An interview with Marty McGowan (Class of 1973)

Hoo boy. This one should be fun! Marty McGowan (Class of 1973) is perhaps the most ardent and loyal of blog followers, as well as fans of this program. I know for a fact that Marty checks this blog every day, sometimes multiple times a day! Rarely does a day go by without getting an email from Marty, sometimes several emails from Marty. He’s always forwarding me interesting and informative articles from the world of track and field and running; oftentimes, emails from Marty are the first time I learn about something in the world of running. He’s always sending inspirational notes of congratulations, praise and hope for our program, of which he is a huge fan. In fact, he follows ALL Marist sports – but of course his first love is cross country/track. We appreciate the loyalty.

My first awareness of Marty McGowan is a vintage, old-school Marist running story. It was one of my first years coaching – either 1992 or 1993, I don’t recall the exact year. We were at Clove Lakes Park in Staten Island for the Northeast Conference (NEC) Championships. Marist was in the NEC for many years before joining the MAAC in the late 1990s. Anyway, our top runner that year, David Swift (“Mr. Bucket”), crossed the finish line in the top-10. Again, the exact details escape me. This exact detail doesn’t escape me: Some old guy (as Swifty referred to Marty) patted him on the back, congratulated him and handed Swifty a cup of beer at the finish line. Not wanting to disrespect his elders, and Swifty being Swifty, he gladly accepted the post-race refreshment.

A visit from the Old Man, at Ocean Breeze

Marty has lived in Staten Island his entire life. He’s proud of his SI roots, and the long history of great running in the sometimes-forgotten borough of NYC. Although he would never admit it, Marty’s a big part of that SI running history. He was a great runner back in the day, and he has stayed active and involved in the running scene by helping out at races for decades. With the recent opening of the Ocean Breeze Athletic Center, home of many of our indoor track meets, SI is no longer a forgotten borough when it comes to track and field. And as a result, we’ve been able to see a lot of Marty over the past few years. This edition of the Pandemic Papers gives us a uniquely old-school perspective on all things Marist Running. Marty’s a good soul, a good friend and I know he’s smiling as he reads this down at 101 East Raleigh. Here are today’s quarantine questions with the old guard of Marist Running, Marty McGowan.

What are some of your fondest running memories from Marist? Your fondest overall memories from Marist?

It's nice to know that while Marist College has grown in so many ways since my graduation in May 1973, the core value of caring for each other hasn't changed one bit. I still follow the team, mainly thru Pete's blog and the GoRedFoxes web site. The Cross Country/Track program has grown so much since the Dark Ages.

Marist College was a much smaller college in the early 1970s. I don't think there were more than 200 women on campus when I graduated. Most of the buildings on campus today weren't on any future plan for the college back then. 

I loved my years at Marist. It was the perfect small school for someone like me who went to a small all-boys high school. I learned so much from History Professors Peter O'Keefe and Gerry White, Poly Sci's Carolyn Landau, and Theater's Jim Britt. I learned from friends who wrestled, rowed, played soccer, tennis and football. I joined the lighting crew of the Marist Children's Theatre, and learned a totally different lifestyle away from athletics. This is, of course, in addition to learning to living with women on campus. I miss those days. 

Bob Salomone and I were co-captains of the Cross Country team for both the 1971 and 1972 seasons (1972 picture here, with Bob, left, and Marty, right in the middle of the front row; love those vintage uniforms!). Bobby was a great influence on my life while at Marist. He really knew how to balance the athletic and academic side of college life. I'm sure that he'd be proud of today's women's and men's teams. Cross Country was a male-only sport back then. It was before Title IX. Bob died after a bout with cancer a few years ago. Miss him every day. Thanks to Bobby, we were able to bond as a team early in the season, and had each other’s back in almost every meet.

Cross country's season was the same as today, from mid-September to mid-November. The big difference is that most of our meets were dual or triangular meets, until the championship meets in early November. Like David (Marthy) said in his profile, it's nice to know that any running record that we/I may have had at Marist was obliterated long ago.

The Marist home course was a 4.9-mile, two-loop tour of the Marist campus. The most prominent feature of the Marist home course was going down Water Works Road (for modern runners, this is “Midrise Hill’’) to the boat houses, and then back up and around the campus roads -- twice.  It did intimidate many runners from visiting schools. If you thrived on hills, as I did, this was a wonderful course.

