Change Is Good

I had a streak going. Twenty-eight years of running, and I had only stopped to pick up money once. The 65 cents I'd found lying on the road bought a soda in the middle of a twelve-mile run on a hot and muggy July day. However, this was different. I saw the money first, lying in a heap in the white sand of a New Jersey cross-country race-- but I couldn't stop. I had conditioned myself never to stop just for money. In fact, I couldn't even slow down for a closer look, even though I knew I had no chance of winning the race or even setting a PR. Why-- years of conditioning. Thoreau would have been proud.

"Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds Jack--that means you're a creature of habit," said my friend Harry, who had stopped to pick up the money- three dollars. Harry was known for keeping track of all the money he'd found on runs. In forty years of running, he'd probably scooped up a small fortune. Despite teasing Harry that "It was five dollars when I ran past it"… I knew he was right. He had started me thinking. Was I too proud to stop? Then for the first time, I started to think about how much money I had seen but never stopped for over the years-- and to ponder what I had missed.

"Stopping during a run to pick up money has always seemed tacky to me, Harry--kind of like an old guy wearing an earring," I said.

"Hey, I paid for these earrings with some of the money I've found running," Harry said. "You ought to give it a try."

I must have looked doubtful. "You can still change your running habits," Harry said studying me closely. "After all, you used to be fast and kind of flexible--you changed that! Try something new. At the least it will give you something else to keep track of in your log—a new kind of PR."

He did have a point--at least the point about me once being flexible, I thought.

Harry said, "You know, I have to admit, stopping to pick up change can get addicting. I once saw a dime laying in the Dunkin Donut drive-through and decided to leave it there until the next day, just to keep a streak alive of consecutive days with money found...it was still there."

Harry then ambled away to the race concession stand. With his newfound three dollars, he bought a hot dog and a soda. "And I still have a dollar left for gas," he yelled to me over his shoulder.

That was enough for me. I decided to follow Harry’s example and log all the money I've found while running this year. The count: eight dollars and forty-six cents. The biggest haul so far: two soggy dollar bills I found right after a thunderstorm. I have to admit, it's not quite a mortgage payment, but it is kind of fun. For some reason, finding two quarters while running is almost as big a thrill as receiving my (almost) yearly raise at work (which is often larger).

Here are some things I have learned from my new "found" hobby:

First, finding money can spice up a mediocre run. There is an extra payoff too--maybe the same feeling you get fishing, or playing the slots--when spying the glint of a coin-- found money, at thirty paces.

Second, when you are in the "find" mode you are receptive to a lot of other stuff that's out there that you probably never would have noticed before. This summer I also found a beer sign that's now over my bar, five new baseballs, and a plastic lizard for my son. The best spots to find money are convenience stores--teenagers can't be bothered with change. It doesn't look cool to pick it up, so often they will just drop their loose coins in the parking lot along with accumulated cigarette butts. The slimmest prospects to “mine” change are where ever kids, or senior citizens, travel on foot. They will stop to stoop.

When I saw Harry, again I let him know that there is a negative side to this newfound coin consciousness-- the risk of injury. Stopping suddenly for coins, or what looks like a coin from thirty-feet away can put a big strain on your core--and make you look pretty eccentric when you slam on the brakes--sometimes for nothing.

The second drawback is something I'd long noticed about my friend Harry; it's what I call "bird eye." You too may have noticed "bird eye" in many long-time runners. It's a condition brought on by running with one's head tilted to the side looking for some currency that others may have missed. If you should see another runner coming towards you, head tilted to the side, paying a little too much attention to the side of the road--just remember I saw it first.

Note: The author found over $16 last year. This article inspired by the late Harry Berkowitz and originally appeared in Runners Gazette Magazine. http://www.runnersgazette.com/

The Running Chronicles of Tom Osler

Tom Osler doesn’t write about running much anymore but he still has a lot to say about the sport he loves and has influenced so much in over 50 years. Tom Osler now 69 and his wife Kathy have two sons Eric and Billy and live in Glassboro New Jersey where he enjoys publishing Mathematical research papers (more than 120) and teaching Math at Rowan University (his 49th year as a teacher, 41 at Rowan University). He still runs close to 50 miles a week.

A quick review of Osler’s running accomplishments: over 2100 races run, his first national championship, a 25k race, in 1965. He captured a second national title, for a 30K race in 1967. It was the same year he finished 19th in the Boston Marathon and, later that year, self-published a seminal work on running the 32 page classic, “The Conditioning of Distance Runners”. Osler also published the “Serious Runners Handbook” in the 70’s during the height of the running boom. Dr. Tim Noakes (Author of the Lure of Running) said “”Conditioning of Distance Runners” remains one of the absolute classic training books of the world. Tom Osler's great contribution was to emphasize the importance of peaking training. He was the first to verbalize that in a way that was really understandable to most athletes. Most importantly, he was absolutely correct in what he proposed. Our own research undertaken [in South Africa] shows his principles to be absolutely correct. The principles he described withstood the test of time and are unquestionably real physiological laws."
His second book “Serious Runners Handbook” sold more than 55,000 copies during the peak of the running boom in the 1970’s and was called “the best running book” by Osler’s friend and mentor Olympian Browning Ross.
Despite health problems in recent years (notably a stroke at 2003, and a defibrillator in 2005 after heart problems) Osler continues to run with his doctors blessings, and to race each weekend although at a much gentler pace. We recently talked to Tom in a series of interviews about his running life and experiences gathered from more than half a century of running.

