The author runs his first marathon,
the Seattle Police Marathon in 1979,
in a PR 3:22:08. Inset: The author’s
finisher’s certificate.

fish, albatross, whales, playful dolphins, arctic petrels, Antarctic skuas, walrus, penguins, icebergs, polar bears, snow-capped mountains, and frozen ocean as far as the eye could see.

Global running adventures

During port calls, I was able to run in fascinating places such as Nome, Alaska; off Cape Olytorsky, Siberia; above the Arctic Circle; at the equator; at Hanauma Bay, in Hawaii; in the hills on the North Island of New Zealand; through botanical parks around Sydney, Australia; on the frozen ocean at McMurdo Sound, Antarctica; up the foothills of the Andes Mountains in the southernmost city in the world—Ushuaia, Argentina; through the old cities of Valparaiso and Santiago, Chile; and over rocky beaches in Callao, Peru. [have wonderful memories of running in these special places and of the interesting people I met along the way. One of my best running friends on the ship was Bill Sanford, from the Boston area, who sported the nickname, “Bill Rodgers, Jr.”

In 1981, after the Coast Guard, I became a herdsman on a dairy farm in southern Minnesota. Even with early risings at 4:00 a.m. and milking 26 cows twice a day, I still had the energy and desire to do daily runs down the gravel roads. I continued running races and was now doing five-milers and 10Ks at a 6:05 pace.

I left the farm in the fall of 1981 to attend Bible college in Issaquah, Washington, where I continued running on the high plateau the school was situated on.

Courtesy of Bryce Gaudian

I returned to Minnesota for Christmas break in 1981. I had met a very special girl, Cindy Tennis, from a couple of dairy farms up the road from where I had been a herdsman. We became engaged during my time visiting her and her family. On another Christmas break the next year, while helping with chores, I was carrying a bushel of oats, tripped on a snowdrift, and herniated a disc in the L4-L5 area of my back. After eight months of excruciating pain, I finally underwent partial laminectomy surgery at Swedish Hospital in Bellevue, Washington. After surgery, I could tell the pain was gone, but I was so afraid of reinjuring my back that, for all intents and purposes, I stopped running from about 1985 to 2000.

In 2000, now 42 years old, my body’s metabolism radically changed. My ability to eat mountains of food without varying from my stable 175-pound weight was history. I ballooned to 205 pounds and one day looked in the mirror and saw the loss of fitness from my running prime. I was dismayed and vowed to get in shape. I prayed that I would not injure my back if I began running again.

Knowing that I needed a goal for motivation, I signed up for the June 2000 Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota. I dropped 30 pounds during my spring training and felt that I had accomplished something special, finishing my second marathon in 3:51:44. Best of all, there was no adverse effect on my lower back.

Beset with hydration troubles

Shortly after this, the historic Boston Marathon’s allure was calling to me, “Bryce, come to Boston!” I dreamed of getting there someday and set that as my goal. An attempt to qualify at the Twin Cities Marathon in 2004 failed, but I was still finishing under four hours, this time in 3:42:30. I felt that the Boston Marathon might be within my reach. I upped my training mileage from 35 miles a week to 40 to 50 miles a week and even achieved a 70-mile week. However, two more attempts at Grandma’s in 2005 and 2006 ended up with my spending two hours in the medical tent after each. I finished in 3:59:00 and 4:04:40, respectively. In the 2005 Grandma’s, I suffered from severe overhydration. In 2006, I erred too much to the other extreme and was severely dehydrated. I had to have four IVs after each experience of almost unbearable leg cramps. I was going the absolute wrong way from a Boston qualifying time, and after emerging from the medical tent after the 2006 Grandma’s, I begged my wife that “no matter what I say or do, please don’t let me ever run another marathon.”

Well, it’s simply amazing what can happen over the course of two days after a terrible marathon experience. I was still dreaming of the Boston Marathon, and I wanted to try again. I explained to my wife that it must be like women and childbirth: “If God didn’t give women the ability to forget the pain of childbirth, no family would have more than one child!” I implored my wife to let me out of my vow to never run another marathon, and with much reluctance, she lovingly

let me continue to pursue my dream of Boston. I immediately began making plans to run the 2007 Scheels Fargo Marathon.

