John started running in November of 1998 at the age of 41.  He’d always looked at runners and thought:  “Why do they run? None of the runners I see hitting the roads look to be enjoying themselves, and they are wearing out their joints.”

However, at the regular urging (ongoing for 6 months) of Bob, an older officemate, who began running 10 years prior, he gave it some thought.  Since he had reached middle age and being that his favorite pastime and only source of exercise (he was an avid barefoot waterskier) could be practiced only on a weekly basis and only for about 9 months of the year, John caved and gave running a chance as a midweek exercise.  After a few months, Bob encouraged him to try races saying they were a lot of fun.  Just two races later (Clydes 10K and YMCA Carrabbas 5K), he was hooked.  Two days/week increased to three days/week and distances increased from 2-3 miles to 5-6 miles.  Race times decreased only slowly over the next year, so at the urging of Bob, he finally added a weekly long run and speed work.  In less than eight weeks, his 5K times dropped by 90 sec.

Getting more serious and adding more workouts (2 recovery runs, a hill workout and a tempo), John improved steadily and continued to set PRs through the spring of 2006 and nearly 49 years of age.  Inducted into the Striders Hall of Fame in 2024, today, he still enjoys racing and pushing himself as much as his body allows.