A breakthrough piece of research just published on the history of 100 mile trail run participation in north America.  Dr. Marty Hoffman is an avid ultrarunner himself, having completed numerous 100 milers including several Western States 100 finishes.  I have had the pleasure of training with Marty this past spring and can attest to his passion for not only the sport but its impact on the body.  He, along with colleagues, have published a volume of research papers detailing the impact of ultra running on the body - good and bad - and suggested implications.  Just Google his name to see his work.  Anyways, this is an interesting first-time look at how many people participate in 100 milers and how the sport has grown and changed since the early 70s when Gordie Ainsleigh got it going with his “unplanned” attempt to finish the Tevis Course (WSER) in under 24 hours on foot. Just click on the cover image above to link to the full article.

July 17, 2010 - The skies were lighting up like fireworks during the night at the Vermont 100 in Woodstock, VT while the trails were being burned up by numerous TARC members.  Runners were treated to a heat lightning display of oranges and reds on the horizon that provided a dramatic backdrop to the rolling Green Mountains in the distant.  Meanwhile the heavens opened to a galaxy of stars that guided the weary runners towards the finish - the big dipper hanging low just above the horizon.

TARC had a plethora of members toeing the line this year and all those hours of training runs and races leading up to the big event seemed to have paid off.  We witnessed not only an 85% finish rate but three finish their inaugural 100 miler!

Congratulations to Ron Farkash (20:23), Norm Sheppard (23:48) and Sherpa John LaCroix (28:58) as well as first-time 100 miler finishers Kristen Evan (27:54), Steve Latour (29:11) and Kevin “KZ” Zelechoski (29:14).  You guys showed us how its done and rocked it! [My apologizes in advance if I’ve missed other TARC member finishers).

Many Animals made the trek to Silver Hill for camping out and the race.  We had a “Trail Animal village” of sorts in the meadow.  In addition to the above Chris “C1″ Haley was volunteering at aid station mile 92 during the evening and treated himself to a couple of solo long runs in the backwoods of Vermont as part of his injury recovery regime.  Chris “C4″ Martin and Christine “C5″ Mathieu crewed and paced for Steve “The Rock” Latour, Michelle Roy, Emily Trepas and Bill Howard crewed and paced for KZ and Tim Reif ran with Kristen Evan - making it to mile 77 himself.  Bruce Giguere, just off his spectacular sub 24 Western States was crewing for a couple of Shenipsit Striders.  Pat Wheatley, Chris “C3″ Martin, Steve “Old Goat” Pero, Kevin Sullivan and yours truly all volunteered to pace runners starting at Camp 10 Bear (mile 70).  I know there were many more Animals volunteering but these are the ones I remember seeing!

All the results for Vt100 can be found here

Also congrats to Howie Breinan for his 25:32 finish at the Tahoe Rim Trail 100, finishing a blazing 12th place overall!

DRB 50K and TARC 50 Miler

By Josh Katzman

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood . . .

- Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken

In comparison to the dilemma confronting the immortal Robert Frost, runners of the 14^th Annual Don’t Run Boston (DRB) 50K and the inaugural Trail Animals Running Club (TARC) 50 Miler face an exponentially more daunting calculation. For they are, often, not faced with a mere two roads diverging; nay, they oft are presented four roads diverging at an intersection, further blessed with multiple paths, generally traveled only by deer, leading to hidden corners of the Blue Hills Reservation in Milton, MA, and all of these paths appear to double back, entering the same intersection at new angles. While Frost had the luxury of choosing the single path proving less traveled, at most of the DRB and TARC intersections, the majority of the paths are not traveled (save by those deer).

Last year I was a neophyte to the race, drawn by its sheer simplicity and price: no entry fee, no SWAG, just running. I got one piece of advice at the start line (following the creed of simplicity, drawn in the sand next to Houghton’s Pond by RD Howie Breinan): find someone who knows the course and don’t lose them! After finishing last year (by following said advice), I got some more advice at the finish: learn the course and come back next year. Following that advice proved key for this year’s 50K. However, I had signed up for the inaugural 50 miler, and had spent no time on the last 19 miles. Oh, Mr. Frost, how I envy the simplicity of your choice . . .