Early Years:
Jack: Tom, when did you first start running?
Tom: Probably just after I learned to walk (laughs). I started running when I was about to turn 14—it was in January or February of 1954 that I decided to get serious about it.
Jack: How did you get your start-- did someone talk you into going out for the team?

Tom: No, I was at the age where I was trying different sports and I wasn’t very good at baseball, football or basketball. One day a bunch of us decided to see who could run the most around a field and to my shock I could out jog everybody. So that’s when I realized I was born to be a runner! So I asked my brother in law what I could do with this, if there was there any kind of competition for runners. He told me about track. We looked into newspapers and looked at the results of track meets and there was the mile race. That was the longest race and they were running that in five minutes, 5:10, 5:15…
I lived in a row house in Camden NJ and there was a Mack truck factory at the end of the block that we estimated occupied a quarter of a mile. So I ran around the block four times. My brother in law looked at the kitchen clock to time it and it came out to something like six and a half or seven minutes. We figured with a years training we could probably get it down to a good racing speed. Which I did. Everyday I went out and ran four times around the block as fast as I could. So in a year I went out for the track team as a sophomore at Camden High and was their best miler-- I ran a 5:10.
Everyday was the same thing, I ran a mile all out, as fast as I could. That was my training—one mile a day. I was the only person running year round that I knew of.
All the other kids came out in March and started training then for track.

Browning Ross
Jack: Who did you meet first Browning Ross or Harry Berkowitz?
Tom: Oh, Browning. He was essentially the first runner I ever saw. I began the running I just described in January or February of 1954. I read in September in the newspaper that there was going to be this big race in Atlantic City, the National 30 kilometer championship and it was going to start and finish on the Boardwalk at Steel Pier. I got myself a bus ticket and went down there and stood in front of Steel Pier and waited for this race. I remember thinking that runners must be very powerful people—big muscles, well developed like Mr. Atlas! And what shows up but all these skinny people. It was a national championship but I doubt it had more than 20 or 25 people in it. That’s how it was in those days. And then Browning Ross showed up and I couldn’t believe what a small rather insignificant looking human being this hero of mine that I’d read so much about was. The race was several laps so you saw them come by several times. The first two laps there was a Canadian champion with Browning, but after that there was nobody with him, it was just Browning. Somebody got me to hold the string at the finish line and you can see me at the finish line of the picture of the race.
Jack: How did you first hear about Browning?
Tom: My brother in law was a good basketball player and up on all sports and he knew about Browning and told me about him—“there was this guy in Woodbury, Browning Ross who was an Olympian.” Actually the first person I saw show up for the race was a guy who wasn’t dressed to run. This guy about 30, had a leather jacket and sunglasses on, his name was Helmut Gude. Gude had been on the Olympic team for Germany in the steeplechase in 1952, a great runner who immigrated to the United States and promised his relatives who sponsored him to come over that he would not race anymore because they were afraid he was going to come over and “waste his time”. In those days people thought running was a waste of time. He promised to “shake the habit”. He never did race. Helmut Gude showed me who all the runners were. He became a good friend of Jack Barry who became a mentor of mine.

Jack Barry
Tom: Jack Barry told me the story that he Browning Ross and Gude one time all went out to Medford Lakes to do a workout on the sand trails in the pines by Atsion Lake. Gude made the remark after the workout that if he could train there all the time he’d be the best runner in the United States. Browning looked at Barry and said “he doesn’t realize it but he’s already the best runner in the United States.”
Jack Barry came from a large family in Merchantville, NJ. He was considered the black sheep of the family, the only one who wasn’t successful. He was very funny, an iconoclast who only wanted to run. His father would wonder why he never settled down with a real job, but he would come out to cheer him on at races. He was about 15 years older than me, I owe a lot to him—he taught me a lot. Oddly he became very successful later in life when he stopped running and started painting. He worked for his brother in a gas station and during the long periods where there was nothing to do he started to paint-- pictures of horses etc. No training, when he would finish he would hang the painting in the gas station and people would come in and want to buy it. He would go to Cooper River and display his pictures and people would buy them. Then he traveled around the country where people had money selling his paintings, finally opening his own gallery in the Moorestown Mall. He told me that other artists would get Po-ed. Here’s an artist with no training, no credentials and people were buying his paintings, he was making all the money. He opened up a gallery of his oils on canvas in the Moorestown Mall and his dad worked for him. He had some paintings that took a long time to paint-- like the trails in the woods in Medford New Jersey where we liked to run. He gave that painting to Jack Pyrah (Villanova Coach) who later gave it to me. He’d make all his money off things he would paint quickly like painting sail boats. He’d paint it very quickly and frame it himself in minutes.
When I met him Jack Barry was 32 at his peak and one of the best runners in the country. He was the 3rd or 4th best marathoner in the country. He didn’t like losing, when he stopped winning races he stopped racing and just trained.

