Piriya Pinit started running seriously in early to mid 1980s when he was in his mid-30s. He was impressed with the enthusiasm and accomplishments of a core group of Striders, including Dave Tripp, Warren Ohlrich, Dick Hipp, and Ben Mathews. He decided that if they could do it, so could he. His “prs”, mostly as a Masters competitor, include a 2:50 marathon at age 42; a 34:44 10K the same year; and a 57+ minutes for 10 miles at the Cherry Blossom. He has been a consistent age group award winner for more than 25 years — he almost always turns in a high quality performance. Piriya’s record includes 23 full length marathons, all under 3:30, and one of them was 3:05 at 50+ years, when he was on the Striders’ winning open team at the Chicago Marathon (other Striders included Mick Slonaker and Kelly Barton).
Piriya was (still is) always proud to wear his Striders’ colors, particularly in the many team events in which he runs for the Striders. His overall “best race” was a sparkling 1:18 half marathon at the Philadelphia Distance Run – even though it was one of those rare races where he didn’t get an age group award because the international field was so deep.