This year’s affair saw close to 50 adventurous souls toe the line in two waves – a 6:00 AM start for those tackling the 50 miler and wanting an early 50K start (this wave was marked by two things: remarkably cheery folks given the drizzle, and the introduction of SWAG – coupons for Eastern Mountain Sports), and 8:00 AM for those sticking to the 50K. An equally adventurous crew of volunteers stocked the main aid table (more or less the back of someone’s car), at miles 13, 16, and 26, made key drops for runners along the course, and didn’t seem fazed by the nearly continual drizzle all day. The two runs follow the same route for the first 50K – one that is completely unmarked and roughly resembles an anaconda wrapping itself around its prey. The one section of the course that follows a named/marked trail – the Skyline Trail - for any real length of time (about 6 miles) – and is therefore nearly impossible to get lost on – is also some of the most gnarled, rock strewn, root studded terrain you can find , with a few good climbs thrown in for fun (leading some to dub DRB the “mini-Massanutten”).

Despite (because of?) the challenges of navigating the course, DRB and the 50 miler bring out the true ethos of the Trail Animals Running Club: “No Animal gets left behind.” Looking at the finishing times, it is clear that folks work together – most people finish in packs of 2 – 4. Although I ran solo most of the day, I had the pleasure of running with Ken for the first 7 miles or so, and I was repeatedly buoyed by the volunteers at central aid station and by other runners at the intersections during the 50K. And then I started the last 19 miles . . .

Going into the final miles of the TARC 50 I knew my mindset had to change from the 50K, a course that I had come to know. I approached these last 19 miles (split into an “easy” 6-mile loop, and a circuitous 13 mile loop) more like a running scavenger hunt, expecting to accumulate significant “bonus” miles, while I searched the woods for the ever absent trail markers/numbers, and expecting to not see any other Animals. At least miles 31 – 37 would be an easy, flat and fast loop around Ponkapoag Pond at the southern end of the reservation. After spending nearly 5 hours diligently concentrating on navigating, I was confident I could follow a flat path clockwise around the perimeter of a large body of water. I am no Mr. Frost however, and for the first time all day got off course, at arguably the easiest intersection in the race (where, poetically, two paths diverge), and began running counter-clockwise (thinking the whole time, “I should be going the other direction.”). I recovered (after picking up my first half mile bonus), and enjoyed the calm, easy running around the pond – no roots or rocks to potentially cause bodily harm (there were a few golfers at one point, but they were on the green, about 100 yards away), not too many intersecting trails to confuse – and returned to the car in good spirits (and time), confident that I could break 8 hours for the 50.

The final 13 miles of the TARC 50 take runners on a journey to the far northeastern section of the Blue Hills, and come replete with a beautiful description, written by course designer Bob Crowley. Here are some highlights: “Another confusing intersection of multiple trails.” “There is NM [no-marker] for 4048 . . . Lots of downed trees to hop over. You’ll feel like you’re running in a riverbed.” “This trail too can be hard to follow.” “This trail will follow along the base of the rock (looks like a deer path).” The description does not do the trails justice however, as they proved to be immensely enjoyable and runnable (save for those downed trees, stopping to navigate, and deer droppings). I got into a rhythm of basically running between intersections, stopping, checking the map, reading the description, running, and so on. It took a lot of time (but kept the legs fresh throughout) and I came to accept I would be nowhere near 8 hours. Because of this narrative I only made a few errant turns that were easily and quickly corrected. My self-laminated map (with narrative) became my security and savior. At some points I would run for twenty minutes with it in my hand, almost believing it to hold special powers that could guide me in the right direction, much like a dowsing rod. Of course, at what should have been one of the easier sections – a road crossing around mile 47 – my map (not my weak mind/mounting fatigue) failed me and I stood/ran in circles for 16 minutes, thoroughly convincing myself that the map was wrong. I crossed and re-crossed the road. I followed this path and that. I felt frustration quickly mounting.

But perseverance (and bushwhacking) led to the covered picnic area next to Chickatawbut Tower, and what became my favorite stretch of the 50 miles. It wasn’t easy to follow or necessarily the most scenic – some of it was along a chain link fence, and the final mile or two parallel a road – but it was relatively smooth, I got a couple of pokes of sunlight through the clouds, and I finally knew where I was going if any “roads diverged in a wood.” Just to be safe though, I kept my map in hand, because I wanted to take the trail traveled by the Animals. And it led me to the pack, cheering and pointing the way for the final ½ mile – and a celebration that featured no awards, but a great pot of potatoes cooked by a TARC member who wasn’t even running.

