Mahalo for the Memories....

This past weekend I made my fifth trip to the Kona Marathon in Kona, Hawaii. Sure I was excited, but my excitement was no where near what I felt in 2008, the first year I went to Hawaii to run in a marathon. Including that maiden voyage to Kona, I have ran 7 marathons in Hawaii, so far I am undefeated in that state. In 2008 when making my original trip I had no clue that I would visit the islands so frequently, in fact I was certain that I was making my only trip to the Kona Marathon. Prior to deciding to run in the Kona Marathon that year I contacted several other runners to see what their thoughts were about the race. I was greeted with mixed reviews. Most of the complaints were focused on items the race directors could not control, such as the heat, wind, and humidity. Other runners told me not to waste my time with the Kona Marathon as according to them, "That race does not care about elite runners." Regardless of what negative opinions I was hearing I still wanted to experience the race for myself. My major draw to run the Kona Marathon was two-fold. I liked the challange of running on the Ironman Course and wanted to win one of the famous hats that winners are awarded.


$1,200 dollar truck bought in 2007.

In 2008 I was working fulltime on my fathers farm. Part of my responsibility was to make sure all of the bills got paid at the end of each month. Since I was going to be in Hawaii the last week of June, I paid these bills a week early. One of my stops was to Neal's Auto Parts store. This parts store was run by an older man, ironically named Neal, amazing how that works. Neal was a bit confused as to why I would be paying him early. I proudly explained that I was headed to Hawaii to run a marathon the following week. His response was, "Partner, I will make you a deal. You go to Hawaii, win that marathon, return with the newspaper, and I will erase your bill." Neal used the term Partner when addressing customers whose names he could not remember. I put the checkbook back into my pocket, shook his hand. We had an agreement.

Teaching Miles about farming.

That year I flew to Hawaii with trepidation. I was worried about how to handle the heat during the race. Once settled in my motel I had a chance encounter with Jim Lovell and Sharron Faff, two of the major cogs in the Kona Marathon organization wheel. I asked them tons of questions regarding the heat and the course. A year or two later Sharron admitted to me that she did not think I was a good runner. She stated that her first impression was of a farmer, who was wearing a dirty hat, and asking her a lot of questions. I guess that is not the stereotypical look of potential marathon winners. That years race went pretty well. I ran conservatively but was able to accomplish my goal of winning. Unfortunately that year the race failed to award winners the hat that I desired to win. The race directors stated the hats would be back for the 2009 race, that planted the seed of returning again. That seed was watered the morning after the race when a nice lady named Carol talked with me. She is a member of the Kunitake family, which are the founders of the Kona races. Carol makes the feather leis that adorn the hats. She told me, "I would like to see you win 5 straight Kona Marathons." Some pressure, but I told her I would try my best to achieve that goal for her.

I would be lying if I said I returned back to Michigan to a heros welcome. Farm work and finalizing my agreement with Neal awaited me. I took my newspaper into Neal's Auto Parts store and slapped it onto the counter. His eyes fluttered. He started back pedaling. Neal is one of the more respected people in the community, nobody ever took advantage of him. I was not trying to do that either, he is the one who opened his big yapper and offered up the deal. Finally after Neal nervously scratched out all the items on our bill, the deal was finalized. I had just won a nearly 800 dollar bet, but more importantly he now knows my name. No longer am I greeted as, Partner.

Frank Shorter, Melissa, Miles, Eddie-O and I at the 2010 awards.

In 2009, 2010, and 2011 I returned each summer to run, win the marathon, and see my Kona friends. These include Frank Shorter, the Kunitake Family, Eddie-O, Danny Jesser, Israel, and several others. Each year my wife and son were able to travel with me. That made the trips fun and exciting. In 2012 they stayed home and I nearly did too. I am certain Melissa would have won the marathon by no less than 15 minutes. Miles probably would have had fun experiencing all that Kona has to offer. It was selfish of me to travel such a long trip without my family. My main motivation was to win my 5th straight Kona Marathon for Carol, but that pales in comparison to the sadness of being away from home for a week.

The longer I was away from my family the lower my desire to run fast went. I woke up Sunday not feeling the strongest. I was homesick and struggling to sleep well at night while there. After talking with Jon Kunitake, the race founder, I was motivated to run whatever it takes to win, but not much more. I ran the first several miles with one of the strongest runners in the country, Gary Krugger. His creditials include running 61 marathons in a year, winning 14 marathons, and having a personal best of 2:38:02. He has truly turned what some people deem, awesome, into just an average race for him. I could not take him lightly. We ran roughly 4 miles together until I pulled away. My lead had grown to 90 seconds at the halfway point.



Getting informed I must win my 6th Marathon next year.