Some time ago, I happened to read an article in the St. Paul Pioneer Press about a man named Duke Dukich from West St. Paul, Minnesota, who had been in the Marine Corps in the late 1950s. He had gotten into the party scene and as a result, his health was not optimal. He began running in the 1980s, from 1,500 to 2,000 miles a year, had run 20 marathons and hundreds of other races, and had turned his life around. I was so inspired by his story that I wanted to call or write to congratulate him, but he had an unlisted number. I carried that article around in my briefcase for two years. I prayed that someday my path would cross his. Two years later, I was at the starting line of the 2004 Twin Cities Marathon along with 10,000-plus other people when a guy in front of me turned around and said to the man on my left, “Hi, Duke!” I was so focused on the race that I had never even looked at who was standing next to me or I would have recognized Duke from the newspaper article I had carried for two years. I immediately said, “Duke Dukich!” He was amazed that I knew his last name. I explained that his life story had been an inspiration to me. We had a great visit, and I felt that God had smiled down on my day. For the next three years, I kept in touch with Duke and saw him at many Minnesota races.

After

a chance meeting at the 2004 Twin Cities Marathon, the author befriended Duke Dukich, who was a great inspiration to him.

Courtesy of Bryce Gaudian

On to Fargo by way of Duke’s

Now fast forward to a day and a half before I was to leave for Fargo for the 2007 marathon. I received a call from two daughters of Duke, who advised me that he was on his deathbed with terminal lung cancer and might not even make it through the night. He was incredibly weak and semiconscious. But they said to me, ““We’ve been reading your letters to Dad for the past couple of years, and we felt it would do your heart good to know that he acknowledged Jesus as his Savior two weeks ago.” I was overwhelmed with thanksgiving to hear this. I then told his daughters that I would be driving through St. Paul on my way to Fargo, where I would try to qualify for Boston. I asked whether—if by God’s grace Duke was still alive—I could stop and see him. They reacted very favorably to my suggestion. Friday morning came and I left for the Twin Cities. An unexpected thundershower hit right before I got to Duke’s home, and a double rainbow filled the sky to the west. I arrived at their home and was able to spend about 20 minutes with Duke. I put my hand on his shoulder and told him how happy and blessed I was to have been able to meet him several years before and that I was full of joy for him. I said, “Duke, I don’t know if there will be running in heaven, but if there is, I know it will be the most beautiful place to run you’ve ever seen.” When I said good-bye, it was as if God had given him the ability to muster every ounce of strength he had left to acknowledge that he had heard everything I said. It was an amazing moment. I found out on Saturday that he passed away just 14 hours after I left.

That is what I carried with me to Fargo. L arrived there, where it was 87 degrees, wondering whether it would cool off before Saturday morning. In the parking lot of the Fargodome, where I picked up my race packet, a truck from Wyoming parked behind me and out popped a good friend I had made at Grandma’s Marathon the year before, Jimmy Jannetto. We both couldn’t believe that we had run into each other like that. For me, it was just another incredible affirmation that Fargo was going to be unforgettable. I felt God smiling down again.

The previous October, I had met LaToya Crazy Bull, a ninth-grade student at St. Joseph’s Indian School in Chamberlain, South Dakota, who was the school’s premier runner. The owner of the company I work for provided the money to get her several pair of Saucony running shoes to train in, and I got her signed up for the Fargo HalfMarathon. LaToya and her chaperone from St. Joseph’s, Dot, arrived and we were able to catch about the last 10 minutes of Dick Beardsley’s inspiring talk.

We then walked around the expo and took in all the sights and sounds of the night before a major marathon and half-marathon with thousands of people. We picked up LaToya’s race packet. At this point, she seemed doubtful that she would be able to run due to a very painful knee. Finally, before we left, she asked Dot to purchase her a running top, and I began to sense that there was hope she would try. A powerful storm hit Fargo, and there were deluges of rain, tremendous thunder and lightning, and hail for well over an hour!

A double rainbow in Fargo the day before the marathon was a blessing.

Saturday morning it had cooled to 44 degrees from the 87 degrees the night before and there was a dominating wind out of the north. At the Fargodome, Dot told me the story of two special occasions when she saw double rainbows. She encouraged me that my seeing a double rainbow the day before was a real blessing, and she felt that my run was going to go extremely well.

The race was to start at 8:00 a.m. LaToya got some gloves at the expo (it was really cold outside!), and it was looking like she was going to go for it and run the half-marathon. I was thrilled. I was to meet the 3:30 pace leader in the starting corral, which was now filled with thousands of people from all 50 states and several foreign countries. LaToya and I visited for a few minutes, and then I moved up in the chute and started praying that God would give LaToya the ability to run and finish the race, since I wanted her to have that fulfillment and accomplishment. The gun went off and we were on our way.