14^th Annual Trail Animals Don’t Run Boston 50K and  Inaugural TARC 50 mile

Sunday April 18, 2010       Low to high 40’s.  On and off showers all day.

5000+’ of climb in 50K  Non-repeated winding trails.

About 6000+’ climb in 50 mile.

Official Race Results   DRB50K (Times truncated to the minute)

1.         Josh Katzman, MA                4:56 *@

2. tie    Jeff List, MA                         5:52

2. tie    Jeff Vogel, MA                     5:52

4. tie    Steve Pero, NH                     6:06

4. tie    Paul Funch                             6:06

4. tie    Bogie D, MA                         6:06

7.         Mike Camarillo, TX               6:18 #

8. tie    Howie Breinan, CT               6:20 @

8. tie    Mark Buongiorno, CT           6:20 @

10.       Greg Stone, MA                    6:48 #

11. tie  Chris Martin, MA                  6:52@

11. tie  Giles Gregory, MA                6:52@

13.       Eric Nelson                            6:54

14.       Paul Lanham, MA                 6:55

15. tie  Deb Pero, NH  (F)                 7:27

15. tie  Rich Collins, NH                   7:27

17. tie  Bob Crowley, CA                 7:39 #

17. tie  Norm Sheppard, NH             7:39 #

19.       Chris Shanley, MA                  7:47 #

20.       Damon Steed                         8:32

21.       Doug Caverly, MA                8:32

22.       Peter Copela                          8:33

23.       Al Catalano, MA                   8:35

24. tie  Tim Reif, MA                        8:57 @

24. tie  Kristen Evan, MA (F)           8:57 @

26. tie  Michelle Roy (F), MA           9:29 #

26. tie  Kevin Zelechoski, MA          9:29 #

28.       Randy Witlicki, VT               9:37

29.       Bradley Schwartz, IL            9:40 #

30. tie Craig Wilson, (ME) 8:20 (26 miles)

30. tie Charlie Zerbinopoulos, (NH) 8:20 (26 miles)

(?? starters)

*old course record:  Gary Harrington, Josh Katzman, 5:16, 2009

# = 6 am start with 50 milers

@ = 50 mile split with 6 am start

Unofficial Race Results   TARC 50 mile (inaugural official running)

Times truncated to the minute

1.         Josh Katzman, MA                8:47

2. tie    Howie Breinan, CT               10:16

2. tie    Mark Buongiorno , CT          10:16

4. tie    Chris Martin, MA                  12:00

4. tie    Giles Gregory, MA                12:00

6. tie    Tim Reif, MA                        14:00

6. tie    Kristen Evan, MA                 14:00

(18 starters)

Sunday April 18^th – Blue Hills Reservation, Milton, MA

Don’t Run Boston 50K (14^th annual) – start time 8:00 am

Trail Animals Running Club 50 Miler (inaugural year) – start time 6:00 am

The 2010 edition of DRB50K and inaugural running of the TARC 50M are about 2 weeks away.  So here are the essentials for now, how you can help and there will be more updates to come as race day approaches. For now we’re trying to get a handle on race entrants, aid stations and volunteers.

This year we’ll be running the DRB50K and the inaugural TARC50M simultaneously. TARC50 starts at 6:00 am and DRB50K starts at 8:00 am. Both start from Houghton’s Pond Parking lot near the snack pavilion.

Who’s Running?

If you’re listed below we have you as running.  If you plan to run but aren’t listed below or if you are on the list but do not plan on running contact Howie and Bob immediately at breinan@alumni.stanford.org and imbc@comcast.net.

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Directions, Maps & Things

Click here to go to maps and detailed course directions for both the DRB50K and TARC50M that you can download.  VERY IMPORTANT: It is the runner’s responsibility to download, print out and bring these directions and maps with them to the race.

