Marathon Man (44 page)

R
ODGERS,
B
ILL WITH
J
OE
C
ONCANNON
.
Marathoning.
New York, NY: Fireside/Simon & Schuster, 1982.

S
ALAZAR,
A
LBERTO AND
J
OHN
B
RANT.
14 Minutes: A Running Legend's Life and Death and Life.
Emmaus, PA: Rodale Books, 2012.

S
ANDROCK,
M
ICHAEL.
Running with the Legends.
Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Publishers, 1996.

S
EMPLE,
J
OCK WITH
J
OHN
J.
K
ELLEY AND
T
OM
M
URPHY.
Just Call Me Jock.
Waterford, CT: Waterford Publishing Co., 1981.

To view some of Bill's running logs from the 1970s, go online to the Bob Hodge Running Page at
www.bunnhill.com/bobhodge/
.

 

Acknowledgments

B
ILL
R
ODGERS

It has been a unique and fulfilling experience working with you, Matthew Shepatin, on our new book; I learned about the persistence of the long-distance writer; they must have drive and curiosity and an ability to search for the elusive; you have that.

I never would have become a competitive marathoner without the support of my Newington High school cross-country and track coach Frank O'Rourke, and the same holds true for Coach Elmer Swanson at Wesleyan University.

Both coaches guided me forward in a careful way, and allowed me to explore the sport further under Coach Billy Squires of the Greater Boston Track Club, still our country's finest marathon coach.

I will always remember my teammates at Newington High School—James Hall, Craig Schroeder, Chris Chambers, Steve Tonucci, Jim Flynn. I'd like to thank my brother Charlie, who always stood behind me through thick and thin, and my good friend Jason Kehoe, not just a teammate but a lifelong friend. We were on a quest with this running thing; but you, Charlie, and I got to explore the world. Run forever.

To Amby Burfoot, my Wesleyan teammate; high mileage king; keeper of the flame that is the Boston Marathon; thank you for leading me on to the path. And to Jeff Galloway, another Wesleyan runner who aimed high—to the Olympics and beyond, teaching America's runners—always an honor to run and spend time with both of you.

My Greater Boston Track Club teammates; nothing could stop us; especially Greg Meyer, Fred Doyle, Mark Duggan, Scott Graham, Kirk Pfrangle, Alberto Salazar, Dick Mahoney, Don Ricciato, Bob Sevene, Bob Hodge, Randy Thomas, and Walt Murphy. We had strength.

In truth, for me, running is just for fun; I want more importantly to thank the people who I care about most, my family—my mom and dad, my brother Charlie, and my sisters, Linda and Martha. To my daughters Elise and Erika; I always miss you and love you, but I know you have a loving and caring mom in Gail.

So many people in my life helped me out; you know who you are; I'll never forget you.

M
ATTHEW
S
HEPATIN

Writing a book is a solitary act, like the marathon. But if this book in any way dispels the myth that a long-distance runner succeeds on his own, allow me to also present this book as evidence that no writer crosses the finish line without the support of family, friends, and teammates.

Thank you, first of all, to my agent Robert Wilson, without whose endless belief and encouragement, this book would not exist.

Second, I owe a debt of gratitude to my editor at St. Martin's Press, Robert Kirkpatrick, for being everything that you could want in an editor—tireless champion, a guiding presence, and an astute voice.

To the entire staff at St. Martin's, especially Nicole Sohl, thank you for your energy and hard work.

I wish to give my love and appreciation to my mom and dad. You have always been there for me.

I raise a tall Berry Hibiscus to my sister, Courtney, the eternal shaman, and my Nana Ruth, a beautiful, strong spirit.

To Bonnie, words cannot express how much you've done for me.

I'd like to thank Anne Fentress Nichols for her literary wisdom and insight, but most importantly her unflagging friendship.

To Roger Ziegler, Constantine Valhouli, Jeff Kurzon, Kyle Smith, David Weintraub, Andrea Syrtash, Dan Peraino, Shawneen Matask, and John and Courtney Brooks—know that I consider myself blessed to have each of you in my life.

To my all-star team of transcribers, Matthew Teti, Jihii Jolly, and especially Andrew Burin, I deeply value your assistance on this book.

Thank you to Jason Kehoe (may you be leading “hate runs” in heaven), Charlie Rodgers, Amby Burfoot, Bill Squires, Bob Sevene, and Tom Fleming for taking the time to share your memories with me.

Finally, I'd like to honor Bill Rodgers with my own laurel wreath. Working on this book with you has been a wonderfully fun and unforgettable experience. You have changed my life for the better, and for that, I express to you my eternal gratitude.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

BILL RODGERS
was named the #1 marathoner in the world three times by
Track and Field News,
won both the New York and Boston marathons four times, and is an inductee of the National Distance Running Hall of Fame. An Olympian and a bronze medal winner for the United States in the 1975 World Cross-Country Championships, he set a world record in the 25K and also was the only American to win significant marathons on five continents. Bill is proud dad to Elise and Erika, brother of Charlie, Linda, and Martha, son of Charles and Kathryn Rodgers, and lives and runs in Massachusetts with his girlfriend, Karen.

MATTHEW SHEPATIN
is the coauthor of New York Jets Hall of Famer Don Maynard's memoir,
You Can't Catch Sunshine,
as well as the author of
Then Madden Said to Summerall: The Best NFL Stories Ever Told
. He has written for
Esquire,
the
New York Post, Playboy,
the
Los Angeles Times,
and
The Village Voice
. He also contributed to the pop culture book
The Enlightened Bracketologist: The Final Four of Everything
. He was raised in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, educated at Brown University, and over the years has resembled both the tortoise and the hare.

 

THOMAS DUNNE BOOKS.

An imprint of St. Martin's Press.

MARATHON MAN.
Copyright © 2013 by Bill Rodgers and Matthew Shepatin. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

www.thomasdunnebooks.com

www.stmartins.com

Cover design by Young Jin Liu.

Cover photograph by Michael Maher/
The Lowell Sun

The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:

[CIP data TK]

e-ISBN 9781250021151

First Edition: April 2013