Jack: When did you meet Harry Berkowitz?
Tom: I met Harry Berkowitz at the YMCA. My first race was Camden YMCA in 1954. The 1956 Camden Street Run was Harry’s first race that’s the first time we raced together. We ran track races together that spring, he for Woodrow Wilson and I for Camden. Browning left Woodbury High and went to Woodrow Wilson High to teach history and he founded the cross country team. Camden High did not have a cross country team and I asked my coach Nathaniel Enten if he would start a team and he did, laying out a course in Farnam Park. Coach is the wrong word for these people. He really didn’t coach—he organized. Made sure we had shorts and shoes, made sure we all got on the bus. He really never told us what to do. The coach would come out with his dog, walk his dog around the field and just let me do whatever I wanted.
Jack: You probably knew more than he did…
Tom: I probably did. I had read that runners should keep a steady pace. If you wanted to run 5 minutes you should average 75 seconds a lap, but of course the kids on the team didn’t do that. I was running steady pace and the coach was going nuts. He would see the race start and all of the sudden I’m last and everybody’s running away from me. And later I’m catching them. So the coach came up to me before a race and said: “Look this is not the way to do it. They are getting so far ahead of you and then you have to go catch them. Stay with them and then you won’t have to catch them.” Makes sense to somebody who doesn’t run. I tried to explain to him that all that will do is make me tired right away instead of the later stages. But he didn’t understand why I wouldn’t do it. His next strategy was to deliberately walk up to the coach of the other team and say “I’ll bet your boy beats my boy.” I just laughed. I like the fact that he left me alone.
I’d seen coaches from other schools like Harry’s coach who I thought was horrible. Tom Forney was always hollering at kids and acting like a maniac. He treated the runners like it was World War II. Harry who passed away in 2008 was like a brother to me. We were very close.

Jack: Tell us about getting “arrested”.
Tom: It was probably 1964, I was running through the Cooper River Park in Cherry Hill. I came down a hill and was face to face with a police office who yelled “We got him!” and proceeded to grab me and put me in a police car. Now most people did their running in tracks then and it was rare to see anyone running on the streets except for street races. I was running in a pair of green pants like you’d see a workman wear and I had on a sweatshirt. I told the cop “Your making a big mistake buddy, you better let me go or you’re in a lot of trouble.” He told me they had reports of young people stealing cars in that area. When they saw me running towards them, fitting the basic description-- they grabbed me. The thought was there was no reason a person would be running on the streets then unless he was up to no good, running away from something. He eventually called in and checked my address and information and they let me go. It was quite common then to be stopped and questioned by the police while running.

Founding of the Road Runners Club
Tom: Browning invited Harry and I to New York to see the National Indoor Track Meet at Madison Square Garden. As a side show, Browning had asked representatives from other districts to get together before the meet to talk about the Road Runners Club. We went to the Paramount Hotel to meet. The Paramount had a second floor balcony that overlooked the lobby. We saw some chairs and pulled them all together into a circle and that was the meeting, it lasted about an hour and we decided to start this club. Some people were concerned the AAU might get upset about it. It turned out we operated within the laws of the AAU it allowed you to form clubs within the AAU. Like the Penn AC, and the Shanahan Catholic Club, the RRC now became such a club within the AAU. You were permitted to hold events that were for your club. So you joined the AAU, then you joined the RRC and you could run all the RRC races and not risk losing your amateur status. Hal Higdon and I are the only two people still alive that attended that meeting.
Jack: Can you give me an example of the kind of problems Browning faced starting the Road Runners Club?
Tom: We met at the Penn AC club, Browning had been a member for some time. The running part of it was run by Jack Sinclair Sr. Jack Sr was loud and sometimes drank too much. At one meeting when Browning was trying to organize the RRC, Jack Sr came in drunk and was causing a ruckus. Browning got very angry—which you seldom saw—but angry in a quiet way and he got up looked at Sinclair and said “I quit.” And Browning walked out. Sinclair started crying. “Why did he have to quit?” Browning was the star runner of the club. Browning never went back-- he started his own club Delaware Valley Track Club. I started out in the Shanahan Catholic club because Jack Pyrah introduced me to it. The next club I joined was the Delaware Valley Track Club. Browning asked me to join. Then later he formed the South Jersey Track Club.

Early Running Shoes
Jack: You said there weren’t many good running shoes around in the 50’s and early 60’s?
Tom: There weren’t any that you could buy in the store. The most common shoes that you would see for running were the Converse cross country shoe. It had a negative heel-- which is why Browning had such bad Achilles tendonitis. It was very common then because of the bad shoes. The really serious runners like Jack Barry would write to Europe or Japan and have their shoes handmade. Barry was using this shoemaker named Tishi Nishi in Japan. I got my first pair of handmade shoes from him. Then Barry caught onto the idea that Hush Puppy shoes would be very good to race in. Then I picked it up from him.
Jack: You said Browning designed his own shoes but they weren’t that great?
Tom: They were terrible. This was before Tiger shoes were available and they were out about 1966. So Browning’s shoes were out in around 1963 maybe. They were professionally made. Apparently in Browning’s mind runners were cheap, and they didn’t like the idea that their running shoes were wearing out so fast so he got these shoes that wouldn’t wear out. The bottoms were so hard that you wore out first before the shoes. They wouldn’t give.
Jack: Browning always said that running barefoot was best, and that you didn’t need fancy shoes…
Tom: I tried running in bedroom slippers as a transition to running barefoot. It didn’t work for me. I won my first national championship in street shoes.
Jack: When did you and Kathy meet?
Tom: In 1967 when I was teaching at Saint Josephs College. We met at a friends house-- Al Williams a marathoner friend of mine invited me and Kathy to New York. Kathy was a student at Hunter College in New York City. I lived in New York City from 1962 to 1966.
I met Ed Dodd around 1961 at races and I taught him math at St Joes. I met Neil Weygandt around the same time. Neil’s record of consecutive Boston Marathons (43) is unbelievable. For Neil to be healthy every year in the middle of April for Boston every year is amazing.