I barely expanded my lead prior to mile 20. The design of this course allowed me to see that Gary was not far behind at this point, so I acclerated for a few miles to seperate from him. Two hours, thirty seven minutes and fourteen seconds after starting the race I was able to break the finish line as a 5-time winner. Gary finished a few minutes later in 2nd place. Carol was happy for me fullfilling her goal. She is one of those nice, but pushy, older ladies. She stated to me, "Now that you have five in a row I want to see you get your sixth win next year." Some people like to keep the pressure on me.



My friend, Julia Deter, who ran her first marathon.

During the awards ceremony I paid tribute to my wife by wearing a pink Running Skirt. She likes to race in the Running Skirts, and as I stated earlier she was not at this race. My skirt drew lots of funny stares, looks, and comments, but nary a whistle. On the awards stage the presenter, Eddie-O, asked if I planned to return for try for a 6th straight title. I answered as honestly as possible. I stated, "I know Jim Lovell wants me back, Jon Kunitake wants me back, Kiyoshi from UCC Kona Coffee wants me back, but there are some people who do not want me to return. There were 385 runners in the marathon, so I can only assume the 384 people whom I beat do not want me to return." The crowd in front of the stage started yelling in support of me returning again in 2013. The support from my Hawaii friends might just be enough to get me back on the race course in 2013, only time will tell. Until then Mahalo to you all. Thanks for the memories and friendships. If I am fortunate enough to have a daughter I just might name her, Kona, as a way to always remember this marathon.

100th marathon

Granny and Pops

The moment was surreal, time came to a standstill. I tried my best to soak in all the memories possible. Silence lingered, words were hard to get out, it was virtually impossible to squeeze them past the large lump in my throat. Tears flowed quicker than words. My thoughts came into focus, I could not let this opportunity pass me by. There I sat next to Pops, who laid in bed, his resting place for the past 7 months. His body was too weak to stand, he was a shadow of his former self. I tried to control my emotions, knowing that this is one of the last conversations we would have, I too was a shadow of myself. I dominated the conversation because speaking in coherent thoughts was hard for him. I decided to take that moment to share with Pops the goals for my running career and life in general. We both knew he would not be around to see how my life would unfold, but I wanted to share with him how optimistic I was about the future.

I started the conversation by explaining how my running career has gone through several stages and then presented my goals for the future. In order to properly explain to Pops my goals, I first talked about my running history. My marathon races can easily be grouped based on what my life circumstances were during that period of racing. This includes the Early Years, College Career, Making Hay, being Milked Dry, and Chasing Goals. Seeing as I just ran my 100th marathon this weekend I will share some of my running history with you.

Finishing my first marathon with Kevin Pollock.

The Early Years of my marathon career started with the Mid-South Marathon in Wynne, Arkansas in 1999. My first marathon was going to also be my last marathon, but then after running a 3:19:40 as a 16 year old I decided that chasing the Boston Marathon qualifying time would be a good goal. During the Early Years of my career I ran the majority of my slowest marathons. Even though these marathons represent 6 of my 8 slowest marathons they still had highlights that excited me. Running the Boston Marathon in 2001 as a high school senior was an amazing experience for me and the small town I lived it. Winning a local marathon the morning of my high school graduation was a neat achievement, even if I did have to limp across the stage to receive my diploma.

After high school it was off to start my college career. Running in college had been a goal of mine since I was in 8th grade. My expectations as to what being a college athlete involved was not fulfilled at Goshen College. I anticipated having to battle hard each day in practice with other motivated runners, while being coached by coaches whom supported your current and long term running goals. Now I am not saying that competing at Goshen College was not beneficial to my running success, because it obviously was as I was able to improve a tremendous amount. I am purely stating there were some bumps in the road during these four years. I do not think the coaches were fully prepared for such a motivated athlete. My freshman year track coach laughed at my running goals. Those laughs were similar to how my guidance counselor responded when I told her my two goals for college were to run fast enough to make a career out of running and find a wife. One of my coaches even quit stating he was disappointed in how hard the team worked. I often wonder if he is aware how I am running now.

Can you find Melissa and I in the banner?

I entered college with a 2:56 marathon personal best but dropped that 22 minutes the spring of my freshman year when I ran a 2:34:11 at the 2002 Boston Marathon. That marathon medal is yours now Pops, I put it in the casket as a gift for all your support. Remember how you allowed your bride, Granny, to go with me to Boston. We returned in the middle of the night with you still waiting up. Giving that medal to you was the least I could do to one of my biggest fan. During college my main focus was running well in the marathon at the NAIA National Track Championships. My marathon running was limited due to the college schedule. I would typically run 1 or 2 marathons per year, but kept focused on the larger goals in my career. I ended up being a 4-time NAIA All-American prior to graduating from Goshen College in 2005. I left college with a 2:29:44 marathon personal best and with a pretty marathon running girlfriend named Melissa Lehman. We got married in 2007.