While I was running, I thought of Duke Dukich and the grace of God to cross my path with his and the inspiration of seeing him before the race. Jimmy Jannetto even found me on the streets of Fargo and ran about 18 miles with me. I ended up having my best race in 30-plus years of running. Not knowing how things had gone for LaToya, I approached the Fargodome for the finish of the marathon. As I crossed the finish line, there was LaToya, and the first things I saw were the radiating smile on her face and the finisher’s medal around her neck. To experience true joy and happiness for another person must be one of life’s greatest blessings, and I know Dot and I both were overflowing with happiness for LaToya and her amazS s

g = ao

The author cruises to a Bostonqualifier in the 2007 Scheels Fargo Marathon.

ing accomplishment under such difficult circumstances. LaToya finished in 1:48:15 for fourth place in the 15-19 age group, showing tremendous spirit, heart, and character. She was just beaming. It was one of those rare moments.

After seeing LaToya for a few moments, I got on my knees and was overcome with emotion. I finished the marathon in 3:32:58. Thad fulfilled a dream to qualify for the Boston Marathon by just three minutes and one second.

Every prayer and dream I had for Boston came to fulfillment. I was hosted for the entire time by the friend from 29 years before, with whom I had served aboard the Polar Sea, Bill Sanford, his dear wife, Denise, and their two precious children. They fed and entertained me, gave me aroom, and treated me like royalty. This total alleviation of any stress or anxiety before a big race helped enormously toward my success on marathon day.

Ihad been graciously provided with free running shoes from the Saucony corporate office and The author and LaToya Crazy Bull rejoice at the an autographed pair of Brooks _ finish line of the Scheels Fargo Marathon.

Courtesy of asiphoto.com

Courtesy of Bryce Gaudian

Bill Rodgers
autographed the
running shoes the
author trained in for
Boston 2008.

from four-time Boston and New York City Marathon champion, the real Bill Rodgers, because I was also running Boston to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. For race day, I chose my trusty Mizuno Waveriders that I had worn in Fargo the previous May where I qualified to run Boston.

And we’re off!

More than 25,000 runners assembled in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, the secondlargest field for Boston ever. Stuck in a seemingly endless port-a-potty line until just 10 minutes before my Wave | start, I literally had to run almost a mile to get to my chute and was in position only two minutes before the gun! After at least another quarter mile from that point to the actual starting line, I was finally off. After three miles I was at an 8:15 pace. I pulled alongside a Korean girl and we ran side by side until just before 13.1 miles where I was, at that halfway point, on a 3:40 marathon pace. But alas, as Jason Lehmkuhle, an elite marathon runner, once told me, any of a variety of aberrations can come upon a runner in the 26.2-mile distance. When we hit the Wellesley College area, where the course starts to be increasingly hilly, the quadriceps muscles in both legs went tight as piano strings.

Knowing that I still had 13 more miles to go, I prayed intensely that I would be able to persevere through the agony of my extremely balled-up quad muscles. When, at about mile 20, my right calf muscle felt like it was going to spasm wildly, I took several glasses of cold water from a water stop and splashed the contents on my pulsating calf muscles. It worked! However, nothing was helping my quads.

It had been a tremendous desire of mine to break four hours, and to do so meant that I couldn’t stop and walk even for a moment or slow to anything more than about a nine-minute pace. This was the Boston Marathon, a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It was the fulfillment of my dream to be here. I would probably never be here again.

Courtesy of Bryce Gaudian

For Minnesotans, there is no greater sight than the first robin’s return in the spring. For this marathon runner, there was no greater sight than the finish line as Iran down Boylston Street toward Copley Place in downtown Boston. My race number—12894—was soaked with a residue of sweat, Gatorade, salt, and Power Gel. It was signed by both Bill Rodgers and Dick Beardsley and was pinned to my St. Jude Heroes singlet. There had to be at least a million people lining the 26.2 miles of the course, and I can’t even estimate how many yelled at me: “Go, St. Jude’s!” “Keep it up, St. Jude’s.” “You can make it, St. Jude’s Hero!” “We love St. Jude’s.”

Their enthusiasm, encouragement, affirmation, and adrenaline-inducing cheers were priceless, along with the prayers for me of hundreds of people all over the country.

It was a glorious, sunny, 62-degree day with about a 15-mile-per-hour breeze off the Atlantic Ocean the whole way. I finished in 3:56:39—my goal to break four hours was fulfilled. I was absolutely overcome with emotion. My heart felt 26.2 inches in circumference as I pondered all the years of running and training, the amazing people I had met, the camaraderie on the marathon buses and at the finish lines, and the beautiful places on the planet I had been blessed to see and to run in. I thought of “Bill Rodgers, Jr.” Duke Dukich, Jimmy Jannetto, LaToya Crazy Bull, and many others I’ve been blessed to lace up shoes with. And so, for me, my most unforgettable marathon is the 2007 Scheels Fargo Marathon and the events leading up to it. Qualifying for and running the 2008 Boston Marathon was the icing on the cake.

The author at the finish line of the 2008 Boston Marathon. Through his run, he raised $23,000 for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.