Dr. George Sheehan
Jack: When did you meet George Sheehan?
Tom: I met him at the Boston marathon. Boston had 200 runners then tops and we all stayed at the Lennox hotel. You knew a lot of people there, a sizable fraction of the field. Runners have always been a fairly upscale group of people. Professional educated people—it was that way then too.. A group of us met in the lobby and decided to get together the night before the race at a really nice Italian restaurant. There were really quite a few of us, 15 or 16. I happened to be sitting next to George Sheehan, who I had never saw before. I guess George was in his late 30’s and was relatively unknown.
We’re sitting there-- a fairly impressive group of people, one runner is an engineer, Ted Corbitt a Physical Therapist, and here’s George Sheehan who’s a heart specialist. We were sitting there eating, having a nice discussion, when all of the sudden George goes “Whahhhahhahhhhhhh!!!” – (a Tarzan yell). We all stopped and looked at him and George said “I just get so excited at these events.”
I thought here’s another one of these crazy guys…. I guess we won’t hear much from him again.
Of course George goes on to become a great running guru. I’m sure at that moment everyone thought we probably won’t see this guy again. Of course he became the most read and talked about runner of our time. He spoke for runners in his writing. He really seemed to hit the pulse of running. He was a very good writer and a very nice man. He had a dozen kids and was always very down to earth. He drove a little old car and always dressed in jeans and a casual shirt. George was the sweetest guy in the world. When I wrote my Serious Runners Handbook, he was at the time the famous running author.
Occasionally we were the featured speakers at a major race and he Kathy and I would go out to dinner. We were close, we got along really well. When he died I was surprised that one of his sons wrote a book about him that was very negative and critical. I thought “wait until you get older and you have kids, you might be sorry.”

Bill Bowerman
Jack: Tell us about meeting Bill Bowerman the famous Oregon and Olympic track coach and co-founder of Nike.
Tom: Bowerman was a real gentleman. Another very down to earth guy. You would never know that he was a famous track coach. He was very easy going like the guy next door. I met him at Runners World’s National Running Week between Christmas and New Years in Palo Alto. We were on the stage together in a panel discussion. A few years later I met him in Texas at the Houston marathon. Before the race I was taking my sweat suit off and looking around and he said “What are you doing?” I said “I’m looking for someplace to hide my sweat suit so I can find it when I come back.” He said to me “Give it to me I’ll hold it for you.” I looked at him and I said “Wow! This will be a story to tell. An Olympic Track Coach holding my sweats while I ran the race. He just laughed. A couple of months later, at Christmas time my door bell rings and there’s the mail man with a big box. I open it up and there’s a big Christmas wreath on top. And inside are several pairs of different Nike running shoes, shorts, shirts and different Nike apparel on this box that Bowerman had sent me as a gift. This was around 1980.

Another Book?
Jack: Have you ever thought about writing another book based on lessons learned as a runner since your last running book over 30 years ago?
Tom: No. I didn’t like the idea of writing a book just to write a book. What I did like was writing a book because I had something to say that hadn’t been said. That’s why I wrote Conditioning of Distance Runners. When I wrote the second book I felt Conditioning of Distance Runners had been like a skeleton—it described the essence of the ideas behind training but didn’t go into details. Things like dealing with different kinds of weather and all of the things you run into as a runner. So I thought I would expand on that and that was Serious Runners Handbook. Plus I had experience with ultra marathons which I hadn’t had when I wrote Conditioning.
Jack: What have you learned since those books came out?
Tom: Not a whole lot. My days as a competitive runner, somebody to be reckoned with were over by the time I did Serious Runners Handbook. After that the only things that I can say that I have learned injury is caused by running hard when you are tired. I was just in Barnes and Noble and picked up Runners World. They had an issue titled “”Run Injury Free for the rest of your life”. I looked at it and it was just baloney. Do this exercise.. you are getting injured because your hips are this or that.. It’s much simpler than that. You get injured because you are doing something your body just can’t take. You are running hard and you’re tired at the same time—that’s when you get hurt. If you don’t do that you’ll really cut down injuries. However the problem is that’s what a runner does in a race.
He gets tired at the end of a race and he runs hard. You’ve got to be cautious and sparing of what you do in a race. You have to realize that the final stages of a race are destructive.
Jack: That’s the point where the coach will yell for the athlete to push even more. They don’t realize they may possibly be contributing to their athletes to get injured…..
Tom: You’re paying a price so you have to think-- is it worth it to you. Do you want to run for the rest of your life or do you want to run well now and to hell with the future. At least realize that the sport itself has its built in (injury) problem—you get a guy who is a serious runner and wants to go all out every time in races and its destructive. The older you get the more destructive it gets.
Jack: So what is your training like these days?
Tom: I’m careful to not push myself too much in races, I don’t want to get in any physical difficulty, under no circumstances do I want to go back to a hospital so I usually race comfortably-- no faster than a 9 minute mile pace. This makes it hard to find a comfortable training pace because I am starting to run so slow. It’s hard to run at 10 or 11 minute mile or slower pace. It’s almost more efficient to walk. So I invented what I call “slogging” Slogging is a running pace that is upright with barely forward momentum. I can cover two hours at a time at this pace comfortably.
It’s much more comfortable than running at a slow pace. With slogging I’ve been able to spend enough time on my feet to finish the Broad Street 10 miler and the Philadelphia Distance run (13.1 miles).
Jack: The hope is maybe other runners can learn from your experiences....
Tom: It’s been said that when someone passes away it’s like a library burning down. When a person passes away all their knowledge and experiences go with them.

