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The guest of honor was Mark Covert, who is the definition of a streak runner and a greatfriend of mine. Mark and I met in 1968 and both ran on the LA Valley College’s cross country andtrack teams. We lingered over a two-hour lunch. We traded stories, laughed, joked, and took morepictures. It’s always great to see Mark Covert who now is the de-facto leader of the Californiarunning community. He is always the first to congratulate any runner’s latest achievement onFacebook.Saturday was an off-day. Steve wanted to take an easy three-mile run because he wasrunning yet another marathon the next day. After that, Mark and Diane took off site seeing and Idrove Steve to the Flyway. I worried that I might be forgetting something for the event and whenI saw the weather forecast for Sunday May 26th, 2019 it was for 70% rain! The corral where westart running at VTH is all clay so if it rains an inch the soil turns into gooey sticky mud and it’sjust not runnable. I went and got a tent from Chaminade High School where I coach and prayedfor sunshine.We got a grey cloudy morning. I ran a couple miles early because I wanted to walk jog thecourse I picked out. Slowly the crowd started to assemble. First to show up was my buddy Dave‘Gigantor’ Carlson. We named him that when he came out for cross country as a 195 lb. 6’3”basketball player! My CSUN alums were next, then a massive Notre Dame XC team joined usand a lot of streakers I had never met did as well. My sister and her husband Steve Sundinrepresented my family. I was in awe at the congregation that had been created. Our special guestwas the great Rod Dixon - a four time Olympian, world record holder on several distance relayteams, #1 in the world for 5000M in 1975, two-time podium finisher in the World Cross Countrychampionships, bronze medalist in the 1972 Munich Olympics, and the 1983 New York CityMarathon Champion. Runner’s World sent a reporter and two photographers. Channel 2 and 9,the local news TV stations sent a van to film the festivities.I told everybody to line-up. The course would be an out and back run to the newly built bigrock formation. Gary Valle, an ultra-running bud of mine, told me that they had added anotherlayer to the foundation. A lot of us have seen it but nobody knows what it’s going to be. One guesswas it would be Kanye West’s new religious forum. I sent all the runners, walkers, hikers,everybody off. I stood in the middle of the crowd trying to high five everybody that ran by. A coupleNDXC runners were too enthusiastic and almost knocked me into the scrum.Then it was time for the Awards Ceremony. Mark Washburne came to the tent andpresented me with a wonderful plaque and a lifetime membership to the U.S. Running StreakAssociation which is very well appreciated. Then it was my turn.I have a million stories and anybody who knows me will admit that. So I asked everybodyif they wanted to hear one they hadn’t heard before and they laughed. I’ll do my best to recreateit here.In 1969, the Sutherland family moved in next door to the Ogiela family at the southeastmost corner of Las Vegas. The Ogielas had four boys that were roughly the same age as my foursisters so there was a lot of going back and forth. I latched onto Don the third of the four boys andmy brother Stuart became friendly with Tom, the youngest son. I saw Tom create so many artisticworks I was in awe of him. He could carve, sculpt, draw, make fish flies, invent tools, and paint.He saw all the pictures of Herb Elliott I had on the wall and gave me an oil painting of Herb Elliottwinning the 1500-meter gold medal in the 1960 Rome Olympics as I was leaving back for college.Tom was only thirteen! It has been my most priced possession ever since. Tom came to live withme one summer looking for work. I told Tom that one day I would become a good enough runner5