Miles enjoying some hay.

I took my physical education college degree and headed straight to the fields, it was time to start making hay. From graduating in 2005 until the fall of 2009 I worked as a full time farmer with my dad and older brother. Our family farm has been around since 1843 and I felt a since of pride to contribute to its history and success. During the years I worked on the farm we raised beef cattle, soybeans, corn, and a ton of hay. Summers consisted of extremely long hours of hot and itchy work. My main responsibility in the hay operation was to mow all the hay. We were making close to 600 acres of hay, which meant a lot of long hours mowing. My workouts would be hit and miss during the summer. I just did not have enough energy and time to train successfully. Sure I would run a few quality marathons each year but lacked consistency. I typically averaged 7-10 marathons per year during this time, winning a few and running terribly in some others. Pops and I would often reflect on his response to me winning the Johnstown Marathon in 2005. It was fun sharing him the story of winning my first marathon after college. Pops told me, "That will be hard to top." He was never one to give out compliments. The longer I farmed the less I focused on training. My joy for running started to wane because I was not improving.

My father in law 6 weeks after his accident.

The downward spiral of my running career paled in comparison to the fall my father in law took off a silo on August 31st, 2009. His farm accident occurred with Melissa being nearly 8 months pregnant. When we received the shocking news about his accident there was not an ounce of hesitation in our decision making. We packed up all our stuff, placed it in storage, and moved 3 hours south to work on the dairy farm while he recovered. For 10 months I diligently milked the 145 cows at 2 o'clock in the morning, followed by doing other farm work during the day, and trying to eek out a run in the evening. I ran marathons as often as I could, but my energy was all milked dry. Most of my marathons were pretty pathetic while milking. Rivals whom I normally could compete with would embarrass me. It did not matter though because we knew that we were doing the right thing by helping my in laws during their difficult time.

Cows even kick marathon champions.

While working on the dairy farm the best marathon I could squeeze out was a 2:33:24. Most times I would milk cows the day before a marathon, travel to the race, run, and then be back to milking the morning after the marathon. It wore me out but I was motivated to do as much as I could to help Melissa's family. Melissa also made sacrifices. She took care of the brunt of childcare for Miles and delayed starting her PhD program at Notre Dame for a year while we helped her dad. We moved to Goshen, Indiana to split the difference between the two family farms. She started back to college and I stayed home to watch Miles. I felt a new level of pressure to train hard and compete well. Some athletes crumble under pressure but I found it as a challenge and an opportunity. I needed to be successful at running in order to provide for my family. It was now or never for establishing a running career.

I would rather run in Carharts then be cold!!

Pops knew all that already as he has been active in running progress. From there I laid out my plans for the four years that Melissa would be doing her schooling. I told him that I wanted to work as hard at running as he did at farming. Darkness and foul weather never stopped Pops from getting work done, I was going to adopt that mindset. The goals were simple. I stated to Pops that I wanted to end my running career knowing that I put forth the best effort possible to be the best I could be. I wanted to be remembered as one of the best marathon runners in the area and possibly the state. The plan was to push as hard as possible to make an income running so that I could support my family while Melissa does her schooling. I have ran 36 marathons since Pops passed away, winning several of them, and breaking a handful of course records. Since I have focused more on training my race times have dropped and my enjoyment of running has return. If I were granted the pleasure of talking to him again I know how the conversation would go. He would ask how my father in law was doing, he would ask how the farm was doing, we would talk about trees, and he would be excited to hear about my running. I doubt he would compliment me for doing well, but I know he would be proud.

This weekends Maryville Marathon was just another step on my journey to provide the best I could for my family. The race was hot, hilly, and windy, without much strong competition. Early in the race I ran with the lead half marathon runner, established a large lead over the competition, and then cruised for the last several miles. I ended up finishing in 2:38:18. It is my slowest marathon this year and one of the slowest since we moved away from the dairy farm. I was not worried about chasing a time goal. It felt good to run a relaxed pace, reflect on how far I have come, and how I want to fulfill a promise to Pops to be one of the 3 best Gillette's of all time. Pops and Miles being the other two.