Note: Tom Osler was honored last spring with a prestigious teaching award, the MAA New Jersey Section Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics.

For an updated version of this article see the new book "Positive Splits"
https://www.amazon.com/Positive-Splits-Running-Stories/dp/1548655341/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=jack+heath&qid=1565713559&s=books&sr=1-3
 

Larry James-- The Mighty Burner Still Burns Bright

"And where does the power come from to see the race to it's end? It comes from within." Eric LiddellNote: Sadly our friend G Larry James passed away on November 6, 2008 from his battle with cancer. He will be greatly missed.

When F. Scott Fitzgerald said: "There are no second acts in American lives" he obviously had never met anyone like Larry James. Larry James has had a second and third act at least as good as his first-- Olympic gold medal winner and world record holder.
Of course Larry is best known as a member of the 1968 United States Olympic 4x400 relay team which held the oldest American running record in track and field 2:56.16, and for winning the Olympic silver medal in the 400 that year. Many long time track and field fans recall Larry's winning 400 leg for Villanova in the 1968 Penn Relays-- named one of the 10 greatest moments in Penn Relays history-- where the "Mighty Burner" ran a 43 second leg beating a Baylor runner who ran "only" a 45 second leg. Long time Villanova coach Jack Pyrah called it the greatest race he had ever seen.

James settled in Smithville, New Jersey with his wife Cynthia to raise a family and to start an even greater second act. He served in the US Marine Corps reserves as a Major. He coached the Stockton College (NJ) track and cross country teams and then became Stocktons Athletic Director. During this time James coached thousands of runners through his camps with Browning Ross and later his Mighty Burner Speed Camps (until the mid 90's). I met Larry at one of these camps and consider him the greatest motivator I have ever met. My favorite Larry James saying? "You can only give 100%. That is the max. You can't give any more than that. Anyone who says they just gave 110% probably is used to only giving 75 or 80 % most of the time. "
James has been instrumental in putting Stockton College on the map. He set up training camps at Stockton for the Women's US Olympic basketball team in 1992, and for Saudi Arabia's World Cup Soccer (1994) and Olympic Soccer Teams (1996).
During this time James was inducted in the Villanova Hall of Fame and Sports Wall of Fame, the White Plains High School Hall of Fame, the Penn Relays Wall of Fame and the National Track and Field Hall of Fame. James philosophy seemed to be "The most valuable gift you can give is your time." Somehow he always continued to inspire and find time for those he had met along the way.
James has set the bar even higher for his third act-- his motto: "Once an Olympian always an Olympian, Never former, never past." He was selected to serve as the chair of the USA track and Field Budget and Finance Committee, and has continued to mentor world class athletes as manager for the 1997 World Championship Team in Athens, the 2003 World Championships in France, and the 2004 Olympic Training Camp. He is Dean of Athletics and Recreational Services at Stockton and spearheaded the successful effort to to build a $17 million, 70,000 square foot recreation center which was completed in 2000. The center, contains NCAA state of the art facilities as well as recreational and fitness centers for the use of Stockton students.


As a runner in the late 1960's, Larry James did things other runners didn't think possible.
Stockton decided to return the favor by bringing together many of Larry's friends, co-workers, family and teammates in 2007 with a special event "G. Larry James: Four Decades of Excellence" tribute at the Stockton Sports Center. Those in the over 1000 in attendance included his world record setting teammates from the 1968 Olympic 4 X 400 team: Vince Matthews, Ron Freeman and Lee Evans. At the tribute the Stockton track and soccer facility was renamed the "G Larry James Stadium" and a legacy fund was created in Larry's name to benefit deserving students.


Former Villanova teammate Dave Patrick recalled Villanova's famous 1968 Penn Relays victorious mile relay:

"28,000 fans (with most rooting for the hometown Wildcats) were just waiting for
this event. Rice's Dale Bernauer had a 15-yard lead going into the anchor leg, but you could see by the look on his face that nothing would stop Larry. The roar of the crowd was unbelievable--deafening". James not only caught Bernauer, he never let up and went on to win by about 10 yards.
Sitting in the stands, Patrick and other Wildcats checked their watches to see what James's split was.
They all had the same thought--"I must have messed up--no one can run that fast". "And then", continued Patrick, "we hear Jack O'Reilly (the late "Voice of the Relays") say, `Larry James just ran 43...
and you couldn't hear the rest, the roar was so loud". James had run an incredible 43.9 anchor (for yards!), the fastest relay split in history at the time. James was encouraged by his teammates to take a victory lap in front of the thousands of fans who were still buzzing about James' incredible performance.
Patrick concluded his time at the microphone by telling James that Erv Hall, one of his 1968 teammates (and the Olympic silver medalist in the 110-hurdles) had a gift for him. James had to be convinced it wasn't a practical joke, but then opened the box to find a Villanova warm-up shirt, emblazoned with his worthy nickname, "The Mighty Burner", and his Penn split--43.9y. At that point, all of his Villanova teammates stood up, each holding their own copy of the shirt. -- Used by Permission and Courtesy of Walt Murphy.