and Herb Elliott would see his painting. He eventually moved to Colorado where he found workas a carpenter. One day he fell off a scaffold, hit his head, went into a coma and flat lined. Hepassed at twenty. It killed us all. I still think about Tom fifty years later.One day, when I was talking with Rod Dixon if he had ever crossed paths with Herb, hesaid he had and that he had his e-mail address. I asked him to see if Herb would be willing to seethe portrait. He did and the next day Herb sent e-mails to both me and Rod saying he loved it andit was the best ‘picture’ (it’s a painting) he had ever seen of that glorious race and it captured thepain, the pressure, and relief it is to become an Olympic champion. I was shaking when I sawHerb Elliott’s name in my mailbox. When I read Herb’s praise, I immediately called Don Ogielawho quickly called his brothers Phil and Greg. Greg e-mailed me back and told me how much theOgielas thought of me as a brother and was happy that I kept Tommy in my heart. Then he said,“but it’s hard to work when you are crying.”I told Rod about this and he found a way to digitally copy the master and make thirty printcopies. Herb agreed to sign twenty-five of them and have them authenticated and numbered. Atmy 50th running celebration, Rod awarded me with a beautifully formed autographed rendition.Also, he generously donated a copy to the Ogiela family that I was thrilled to give it to Don. I wasso happy to honor my promise to Tom and grateful for Rod’s determination to make this happen.I don’t think I have been that happy in years.Once again it was time for more pictures. I don’t take pictures because if I do I’m not inthem! Everybody who wanted one with me was accommodated. As I was standing in the parkinglot, my CSUN brothers agreed on a place to get a good meal. We took over the big family tableat the Stonefire grill and had another two-hour leisurely lunch. It was so much fun for me to bewith great teammates from our era. As I looked around at Don Ogiela, Jimmy Coup (our guestsinger/guitarist at VTH), Claude Maugien, Ed Chaidez (NCAA champion), Nancy and Rich Hart(who’s father was a US Olympian), Alan Keith Hammond, and Charlie Horn, I felt so content andwe agreed to meet in two years and thirty-eight days later if the host could manage a miracle.I’ve had a great career being on two State Cross Country championship teams at LAVC,breaking six school records at CSUN, then coaching four All-Americans shortly after. Then I went‘pro’ running the fastest 10K in the US for the first four months of 1979, 3rd place in Bay toBreakers, the biggest race on the west coast. I’ve been on numerous US best lists, broken dozensof course records in California, and won over half of the races I competed in.Every long-standing distance runner, no matter how good they were, will tell you that thebest part of the journey are the people you meet. The great four-time Olympic Champion EmilZatopek said it the best, “Great is the victory, but the friendship is greater.”Now I have run every day for fifty years and averaged ten miles per day during that span.I’m very proud of that. I was asked many times on my coronation day how long I can keep itgoing? James Hetfield of Metallica says when he is asked how long his band is going to last hesays, “I don’t see any F . stop sign!” I’ll give it my best. God Bless you all; and thank you somuch!Love, Coach Jon Sutherland 5/27/20196

Steve DeBoer, Mark Washburne,and Jon SutherlandLee Berg, Adrien Friggeri, Chuck Lindsey,Mark Washburne, Diane Washburne, MarkJasper, Falamack Zaltash, Luke Friedl andMichael FriedlDiane Washburne, Jon Sutherland, MarkWashburne and Steve DeBoerJon SutherlandDiane Washburne, Mark Washburne, MarkCovert, Steve DeBoer and Jon SutherlandPainting of Olympian Herb Elliot by TomOgliela and SRI plaque for Jon Sutherland7

Mark Covert and Jon SutherlandEARLY STREAK RUNNING IN CALIFORNIABy: Mark CovertI first met Jon Sutherland in the fall of 1968 when we both enrolled at LA Valley College and wereon the XC team. I was coming into the program knowing little about what I was stepping into andJon was coming into the program knowing nothing about what was going to happen to him. I hadrun XC and Track in High School, where Jon had played baseball at his school. I knew little aboutour coach to be, Laszlo Tabori, where Jon again knew nothing. I remember over that first yearhow hard it was for Jon to just get through the workout, as it was for all of us, but especially forJon having never really run before. Jon would work hard, keep getting better, and you could seethat he was not going away.Jon somewhere along the way was living in Las Vegas with his parents and we would exchangeletters now and then about how our training was going. Jon had told me that in one of my letters,I had told him that I was closing in on a year of running without missing a day. That was enoughfor Jon and his streak was on its way. Over the years Jon and I have been good friends. Wewatched our steaks grow from months to years to decades. During our streaks, we used to runfast, however, there have been plenty of slow runs when we just needed to get in another day.Even though we would sometimes go years without seeing or talking to one another, we alwaysknew that the other one had gotten out the door and went for a run.My streak ended on July 23, 2013 after 45 years. I chose to end it, not because I couldn’t getanother day in, but because my feet, which had always given me problems, were not allowing meto do anything more than just get another day in. While my streak ended, Jon’s has continued togrow and on May 26 his streak hit 50 years. Congratulations Jon on 50 years and I hope that itwill go on until you decide to bring it to an end the way you want.8

An inspiring story ofperseverance and dedication“I got to see Mark Covert run a couple times when I was very young. It was crazy to seeall those elite athletes start together and have one man come out on top. The book is anamazing look at Mark’s journey and the times through which he was traveling. Otherreviewers have used the word “inspiring”. It’s hard to write about his story without usingthat word. So happy to have this book written by Mark and his son Chris. Get one foryourself, and one for a friend.”— Amazon ReviewerWhat started as a hobby quickly becamea life’s passion and a legacy for MarkCovert, previous holder of the secondlongest running streak in history. Join Mark ashe shares stories from the roads and trails he ranto cover an astonishing 159,000 miles, and thewisdom learned during the 16,436 consecutivedays he kept The Streak alive. From his firstnational championship, to competing in the 1972Olympic trials wearing the first pair of Nike shoes,Mark’s story is one of toughness, perseverance, andunwavering dedication to the sport of running.RETAIL PRICE: 15.95ORDER YOUR COPY TODAYTHOUGH AMAZON.COM ORWARRENPUBLISHING.NET9

