Kudos to Marist Running alum Bob Sweeney (he is from back in my era in the late 1980s). Bob now lives in Colorado, but he came back East for a busy weekend of racing (that’s an understatement).
On Saturday, Bob joined his old friends at Westchester Track Club for the National Masters 5km Cross Country Championships up near Rochester. I heard from a local running friend, Mike Slinskey (who did well up there), that the course was a mud-fest. I have not talked to Bob, but I would find it hard to believe that he literally “spiked up” since it is a safe bet he does not own spikes. Bob’s an ultra guy, and spikes are generally not a relevant piece of equipment in 100-kilometer races.
Despite this, Bob ran a very respectable ninth-place finish in 18:01, finishing in the same time as his WTC teammate (and another local running acquaintance) Chris Collins.
Not one to rest on his muddy laurels, Bob entered in and completed the Niagara Falls International Marathon on Sunday. He finished 12th overall in 2:47:11. Here are Bob’s complete stats, according to the official race results: Third place out of 99 in his age group (40-44); 12th out of 606 men in the race; an average of 3:58 per kilometer (hey, it’s an international race); first 13.1 miles: 1:20:32; second 13.1 miles: 1:26:41.
Now, we all know it’s quite common to do a “long run” on the Sunday after a Saturday XC race. But to race a marathon? That’s taking the concept to the extreme.
In all, I would have to say it’s a very impressive double.
Typical of Sweeney. He was always trying to reestablish his "base" while the rest of us were running for recovery.
ReplyDeleteNice double - but isn't a 5k for Bob like Striders for the rest of humanity??
ReplyDelete