Several people have asked me what I have learned in my first 100 marathons. That would be too hard to quantify. Sure I learned things like how long a marathon really is, how to properly train and recover in order to do them fast and frequently, and how awesome it is to have friends all over the country due to my running. I have also found there are basically four types of runners, these are elite runners who have a major endorsement deals and are chasing Olympic Games, stunt runners who create some gimmick to generate publicity for themselves, new runners who are full of excitement, and frequent marathoners like me who push themselves in races nearly weekly. That stuff is neat and all but the main thing I learned was how to be a man. I could have crumbled when doubters said I was racing too frequently. Watching Pops while growing up and then milking cows for my father in law taught me that life is not about yourself. I do not run for Justin Gillette. I run to provide for my family. That my friends is the secret to fast recovery.

9 Seconds...

Nine seconds can pass very quickly without much significance in most aspects of life, but with athletics 9 seconds can be a total game changer. For example Reggie Miller, a retired NBA player, once scored 8 points in 9 seconds. I wonder if his opponent that night, the New York Knicks, wish they could have those 9 seconds back. I too wish I could take 9 ticks of the clock back, those are what separated me from running my first marathon in Indiana under 2 hours and 30 minutes. Breaking the finish line in 2:30:09 ranks pretty high on my career list of other achievements nearly accomplished. These near misses started in middle school cross country when virtually every race I would finish runner up to Wayne Walls. It continued on the high school  track team while I chased down the All-Conference marks that required running a 4:48 mile and a 10:30 2 mile. My career bests ended up being 4:48.4 and 10:31 respectively, so close yet so far away. Unlike my high school career, I still have the chance to run down a sub 2:30 marathon in the state of Indiana.

The Sunburst Marathon is my local marathon. Geographically speaking it is not the closest marathon to my house, as the Maple Leaf Indoor Marathon is two short blocks away, but I still consider Sunburst my home turf. My interest in competing in the Sunburst Marathon actually began in June 1997 as a 14 year old living in Ironton, Missouri. That year I received a card in the mail from a Michigan resident which contained the South Bend tribune story about the Sunburst Marathon. Written in the card was something to the effect of, "Maybe someday you can run this race too." Little did I know that years later I would end up winning the Sunburst Marathon for the third time, and be annoyed I did not go 9 seconds faster. As for that person who sent me the card, they did not go to the race to cheer me on, their loss.

The competition at the 2012 Sunburst Marathon was very similar to the 2008 version that I was able to win. The top two contenders were once again Ryan Greutman and myself. He also won the 2011 marathon and has run a 2:26 marathon before. It was going to be a tough battle.  Ryan is widely considered one of the best marathon runners in the state and typically wins most local races he competes in. To compound the situation my last two weeks of training have not gone well.

The race started with roughly 5 of us guys running together for the first half mile, but by mile 1 reality set in and it was down to Ryan and I. Not too much past the mile marker Ryan decided he wanted to settle in with a slower pace. I was not sure if this was a ploy to get me take the lead and then pass me later, as I used that strategy on him 2008. I charged to the front and tried to find my running rhythm. At the mile 6 turn around my lead was up to roughly 30 seconds, but my rhythm was still eluding me. I clicked off a few 5:35-5:45 pace per miles, but they seem to take more effort then normal. Doubt was beginning to creep in as to how the race was going to turn out, and sadly enough I was only at mile 9!

For the next several miles I tried my best to expand the lead, which was up to a little over 1 minute at mile 10. My first wind was running out. I was ready to catch that second wind, unfortunately it would take several miles before the second wind arrived. Miles 15 through 20 were all run close to 15 seconds slower than I normally would be for that section of the race. I hit the mile 18 turn around with a 3 minute lead, which can easily be lost in the last 8 miles if I did not start running stronger. Mathematically speaking Ryan would only need to run 25 seconds per mile faster than me and the win was his. I still had one final trick up my sleeve. It was time for the chickens to come to roost.

I allowed my mind to completely check out of running the marathon and switch to pushing harder for friends and family who are dealing with tough issues in their life. My struggles in this marathon paled in comparison to what some people are facing in their life, including my own family. This trick worked like a champ. I was able to get legs churning pretty strong, winning the marathon was no longer in doubt as my lead was expanding. I went from running 5:50s per mile down to 5:25-5:35s. A sub 2:30 looked like a strong possibility. Then came the final half mile. My right leg once again started to cramp, so annoying. It caused my last mile to be a 5:51 and a finish time of 2:30:09. Ryan finished a strong 2nd place, just like in 2008. Actually our times were nearly identical to what we ran that year. I was 22 seconds faster than that year and Ryan was 11 seconds faster than his 2008 run.

One major difference between the 2008 marathon and this years is that Melissa was also able to win the females race. It was our 10th time both winning the same marathon. We enjoy being a successful married couple, just like the example set by Peter and Tammy Casaletto of Goshen, Indiana. With my 100th marathon coming June 9th I can no longer dwell on my near miss this weekend. It is time to prepare for the next challenge.