Volunteers, Aid, How You Can Help

Runners are mostly self-supported, but we plan to have plenty of water with a small amount of Gatorade or other electrolyte out on the course.  (We will assume most people are carrying electrolyte mix if they need it).  Generally everyone brings a little food or drink to contribute to the main aid station at Park HQ (miles 13/16/26)… with your donations there is always a wide variety there.  Alternatively, you can drop some water/electrolyte at one of the spots listsed below.   We’ll arrange so everyone can have a drop bag with special food/refills/clothing/etc. for yourself at HQ (13/16/26).  I will bring the 5 gallon water cooler (courtesy of Don Allison) and a couple of coolers with ice.  Now we need a place to put them (a car or truck, see below) and some volunteers to place some of the drops or staff the aid station.  I will cover two of the drops.   Amounts to drop will be decided by weather and total numbers.  For the 50 milers, you can access your cars at miles 31 and 37.  If there is interest, we may put a smaller version of the “aid car” in that tiny outer lot at Houghtons which is slightly more convenient than the big lot and would provide a small point of service.

If you want to fill any of the needs listed below, please let me know directly (Breinan@alumni.stanford.org).  If you see a need that is missing, also let me know.

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Major Volunteers/Items Needed:

“Aid station setup”

Person 1) To be present at 6 am start to gather drop bags/food for HQ aid station (miles13/16/26) and bring them to the “aid car” parked there.

Person 2) To be present at 8 am start to gather drop bags for HQ aid station and bring them to the “aid car” parked there.

…….

“Water/electrolyte drops and cleanup:”

Person(s) 3)  To drop water/gatorade on the Chickatawbut loop (easy if road is open, harder if road closed- I’m checking on it).  Likely on South side of road where race comes at miles 9,41, and 47.  A touch of food here would probably also be good.   Also, pick up or make sure someone else picks up after the race.

Person 4)  To drop water/gatorade at main 50K route 28 crossing (west side of road) (miles 5,11,28) .   Also, pick up or make sure someone else picks up after the race.

Howie Breinan:  To drop water/gatorade at parking lot north of museum (mile 20) .   Also, pick up or make sure someone else picks up after the race.

Howie Breinan:  To drop water/gatorade at low point of course at base of Coon Hollow Path (mile 23) .   Also, pick up or make sure someone else picks up after the race.

Optional Person 7)  To drop water/gatorade at MDC rink at far west end of course (44 and/or 45) depending on where it is put. .   Also, pick up or make sure someone else picks up after the race.

Optional Person 8)  Drop a jug at the house of poison ivy for any last minute crashes. .   Also, pick up or make sure someone else picks up after the race.

…..

Aid station “workers”:

Could be used any time after 8 am at HQ, after noon at Houghtons (Katzman could be there earlier).  HQ is more important.  It is nice to have someone there offering food and drink, finding bags, etc. and to check runners in unofficially with approximate times and have someone to report to if they drop.

Trail Animals ventured out of their winter lairs for a 19 mile trail run in the Blue Hills to raise funds for Haitian Relief.

Eleven critters toed the line, with seven running the full 19 miles, and raised $1,010 for their four hour effort in slippery snow conditions.  Steve and Nancy Collopy, Chris “C1″ and Margaret Haley and Bob “Diesel” and Marcy Crowley each pledged $2.00 per cumulative mile run by the pack.  In total $150 miles were logged plus other runners provided additional generous donations.

TARC members cleaned up this past weekend with members finishing 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the 40 Miler at the Fells in Winchester, MA.  Thanks to Bogie for once again hosting a terrific event, in spite of the nasty weather.

Josh Katzman (29) finished first in a time of 6:15, averaging a blazing 1:15 per loop!  Josh also finished tied for 1st at DRB50K in April.  Garry Harrington (49) slid into 2nd with a time of 7:20, averaging under 1:30 a loop with 1:28 - motoring.  Garry also tied for 1st at this year’s DRB50K.  Christopher Cappellini (43) rounded out the top three with a time of 8:18, 1:39 average time per loop.

Other TARC members who finished three loops were:

Adam Wilcox (28)  4:56  5th place

Tom Parent (33)  4:59  6th place

Paul Lahham (30)  5:28 9th place

Michelle Roy (35)  5:37 10th overall, 2nd woman

Ben Keefe (28)  5:49  tied for 11th

Patrick Flaherty (49)  6:05  12th

Congratulations to all!