Of course Larry continues to inspire others despite his battle with cancer. His philosophy is simple and direct: "Dream Big - Plan It - Do It" Larry continues to inspire. He spoke last month at the Gilda's Club South Jersey "Teen's Touched by Cancer Conference" at Stockton. Larry has always gone wherever he is needed the most. He also provides virtual inspiration through his beloved "The Inspiration Guy" web page. Here is a sample of one of Larry's positive posts from The Inspiration Guy:
"The Law of the Garbage Truck"

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport.We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches!
The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean he was really friendly. So I asked, “Why did you just do that?
This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!” This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, “The Law of the Garbage Truck.” He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment.
As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they’ll dump it on you.
Don’t take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don’t take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.
The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life’s too short to wake up in the morning with regrets,so….. “Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don’t.” Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!
Larry James has made the world a better place through his actions and caring. He has used his God-Given talent and world class heart and hard work to do the simple things that no one else had ever been able to do as well-- whether it was running one lap on the track faster than anyone else has ever done or to be the difference maker in so many lives. As F. Scott Fitzgerald once said: "Action is character." Or as former Stockton Dr. Vera King-Ferris, said, “The ‘G’ in G. Larry James stands for George, but I like to think it stands for GREAT.”
Amen.

A Larry James Stockton Legacy Fund 5k run and walk has been established in 2008-- the race was held at Stockton and proceeds will benefit the G. Larry James Legacy Fund.

For an updated version of this article see the new book "Positive Splits" available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com:

https://www.amazon.com/Positive-Splits-Postive-Running-Stories/dp/1548655341/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=positive+splits&qid=1563839504&s=gateway&sr=8-1 

To see the G Larry James Website: http://jamesgl.com/AboutLarry.aspx

For information on Gilda's Club South Jersey: http://www.gildasclubsouthjersey.org/aboutus.htmor contact: sarah@gildasclubsouthjersey.org
For information on the G. Larry James Legacy site and to make a contribution: http://intraweb.stockton.edu/eyos/page.cfm?siteID=145&pageID=1
Written by Jack Heath

Remembering Browning Ross

Browning Ross is known as the "father of long distance running" in America. He started the Road Runners Club of America in 1957, he also founded the first national long distance running magazine the "Long Distance Log" (below, right). He coached hundreds of runners in high school(Gloucester Catholic and Woodrow Wilson High Schools) and college (Rutgers)and influenced thousands of other runners. He was a long time track official, and of course put on thousands of road races and track meets in his career. But more importantly, to those who knew and loved him best he was just "dad" or Browning or Coach Ross. His passing in 1998 left a void in the lives of those who knew him that can never be filled. Some of those who knew him best took time to reflect on the man they knew and miss:

Harry Berkowitz-
"I met Browning in 1956, while he was teaching history at Woodrow Wilson HS in Camden. He coached me in track and cross country until I graduated in 1958. Browning always treated me as a friend. I was at his house several times during those years. Browning, Kenny Lovell, a high school teammate, Tom Osler, and myself traveled to races together. In February 1958, Browning took Tom and myself to NYC for the first national, organization meeting for the RRC.
Many times, I would be running a race and Browning would drive up and ask me if I needed any coaching. Then he would laugh and drive off. He would show up at the 6 Day Races at the Cooper River and ask the same question."

Bonnie Ross (one of Browning’s three children [son Barry and daughter Barbara])
Mom and Dad loved the beach and we got to spend summers in Cape May when we were young. Dad worked for the Railroad and would ride the train back and forth from Philly to Cape May. I believe that Dad’s favorite runs were on the beach. He would say “OK, I’m going to run to Sea Isle,” (from Cape May) and then he would dive in the ocean when he got back.
(Browning put on a five-mile race in Avalon, NJ for over 25 years. In the eighties Browning was setting up the race finish line on the beach when the Avalon police stopped and asked him for a permit and fees. They briefly took him (and me) to the Avalon police station stressing that future races would need a permit. We made it back in time for the race but Browning decided that would be the last year for the race. I have fond memories of running the course with him and jumping in the ocean before the race each year.)--Jack Heath

Bob Romansky- "Years ago, Browning worked in the Carneys Point YMCA as the physical education director. One of the day trips that he took was to Don Bragg's Green Acres camp near Batsto. The bus driver was Max Weeks. Browning And Max took the kids to
Don's camp by a long, circuitous route involving a lot of extra mileage, or so Browning thought.... Upon completion of competition between the YMCA kids and Don's campers, Browning came up with a new plan: "Max, I know a way through the woods on the sand roads that will save us a lot of time going back home. I can take you one these back roads and we'll end up within sight of the Batso Historical area." "sounds good"replies Max.
So off they went, driving the big bus with thirty kids along the narrow, winding sand roads, the bus banging against the low hanging branches of the trees lining the road.
Finally, just as Browning had said, they came within sight of Batsto. However, there was one minor problem...... ........there was a chain link fence stretched across the road!!!!! Browning never missed a beat. "O.k., Max, I've got us this far, you can take over now!" It's a true story".

