During the late 1980s and for most of the 1990s, George was a nationally ranked triathlete. He twice completed the Hawaii Ironman in approximately nine and one half hours; he was ranked first in the U.S. in the 35 – 39 age group; he turned in a time of two hours and four minutes in the Columbia Triathlon in 1995 when it was the National Championship race (he placed fourth in the Legends Division); and he qualified for the World Amateur Triathlon Championships in Australia.
But the Striders Hall of Fame is for runners. George was named Striders’ Runner of the Year in 1995 and Masters Runner of the Year in 1998. He won the Masters Division of numerous races, including Clyde’s and the Metric Marathon, and his “pr” times were awesome: 15:55 for 5K; 29:36 for the Grapevine (five miles); 32:50 for 10K; 54:50 for 10 miles; one hour and 13 minutes for the half marathon; and one hour and 58 minutes for 20 miles. He ran the Columbia Birthday Marathon in two hours and 56 minutes, and a month later ran a time of three hours and six minutes on the final leg of the Hawaii Ironman. George also was consistently a top runner on the Striders’ racing teams.
In addition to his running prowess, George was a major supporter of Striders’ events. As Northeastern Director for Power Bar, he provided assistance for everything from milestone birthday runs, to the Masochist Marathon, to Bagel to Bagel to Bagel, and he was especially important in assisting Joe Wasserman resuscitate the Metric Marathon in 1989 and the early 1990s. In addition, George was recognized with President’s awards at Striders’ Annual Meetings on three separate occasions.