Five TARC members (by our count) have been selected in the Western States 100 lottery to run June 26th, 2010.  Congratulations to Bob Crowley, Bruce Giguere, Sherpa John Lacroix, Jeff List and Michelle Roy.

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Tradition will continue as the 14th edition of the Don’t Run Boston 50K will be run  Sunday, April 18th, the day before the Boston Marathon.  The race details are on our Race Calendar page along with helpful maps for previewing the course (since there are no markings).

This year we are adding the running of the first annual TARC 50 Miler the same day.  So you’ll have your choice of ultra distances.   Both will be run in the Blue Hills Reservation.  The 50 Miler will commence at 6:00 am and run the entire DRB50K course first, then the added 19 miles to complete the circuit.  The DRB50K will begin at 8:00 am.  You can start running the 50 Miler and switch to just the 50K if it’s not your day.  The TARC 50 is designed to compliment the DRB50K style course -  lots of hills, 75% single track trails, 10% fire roads and 15% deer paths, plenty of soaring vista views of the Boston landscape and a few opportunities to get off course.  It holds true to Trail Animal tradition.  Both DRB50K and TARC50 are beautiful courses.

So mark your calendars and get out there this winter with the usual Sunday morning crew at Blue Hills to preview parts of the course.

The Human Body Is Built for Distance

Does running a marathon push the body further than it is meant to go?

The conventional wisdom is that distance running leads to debilitating wear and tear, especially on the joints. But that hasn’t stopped runners from flocking to starting lines in record numbers.

Last year in the United States, 425,000 marathoners crossed the finish line, an increase of 20 percent from the beginning of the decade, Running USA says. Next week about 40,000 people will take part in the New York City Marathon. Injury rates have also climbed, with some studies reporting that 90 percent of those who train for the 26.2-mile race sustain injuries in the process.

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/10/04/health/1247464987589/barefoot-running.html?emc=eta1

But now a best-selling book has reframed the debate about the wisdom of distance running. In “Born to Run” (Knopf), Christopher McDougall, an avid runner who had been vexed by injuries, explores the world of the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico, a tribe known for running extraordinary distances in nothing but thin-soled sandals.

Mr. McDougall makes the case that running isn’t inherently risky. Instead, he argues that the commercialization of urban marathons encourages overzealous training, while the promotion of high-tech shoes has led to poor running form and a rash of injuries.

Barefoot Running Video

“The sense of distance running being crazy is something new to late-20th-century America,” Mr. McDougall told me. “It’s only recently that running has become associated with pain and injury.”

The scientific evidence supports the notion that humans evolved to be runners. In a 2007 paper in the journal Sports Medicine, Daniel E. Lieberman, a Harvard evolutionary biologist, and Dennis M. Bramble, a biologist at the University of Utah, wrote that several characteristics unique to humans suggested endurance running played an important role in our evolution.

Most mammals can sprint faster than humans — having four legs gives them the advantage. But when it comes to long distances, humans can outrun almost any animal. Because we cool by sweating rather than panting, we can stay cool at speeds and distances that would overheat other animals. On a hot day, the two scientists wrote, a human could even outrun a horse in a 26.2-mile marathon.

Why would evolution favor the distance runner? The prevailing theory is that endurance running allowed primitive humans to incorporate meat into their diet. They may have watched the sky for scavenging birds and then run long distances to reach a fresh kill and steal the meat from whatever animal was there first.

Other research suggests that before the development of slingshots or bows, early hunters engaged in persistence hunting, chasing an animal for hours until it overheated, making it easy to kill at close range. A 2006 report in the journal Current Anthropology documents persistence hunting among modern hunter-gatherers, including the Bushmen in Africa.

“Ancient humans exploited the fact that humans are good runners in the heat,” Dr. Bramble said. “We have such a great cooling system” — many sweat glands, little body hair.

There is other evidence that evolution favored endurance running. A study in The Journal of Experimental Biology last February showed that the short toes of the human foot allowed for more efficient running, compared with longer-toed animals. Increasing toe length as little as 20 percent doubles the mechanical work of the foot. Even the fact that the big toe is straight, rather than to the side, suggests that our feet evolved for running.

