All roads lead to Boston
GROVE CITY — Mark Courtney is running in rarefied air these days.
Courtney, 54, of Grove City will be running in his 31st consecutive Boston Marathon Monday and will try to become the first runner to run a sub-three-hour marathon in each of five decades.
He has competed in 148 marathons, averaging three to five per year.
"I finished Boston last year in 3 hours and 44 seconds," Courtney said. "I wasn't even trying to beat three hours. I didn't realize I was that close.
"My only goal last year was to beat my 1980 time of 3:02. That was the first year I ran Boston."
Courtney has been remarkably consistent in his times over the years. The average of his 25 best times (2:44:03) and his 30-race average in the Boston Marathon are unofficial records.
Such data is kept by the Boston Quarter Century Club, which features runners who have competed in at least 25 Boston Marathons. Courtney is one of the club's 40 members.
"Being a member of that club, I receive an exemption to run Boston every year, though I'm still running 30 minutes under the qualifying time," he said.
Courtney not only runs in Boston every year — he runs somewhere every day, logging at least a mile for more than 11,000 consecutive days.
The last day he missed was Dec. 19, 1979.
"That streak has definitely motivated me at times," Courtney admitted. "It comes in handy on days I just don't feel like going out."But once that first foot hits the pavement outside, it's all good."Courtney and his wife, Debbie, were married in 1997. She has run the Boston Marathon 13 times, but is currently sidelined with a broken ankle."I hit the curb awkwardly during a run and went down pretty hard," Debbie Courtney said. "That kind of stuff can happen. That's what makes Mark's streak so amazing. He's stayed clear of injuries."He's run when he's not feeling well, has the flu — it takes a lot of dedication."Debbie Courtney can't run again for at least six weeks. She's still involved in running through the family business, Runner's High, a flourishing race-timing firm.The Courtneys oversee and provide computer timing for about 300 road races a year from Columbus, Ohio, to Washington, D.C.Runner's High also provides the timing system for the Butler Road Race each year."We do high school state meets in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland," Courtney said. "I'm working races at Penn State University Friday and Saturday, then flying to Boston for Monday's marathon."The Courtneys can provide race timing for up to five events at a time."It's definitely busy, particularly on the weekends," Debbie Courtney said. "We usually split up then and work separate events in different towns."Debbie Courtney ran only one race before the age of 30. When she met her husband, she joined his running world."I was doing a 2-mile race and he bet me I couldn't break 16 minutes," she recalled. "If I did, he'd buy me a new pair of running shoes."I did it and I got the shoes."They've been running together since.Mark Courtney's best time in a marathon is 2:32.08, which he recorded at the Presque Isle Marathon in Erie in 1985.He doesn't expect to approach that time again, but he's confident he can break 3 hours again."Even if I don't do it Monday, I've got 10 years to get it done," Courtney said. "As long as that challenge is in front of me, I'm going to try to get there."He won the 50-to-54 age group, which consists of about 3,000 runners, in Boston four years ago.Some men have run in more consecutive Boston Marathons than Courtney. Johnny Kelley, 84, holds the record at 61."I'll keep running it as long as I can," Courtney said.
