Marathon man
JACKSON TWP — Bill Rodgers certainly has achieved a lot in the sport of running and he shared his thoughts during a talk held at the Seneca Valley High auditorium Thursday night.
Rodgers, 61, is the national spokesman for Structural Management, a company that stresses injury prevention through biomechanics. He is staying in the area and will attend Sunday's Pittsburgh Marathon.
"They haven't asked me to do anything in particular, but I just love watching people finish a marathon," he said. "Watching them cross the finish line and their reaction, that's powerful. If only they could bottle that."
Rodgers should know. He is a four-time winner of the Boston Marathon (1975, 1978-80) and was a member of the U.S. team that competed in the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games.
"Winning in Boston in 1975, that was the high point for me," he said. "That and going to the '76 Olympics.
"But the low point was actually competing in Montreal," he added. "I got dehydrated and didn't run well."
Rodgers never was able to compete in the Pittsburgh Marathon.
"I almost did, back in 1986, but I had signed a contract with the Boston Marathon saying that I wouldn't compete in another marathon within 30 days," he said. "But Pittsburgh is the biggest marathon in the region and it's nice to see it come back."
For those who plan to train for a marathon, Rodgers had several pieces of advice.
"It helps to train with friends and increase your distance gradually," he said. "A big part of training is making sure you have the right shoe. Some people have wide feet, others have narrow feet. Every runner should get their shoes at a specialty running store.
"And you have to be psyched about the event you're training for. Training is everything. You can't finesse it, not in this sport."
Jackson Township residents Tom and Christine Murray were two of those in attendance Thursday night.
Tom has been competing in triathlons for 30 years and Christine has run in marathons for 20 years.
The former will be running Sunday's half marathon while his wife will take on the 26.2-mile challenge.
"We basically came for a bit of motivation," Tom Murray said about attending Rodgers' talk. "After all these years, it's tough to have the same spirit entering an event like you did 20 years ago. Sometimes, you ask yourself, 'Why am I still doing this?'"
Rodgers grew up in Hartford, Conn., and went to Wesleyan University, a Division III school in Massachusetts, which is where he now lives. He didn't pick up running until his teens, but his connection to the sport hasn't wavered since.
"I love running and the sport is getting bigger and bigger," he said. "It's a sport for all ages."
Not only does he hold running in high regard, Rodgers also is interested in helping runners stay healthy. That's where his association with Structural Management comes in.
"Running has many facets to it and one of them is health and fitness," he said. "We want to counteract the negatives of running, which includes injuries to the knees, back, ankles.
"I like coming to schools and speaking to kids, I've been doing it since 1975," said Rodgers. "I'm a runner, but the issues we talk about affect athletes in every sport."