“The big toe is lined up with the rest, not divergent, the way you see with apes and our closest nonrunning relatives,” Dr. Bramble said. “It’s the main push-off in running: the last thing to leave the ground is that big toe.”

Springlike ligaments and tendons in the feet and legs are crucial for running. (Our close relatives the chimpanzee and the ape don’t have them.) A narrow waist and a midsection that can turn allow us to swing our arms and prevent us from zigzagging on the trail. Humans also have a far more developed sense of balance, an advantage that keeps the head stable as we run. And most humans can store about 20 miles’ worth of glycogen in their muscles.

And the gluteus maximus, the largest muscle in the human body, is primarily engaged only during running. “Your butt is a running muscle; you barely use it when you walk,” Dr. Lieberman said. “There are so many features in our bodies from our heads to our toes that make us good at running.”

So if we’re born to run, why are runners so often injured? A combination of factors is likely to play a role, experts say. Exercise early in life can affect the development of tendons and muscles, but many people don’t start running until adulthood, so their bodies may not be as well developed for distance. Running on only artificial surfaces and in high-tech shoes can change the biomechanics of running, increasing the risks of injury.

What’s the solution? Slower, easier training over a long period would most likely help; so would brief walk breaks, which mimic the behavior of the persistence hunter. And running on a variety of surfaces and in simpler shoes with less cushioning can restore natural running form.

Mr. McDougall says that while researching his book, he corrected his form and stopped using thickly cushioned shoes. He has run without injury for three years.

Children of the Marathon Recall a Forgotten Time

Unlike most 8-year-olds touring New York City, Wesley Paul began his sightseeing on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, standing elbow to knee with 4,822 strangers.

Paul was ready to run the 1977 New York City Marathon, and while the magnitude of the moment did not faze him — it was his fourth marathon, after all — the scale of his surroundings did.

Having come from Columbia, Mo., and not even 5 feet tall, Paul gazed in awe at the nearly 700-foot towers of the bridge. “I didn’t know people could build stuff like that,” Paul, 40, recalled recently.

Paul ran without parental supervision across five bridges and five boroughs — watched by relatives standing on sidewalks — to finish the race in a startling 3 hours 31 seconds. He is the youngest marathoner recorded in the marathon’s 40-year history but not the only child to become infatuated with a distance many adults find torturous, even life-altering.

Scott Black was exhilarated in 1979 as a 9-year-old. “People were holding out their hands, cheering me on,” Black, 39, said. “I remember there being TV cameras on me, a blimp for a portion of the race. I remember the crowds going crazy.”

Howie Breinan was exhausted but euphoric when he finished in 3:26:34 in 1978, also at age 9.

Howie Breinan - Age 9

Howie Breinan - Age 9

“I was hurting at the end, but I also remember the feeling of running in the park,” Breinan, 40, said of Central Park, “and what kind of a crazy boost of adrenaline I got from the fans.”

The adventures of Paul, Black and Breinan offer a glimpse into a forgotten aspect of the running boom of the late 1970s. Preternaturally self-disciplined, they were among about 75 children (ages 8 to 13) who tackled the early years of the New York City Marathon in a time of novelty and naïveté.

Organizers were uneasy about young runners, but it was not until 1981, records show, that age 16 became the requirement. New York’s official minimum age became 18 in 1988, after an advisory set by the International Marathon Medical Directors Association in the early 1980s, and reasserted in 2001.

With no conclusive study, physicians still debate risks to children who compete in marathons, like muscular-skeletal injuries, stunted growth, burnout, parental pressures and the ability to handle heat stress.

Mary Wittenberg, the chief executive of the New York Road Runners, said her organization endorsed children running only shorter races. “We are all about people running and being physically active for their entire lives,” she said.

Some marathons — Houston and Twin Cities in Minnesota — allow teenagers or admit younger runners on a case-by-case basis. Los Angeles has a program for schoolchildren ages 12 to 18.

“There’s no real medical data to say that kids should or shouldn’t run,” said Dr. William O. Roberts, the Twin Cities Marathon medical director.

“If it’s a kid’s decision to do it, they train well and they’re supervised, then there’s no harm to it.”

Paul, Black and Breinan began running as a chance to spend time with their fathers. Fathers themselves now, their perspectives have changed.

