CA, but also spends a month or two each year deep-sea fishing off the Florida Keys. Despite injuries and a heart-valve replacement in recent years, he continues to train regularly with his running partners in San Diego. "Build relationships that will last a lifetime," he says.

Career-profession: I served as a US Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Diver (EOD)for 26.5 yrs (i.e., 4.5 yrs active duty and 22 yrs reserves), a Navy Marine Mammal Trainer in Vietnam, and retired as a Navy CAPT. I received a

PROFILE: Frank Bright has been running for 59 years

First race post heart attack

(Apr, 2021) Last November Frank Bright ran a sensational half-marathon--a 1:51 at age 76. But the Shreveport, LA, runner had a few bad races as well in the following weeks. He was puzzled. Then things got worse. In early January, he learned that he had suffered a heart attack, and would need surgery and stents. Okay, you do what you gotta do. By March, Bright was running again, and in April he raced, modestly, in a local 5K. He hopes to be marathoning again later this year. He says running has taught him not to obsess over where you are on the race course ... or the life course. In another mile, or a few more weeks, a dark outlook often looks much brighter.

Career-profession? I spent 6 1/2 years studying Chemical Engineering (B.S. and M.S.), 3 1/2 years working in the field for Dow Chemical in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and then turned to law (LSU-Baton Rouge). While in engineering graduate school, I coached the LSU

PROFILE--Bill Rodgers has been running for 57 years, with a few wins and many friends along the way

(Mar., 2021) Bill Rodgers is known around the globe for his many road race and marathon wins during the first running boom of the late 1970s and early 1980s, and frequent appearances even when he didn't win. Just as important: His affable personality won him many fans throughout his career. He has a wide-eyed charm  and friendliness that made some competitors think him "spacey." They usually finished behind Rodgers in races, where he displayed a razor-sharp focus and determination. He likes to quote himself: "If you want to win a race, you have to go a little berserk." At 73, "Boston Billy" does much of his running with his partner, Karen, and looks forward to entering races again later in the year. He retains both is deep passion for running, and his kid-like appreciation for it. He'll chat with anyone at any race about any topic. He's one of the sport's ultimate champions, on all levels.

Career/Profession? Professional runner, motivational speaker. Prior to that I got my MA in special education at Boston College and taught for three years in the Boston School system.

When did you start running and why? I guess you could say I started running as a kid with my brother and