Pretty sure John is the oldest runner to respond to the survey. Forty years of runner and a BQ at 67! Congrats John!

Name

John Davis

Sex:

Male

Age (at the time of first BQ):

67

Height:

5’6”

Weight (at the time of first BQ):

145 Pounds

At which marathon did you get your first BQ?

Mohawk Hudson River Marathon

 

Tell us a little about the race.

Point to point from Schenectady to Albany, NY. Basically flat with a 400 foot drop from start to finish. Almost no hills. Race is in October (my BQ was on 10/10/10). Temperature at start was 32 degrees and about 45 at the finish. No wind. This was a small race of about 1500 runners. Generally has a high percentage of BQ’s.

How long had you been running when you ran your first BQ?

40 Years

Did you run in college or high school?

No

What was your approximate lifetime mileage at the time of your first BQ?

30,000

How many miles did you run in the year before your first BQ?

1500

Approximately how many races did you run in that year?

8

Did you follow a canned program? If so, which one? If not, can you give us an idea of what your training philosophy was?

Yes, Runners World

Did you run with a running club or utilize a coach?

No

Did cross training play a role in your training? If so, how?

I think cycling helped a lot.

Did speed work play a role or specific workouts play a role in your training? If so, how?

Did some speed work. Ran a few intervals , but mostly Fartleks.

 

Any other thoughts you would like to share with those of working towards a BQ?

It’s never too soon or too late to try and qualify. I actually ran a BQ on my first marathon at age 41, but Boston was not on my radar at the time.