Tom Osler- Running author and friend of Browning for over 50 years. "I started running in 1954, and I met Browning at the National AAU 30 K Championship on the Atlantic City board walk. I later found a picture of myself at the finish line watching as Browning won the race. Browning will be my hero, coach and mentor for my entire life. No other man except my own father had so much influence on so many aspects of my life. When he nominated me for the Gloucester County Hall of Fame it was his last gift to me after a lifetime of giving. Browning's memory lives on in those who were fortunate enough to know him personally. He was the first runner I ever met, and no other runner has influenced me more. He was a mentor and a friend whom I miss dearly. Part of him became part of me, and I am the better for it." Tom got to see Browning still running at a high level in the fifties--“There was a three-mile course in Farnham Park in Camden that was used frequently. Browning came to the Park one day to do a workout. He ran one three-mile loop of the course under the course record by himself as a workout. He then proceeded to do a second loop also under the course record. It was amazing to witness this.

Jane Hoopes-Met Browning in the 70's through running in his races and was inspired to start her own Running Store and Race Timing Company (Athletes Korner Sports Timing Systems) because of his inspiration:"One piece of instruction I remember Browning telling me was not to take too long to run because he wanted to get home in time for dinner! It was Browning who encouraged Gene (husband) and I to get involved in race timing-- and he would recommend our company - Athlete's Korner Sports Timing Systems - to race directors looking for clocks and equipment. He would often help out himself, volunteering at races by helping pulling tags or doing results. Our Thanksgiving turkey trot was inspired by Browning. We, in turn, helped Browning out with his summer running camps in Medford for several years. Many athletes who attended his camps are still fine runners today. One thing that really impressed us was that no matter how many months went by between the time we saw each other, Browning was always happy to see us. No matter what the circumstance, we could always catch up on family, friends, life, etc. I remember a runner questioning him about a course he said was TAC certified. "TAC means Trust A Coach" he said with a laugh. He mentioned to the runner that the runners in front of you would have still been in front of you whether the course was certified or not. Browning possessed the gift of unconditional love."

Chet Dirkes- Track Official. "I loved officiating with Browning, he was unflappable and always in a good mood. One time we were timing a freshman championship mile race together and he told me "You get first and I'll get the other ten places. I've got a new watch that can get 100 splits." After the gun fired to start the last lap I heard him say "Oh shoot, my watch stopped!" Without hesitating he proceeded to line up each kid as he finished and give him a time. The times must have been really close to what they ran because no one complained! Cool under pressure!"

Mark Kordich Accu-run Timing Systems finish line expert, and longtime friend.
" I remember meeting at Sports East in Woodbury (NJ) every friday night to talk with Browning and a small group-- Jack and some others. We would drink a coke or a coffee and talk about anything that came to mind. I really looked forward to it every week. If I could relive any moments of my life it would be those Friday nights and the conversation at Sports East with Browning."

Jim Plant- One of Browning's best runners from Gloucester Catholic in the late 70's- "This might sound dramatic, but if I hadn't meet Mr Ross I don't know if I'd be alive today. I met him at the right time in my life and he gave me focus and encouraged my running. Running has led to a lot of great things in my life including college, where I am living (Boca Raton Florida), my job and my music career."

Jack Heath (ran for Browning in the ’70s and later coached with him)
When you ran for Browning it was always a 100% positive experience--You ran for the right reasons--positive reasons. He never yelled at us. I think to do your best in anything it has to be done for positive reasons. As Harry Berkowitz said, he treated you like a friend from the first time he met you--it’s a great thing for a 14-year-old new to the sport to have a mentor and friend like Browning. He made you laugh every time you saw him and had good advice for you every time you asked.
In college, I remember running a 5000 on the track (for Rowan University) in a Conference Meet and Browning was the official. He cheered and offered me encouragement every time I ran by: “C’mon Jack pull away from these guys on the straightaway! Atta Boy!” I’ll never forget the looks of surprise on the faces of the other runners that the official was pulling for another runner in the race. We knew he was an Olympian and a running pioneer, but what meant the most to us was his friendship and his great sense of humor--he taught us how not to take ourselves too seriously. As a coach, many of his training methods were way ahead of their time. He had discovered them through his own running. Most importantly he showed us that running was fun and a great lifetime sport by his example.
During one Friday night July “meeting” at Sports East, Browning sorts through his mail, mostly catalogs. “Huh! Here’s my Sports Illustrated; guess the mailman is done with it!” he said. Then he turned to ask me if I was running the Whitesbog Blueberry 10K cross-country race the next day, and if I could swing by and pick him up. Despite 90-degree temps, sand, and a six-foot stream that was forded in mid-race, Browning won his age group. I won mine and placed second overall. We both won a flat of Blueberries, an electric pencil sharpener, and some other prizes. When I pulled up to Browning’s house he said, “Jeez, do you want these blueberries? I didn’t tell anyone I was going to a race. I said I was going out to get a paper!” I said I would have a hard time eating the ones I had so Browning took all his prizes into the house.
While I was coaching cross-country with Browning, I noticed him staring intently at each runner passing by us during a major cross-country meet. I watched and encouraged the kids we were coaching and some of the other kids I knew but didn’t pay as much attention to the other runners in the race as Browning. After they had all passed by he remarked, “I thought I’d see a lot more Asics. It looked like a lot more Nike than last year…” He was surveying the percentage of different brands of shoes the kids were wearing to get an insight about what to stock in his store.”