“I wouldn’t do anything differently,” said Black, a senior trial lawyer for the Securities and Exchange Commission. “I find that running has defined me as a person; a lot of my self-esteem has come from it. I don’t regret anything. That said, as a parent, I wouldn’t push my kid to that.”

Paul’s concerns were more safety-related. “I don’t think I would let my 8-year-old run New York City alone,” he said. “It’s just a different environment.”

The three have not run the New York City Marathon since the 1980s; they sustained injuries before they were 20, then concentrated on their studies. Only Breinan, who teaches chemistry and coaches cross-country at Glastonbury High School in Connecticut, still competes (in long-distance trail runs). He ran six marathons and six 100-kilometer races as a teenager and younger (3:18:29 was his New York best, in 1979).

As a child, he could not sit still, his mother, Eleanor, said; his daily run helped him channel his energy. “I got lost in it,” Breinan said. On weekends he loved going with his father, Edward, and his training buddies, who were swept up by running’s popularity.

Paul’s father, Ailo, was his only training partner while growing up in Missouri. “I was in a place where there wasn’t anything to do,” Paul said. “No cable, Nintendo, Wii. It was either go out with him, or that’s it.”

Paul first ran with his father at age 3, when the family briefly lived in Queens, and he credits Ailo for motivating him.

“Most of the time, he was trying to prevent me from overdoing it,” said Paul, who set more than 15 world and national age records. “For me, it was always just a matter of internal challenges, doing something that nobody else had done.”

His Olympic aspirations waned at 14, when he developed tendinitis in his knees from Osgood-Schlatter disease. According to a July 2000 report by the American Academy of Pediatrics, that injury can be a consequence of excessive training, for both children and adults.

Paul still ran a 2:38 personal best at 15, in the Houston Marathon. The next year, he fractured his knee when a car backed into him while he was running. He never recovered. “I don’t think it was an unhealthy situation; I know that there were people out there that thought that it was,” Paul said. “The moment I said I didn’t want to do it anymore, my parents were fine with it.”

Black began running when he was 6. One day, his father, Martin, a guidance counselor at the College of Staten Island, dropped him off at a stop sign and suggested he run the quarter-mile home. Black repeated the ritual, and soon his father entered him in local races, even petitioning in public hearings for his entry. Black ran the New Jersey Shore marathon when he was 8.

At 13, he had put himself on a strict high-carbohydrate diet, and at 14 ran his personal best in Philadelphia, 2:53:49. He ran New York three times in high school, never training more than 50 miles a week.

“I think people thought it was weird and cool,” Black said. “I felt special among my friends because I was not a gifted athlete in terms of skill sports.”

Martin Black has often asked himself if he pushed his son too hard. “It seems to me pretty obvious that it’s impossible to get a kid to do something like that if they didn’t want to do it,” Martin concluded, adding that his younger son, Eric, “retired” at 8.

“We never thought that Scott was going to be a world-class runner,” he added. “If Wesley Paul was in the race, he wasn’t going to beat him.”

While Black and Breinan were featured in the local news media, Paul was featured in running magazines. In 1979, Paul had a children’s book published about him. By then, he had become a celebrity in Taiwan, where his parents lived in the 1950s after moving from China. There, he and Ailo put on running clinics and started clubs.

Paul ran more than 40 marathons before he was 16. Now a partner at the law firm Michelman & Robinson, he says he has only a half-hour to run, and prefers treadmill interval workouts. At 6 feet 2, he also competes in recreational basketball leagues, while sponsoring three teams of his own.

Pre-adult injuries have not completely stopped Paul, Black and Breinan. “I have bad knees now,” Breinan said, insisting that running was not to blame because he also played other sports.

Black developed a stress fracture in his hip before the London Marathon in 1991, and that was that.

“I could run up to a certain distance without having pain, and beyond that, I said I’m happy that I could still run,” he said.

Sunday’s New York City Marathon makes him sentimental and sad. “Every year, it’s very hard for me to watch it,” he said. “Every year, I say, ‘Why don’t I do it?’ It’s not worth it. I’m afraid I won’t be able to run anymore.”

Paul has no qualms about sitting out. “We’ve done it,” he said. “There’s no question we could do it again if we wanted to.”