Tom BlennerhassetIRELAND’S TOM BLENNERHASSETFINISHES BOSTON MARATHONBy: Tom BlennerhassetBoston Marathon report - summary version : I crossed both lines, stuff happened in the middle!Now read on if you want the full version and I warn you now - its long.I went to Boston after a 17-week training program, feeling confident that I could match myqualifying time and perhaps even better it. I’d run 3:35 6 weeks previously in Kinvarra in drivingwind and rain. I hadn’t missed any long runs so all the pointers were positive. I was ready. All thelead up had been good from getting to Boston, slept and ate well before hand and read all I couldabout the run so as I’d be ready.The alarm went off at 5:30am on the morning of the marathon. I’d decided to not have cereal asusual so a rice krispy bar and mug of coffee did the morning routine perfectly. Put on my throwaway layers, picked up all my gear for before and afterwards, put on my rain cape and the taxicollected me at 6:10. The first thing that hit me when I went outside of the apartment was firstly itwasn’t raining, secondly it wasn’t cold and thirdly the humidity was a shock. As our relations inCape Cod say “you could bite the air.”10

Uber driver was a gas man – regaling me with YouTube clips of a comedian telling jokes aboutthe last royal wedding, then on to the Dropkick Murphys, a version of Come out you Black andTans and asking me numerous times would I win today. Best driver ever and really distracted mefrom the day ahead. Just as he was dropping me to Boston Common, the drops of rain appeared– once out of the car the monsoon rain, thunder and lightning hit. Well done Tom – rain capesaving me. Bag drop was seemless and easy despite the conditions. The rows of yellow schoolbusses were lined up and I got onto one quickly and glad to escape from the rain.These school buses look great but they are for kids! I’m not tall but I got an ache in my glute sittingwith the knees up to fit in the inside seat – lesson one – take an outside seat on the bus. An hourout to Hopkington and we were at the athletes village at about 8:10 and the rain had stoppedthankfully.At the Athletes Village, I was also ready by having read stories from last year. Couldn’t get to thetoilets without destroying your footware. Tents, while covering the fields, were pure mud also. ButI had my bin bag to sit on and ate a banana and two cookies that I had stole on Mairead who stillhasn’t forgiven me for taking! Trying my best to relax but just no comfort.At about 9:30am I got up and started to get myself organised. Towelled off my feet, and put ondry socks and runners – life saving tip from last year’s posts also. We got called to the startingwaves close to 10am so began to shed the layers. Kept the hoodie for another while but couldhave kept it all the way to my corral. Big batch of portaloos just before the start also that wereanother life saver as they were on concrete and it was safe to use them with the dry runners.Two women from Cork pass me on the way to their corral after spotting the Brendan’s RunningClub shirt – great to chat for the few seconds and wish each other luck. I’m standing in Wave 2,Corral 5 – and I’m feeling calm. No aches and pains, feeling rested, and I tell myself I’ve earnedthis, I deserve to be here, I belong here. That wave of feelings have never happened to me beforeat a start line and it’s a revelation.And we’re off. Dry weather, everyone around you going at the same pace, crowds cheering – thisis Boston. Gary sent me off with marathon pace of 7:30 min miles and to give it socks. Brendantold me to leave nothing out there, but I was happily barreling along and even felt I was holdingback as we flew downhill. Before I knew it we were at mile 1 and the first water station – they areat every mile! I was happy as I was carrying 2 small bottles so as I could avoid stopping andwouldn’t have to negotiate drinking from cups – more research paying off! I was surprised thoughhow many went for water so early though.Mile 2, 3, 4, 5 all uneventful – enjoyed the scenery, the crowds, and feeling comfortable, but wassweating up a storm. Took first dextro glucose tab at mile 5, first problem of the day – couldn’t getthem out of the sealed pouch and ended up ripping the bag to get at them. At 6 miles in 45 minsso all going to plan. Over the next 4 miles I began to think about the next parts of the run. Takesalt tab at mile 10 to mind the hydration as the sun was coming out now – though it might lift thehumidity – nope! I slowed slightly for miles 8, 9 and 10 as I reckoned I’d burn out with theconditions if I didn’t behave a bit.Mile 11 – hello blister! I must not have smoothed out the sock on the damp foot before getting thedry runners on and had a small crease of some description beginning to hurt my right foot. Ah it’llbe grand, slow a little and it’ll abate. Nope! This mile was 8:44 as I tried to fix the runner/sock but11