Under Coach Len Olson, the course began at the old intramural field where the McCann Center is now, and ended on a small incline behind the Donnelly class room building. When Rich Stevens took over from Len in the fall of 1972, he changed the finish to the walkway in front of Champagnat Hall. Coach Stevens was a big promoter of the sport, and this change certainly increased the visibility of the team around campus.

We usually competed twice a week. I think we ran at Van Cortlandt Park once or twice a season. On many away meets, we shared a bus with the soccer team. That was one way that Dr. Howard Goldman, the soccer coach and athletic director, could keep expenses down, while helping both programs appreciate what goes on in the other sport. Doc Goldman really cared about the student and the athlete, just as Coach Pete does now. 

Talk a bit about your post-collegiate running and racing. You were involved in road racing during its original “Running Boom” … what was that like?

Post Marist, I continued to compete as the road racing running boom of the 1970s and 1980s exploded all over the United States. I've run Bolder Boulder in Colorado, Elby's Big Boy 20k in Wheeling West Virginia, The Freedom Trail Run 10K in Boston, numerous Central Park races, as well as races in Arizona, Florida and New Jersey. I was a good local yokel runner. I was a road racer, and never really competed on a track since graduating from high school. My times were decent and competitive. In my old age, I'm satisfied that I think I made the most of the talent that God lent to me. My best post-collegiate times were 27:10 for the 5 mile Pepper Martin Run on Staten Island and 1:12:20 for the Philadelphia Half Marathon -- both in 1983. In 1978, I attempted the NYC Marathon and finished in 2:44:13. 

By the time I was in my mid-30s, I realized that my competitive career was over. I didn't have much interest in competing for age-group trophies at any of the Staten Island races. Instead, I'd do a workout before a local race, and then go help out at the race wherever I was needed. I made many new friends this way, too. I was lucky. More than lucky, in fact. I met my wife Annie while we were both volunteering for a Special Olympics 5 mile run, 30 years ago, on May 2, 1990. We married a little over a year later on June 29, 1991.

When and why did you get/need hip replacement surgery and how has that impacted/changed your running and exercise habits?

I continued to run until 2009. Like most runners over the years, I took a few falls and after the 100th or so, my hips gave out. It turned out to be degenerative arthritis, and I had the left hip replaced in January of 2010. I can't run, but I do try and walk for about an hour a day. Before this Coronavirus stuff, I was also swimming for 45 minutes or so every day at the Y. I miss the pool.

Talk about your post-collegiate non-running career -- jobs, etc., and when did you retire?

Currently, I'm retired after a 31-year career with the New York State Department of Labor. I was working at our district office located at 50 Park Place in Manhattan back on September 11, 2001. The office was two blocks north of Building 1. That morning, I could see, smell, and taste the danger that resulted when the Towers fell that day. This Coronavirus stuff, you can't see, taste or smell. It takes special people like all the generous people profiled in the Pandemic Papers to step up to protect us. Thanks again to everyone.

How are you and your family handling the current pandemic?

I've attached a recent picture of my mother in law, Frances Alfano. She's 102.75 years (birthday = July 1, 1917). Frances has been living with us the past 25 years. She has a younger sister who died in the Spanish Flu epidemic over a hundred years ago, so this Coronavirus thing is personal in this house. Frances is doing well. She still plays her keyboard for about an hour most days.

When you're caring for an elderly person, social isolation is part of the program. We've been doing it for years her at 101 East Raleigh Avenue. You may miss out by not going to all the events that you've been invited to go to, but the reward of being around someone who appreciates what you're doing for them more than makes up for missing an outing or two. In other words, it's no big deal. 

                                                                                                                                                                         

If you were to give any advice to current Marist runners, what would it be?

Any advice that I could give to the current team would be to live every day the best that you can. Stay focused and prepared. As athletes, you know what fear can do to you, either running or in the classroom. Don't be afraid. One more thing: Don't forget to have fun. Marist people always can find ways to have fun.

Anything else you’d like to add …

Thanks for including me in this series. I'm glad that I went to Marist when I did. With the academic achievements that everyone else has, there is no way that I could have been admitted to Marist today.

Thanks for letting my BA in History look so good! I'm in awe over what Pat, Matthew, Alex, Bryan, David, Danisha and Dr. Steve are doing to keep all of us safe.