no joy. So slowed down to about 8 min miles for the next three miles, hitting half way at about 1hr42 mins and thinking to myself that I can still do well here if I manage it well.Mile 15 came and I got the first indication that the day was about to get a lot tougher. Got an achein the middle of my left knee. What the hell was causing this? Sitting funny on the school bus,sitting on a bin bag in the mud, running different to ease off the blister – I just don’t know. Mile 15and 16 in 8:50, not the end of the world, hopefully it will all ease out.Mile 17 and I was really looking forward to seeing Mairead who had negotiated the T and madeher way out to meet me. Big hug and a kiss really lifted the spirits. Told her I was struggling nowand that I’d be a bit later to the finish line than expected. Was beginning to get sunburnt now too!10:00, & 11:32 for 17 & 18 doing walk jog, began then to think I was ok and did 8:43 for mile 19.Then the knee gave me another shot and ground me to a halt! Slowed again to walk/jog for thenext 4 miles at about 12 min miles. 25 & 26 were 16 mins as I had to walk it all. Sole of the rightfoot not helping either!Mile 26 and Mairead was waiting for me again with another kiss, hug and handed me the Irelandflag and told me to finish the job. I went to go on and another Irish runner, Petrina from Meath, leta roar at me too. I ran that last stretch, all of Boylston Street and crossed the line on 4:15. Andthen the monsoons came back again and drenched us to the skin and froze us once more!Collected my medal - that cherished unicorn, got my gear no problem and headed off to meet upwith Mairead who was getting me a sugar laden coffee!. Got changed slowly and bumped into myUber driver from this morning roaring at me "Well - did you win?"So that’s the story, warts and all. None of it matters though as I’m a Boston qualifier, a Bostonfinisher and I had one of the greatest days of my running career to date. The support of the crowdswas awesome, the event was magnificent and I had so many people with me out there followingme on the tracker and cheering me on.I've chased the unicorn for 7 years and now I have it – don’t tell Mairead though but I think it lookslonely and would love a friend for company!Finally, thank you to all, for the best wishes, encouragement and congratulations. Thank you toGary Ohanlon who got me to the start line with a plan that challenged me, changed me and hadme ready.Thank you to my other coach, mentor and friend Brendan Loughlin – so proud to wear the newinternational Brendan’s Running Club shirt and for being a small part of such a great club andgroup. Thank you to all of my club friends also who shared so many miles with me as I boredthem to death with my stories of training.But finally thank you to Mairead – I just couldn’t have done any of this without you, you made mydreams become a reality and shared every step of the journey with me. “Together we’reinvincible.”BTW - I still look better than yer man!12

Tom Blennerhassett13

Jon Sutherland, Steve DeBoer, and Mark WashburneTraversing the Tundra – 60% Solution(Plus Cities & Metropolitan Areas) RevisitedBy: Steve DeBoerFor those of you not familiar with the most famous fictitious detective, Sherlock Holmes, one ofhis most well-known quotations was, “The game is afoot!” which obviously refers to the necessityof being very physically fit to work as a private investigator, with running being the fastest form offoot power. Mr. Holmes was also noted for using a 7% solution (of cocaine), when he had nointeresting cases going on and got bored playing his violin. As streak runners, we have less of apropensity for “Coke,” as things go better for us when we experience the 60% solution – that isthe attempt to run daily for at least 60% of our lives. Among streak runners, it is more challengingthan covering 100,000 miles (77 of our group have accomplished that, with Norm Spitzig reachingthat mileage the last week in March).Though Ted Corbitt and Bob Ray were the earliest US streak runners that have been certified,neither of them actually achieved 60% (Bob was at 55.9% when he retired his 38-year streak in2005). Bob Hensley was the first to reach 60% in 1992. Mark Covert followed in 1995 and SteveDeBoer in 1996. For comparison, Ron Hill, who began his running streak December 1964, atage 26, did not reach 60% until age 67 in 2005 (he was at 66.51% when his 52-years of daily runsended in January 2017).Lois Bastien, who has the longest running streak by a woman (39 years) is only at 47%, sinceshe began daily runs after age 42. She will not reach 60% until she is almost 108 years old! Onthe other hand, Sierra Stempke started her streak before age 4 and could reach 60% in 3 years,just before her 10th birthday!!14

Twelve years ago there were only 9 runners in this category in the US. Now there are 45, someof whom are now below 60%, having discontinued streak running, with 10 more within 2% of thatnumber. Bob Hensley was also the first to reach 70% in 2006, before his 3rd running streakended. Now there are 8 that have been over 70%, including Joel Pearson, who began his streakbefore

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