Ed Dodd, Co-Author of the book Ultra Marathon with Tom Osler and a long-time friend of Browning:
The first time I met Browning was at the Cooper River 10 Miler in May of 1962. I was in my second year of high school and the race was my first road race. It consisted of two laps of the river with the Browning Rd. chute and three laps of the track in the beginning and one lap of the track at the end. I was by far the youngest person in the race. I ran around 67 minutes on that hot Sunday afternoon and finished back in the pack. Browning was first, second, or third. At the awards after the race, Browning’s prize was a large trophy. When he got to me, he told everyone that this was my first road race and then handed me his trophy as my award. You can just imagine what a 15-year-old felt like to be handed a huge trophy in his first race by an ex-Olympian.
I remember a race that consisted of five or six rectangular loops in front of Memorial Hall in [Philly’s] Fairmount Park. It was a cold winter day with the wind howling from the west. So, one long at least half-mile-straightaway was run against the wind. Each lap Browning would run right behind me. On the last lap he then proceeded to out-kick me to the finish. After the race, he smiled and said, “You didn’t mind me running behind you against the wind, did you?” And you know what, I didn’t.
Another time I was helping him officiate at a race in the woods someplace. The course was a classic, somewhat-convoluted Browning course. I think it was Herb Lorenz’s first local race. Browning was running in the race, so I was doing the finish line until he finished. The finish was in a dirt parking lot. I saw Herb coming out the woods on a trail in first place. Then several seconds later another runner approached the finish, but from the opposite direction. Then another came out of the woods from a third direction. When Browning came in, I asked how we could tell who finished where. He said to just use the times that they got to me at the line. “They probably all ran about the same distance, anyway,” he said. Several times before races he would ask me if I wanted any advice. When I said “yes,” he would say. “Go out hard. Pick it up in the middle. And sprint at the end.”
I knew Browning for over thirty years and I never saw him angry. I know my parents thought that this running thing couldn’t be so bad with a man such as Browning so deeply involved. Browning and my father, who was just about Browning’s age, were very similar: quiet, reserved, and always willing to go out of their way to offer someone help. I think of the two of them often, almost every day, and try the best I can to emulate them. I can’t think of two finer people. I miss them.

Neil Weygant, finisher of 42 consecutive Boston Marathons:
I first met Browning in the Margate 3-mile Beach Run in June 1964 and was immediately impressed with his obvious love of running, his humility, and his sense of humor. By the fall of 1965 I was a regular at Browning’s Middle Atlantic Road Runners Club races and developed many lifelong friendships from the races. He signed me up for his South Jersey Track Club and told me to tell everyone that I had been with them for several months! That club, composed of an eclectic group of young and older runners would go on to win National Championships and other big races. At the start of the race he would always say, “When the going gets tough, quit!” It was his way of relaxing everyone for the challenge ahead. We were very proud when he was chosen as the US team manager for the US International Meet in the 1960s. I still have the postcard he sent from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
It’s hard to believe but for some races Browning would send out the entry blanks, collect the post-entry fees, start the races, often run and win the race, help time the others, and give out the prizes! Truly amazing, especially in this era of mega-races. (Note: One of Browning’s Long Distance Log magazines from 1958 contains an article on the Road Runners Club he had founded as well as race results from the American record he had recently set in the one-hour run.)
I was honored to sit with Browning, wife Sis, and Jack and Jean Pyrah when they were honored at the 75th Anniversary Villanova Track Banquet in 1997. It was an honor to be there with two icons of our sport and their supportive spouses. Sis should be given a lot of credit for “being there” for Browning as he pursued his love of running. Also, his three children (Bonnie, Barry, and Barb) were there for him behind the scenes. I remember showing up early for the 1998 Glassboro 10 Miler. Browning had been honored the night before in Berwick for his 10 victories at the Run for the Diamonds. They had presented him with a scrapbook and we sat in his car and studied the articles. I also remember how many of his friends gathered at the National Distance Running Hall of Fame in Utica, New York to honor him in 2002. I and many others were fortunate to have had Browning as our coach, mentor, and role model. I know his influence will be with us throughout our lives. He is greatly missed, but his memory lives on to inspire us.

Ken Kling was the top runner in South Jersey in the early 1970s and would often run with Browning who was still an excellent runner in his fifties and sixties: "I remember running along in some woods near the Woodbury area and all of a sudden, Browning picks up the pace as we weave through a narrow path. All of a sudden he comes to a complete stop. He laughs and says, “Ken, you turn around here--this is a dead end!” So we turn around and have to get started again.
We’d be running along in the woods and I’d say to Browning, “I’ll be right there, I have to relieve myself.” He says, “Okay,” and as soon as I pull over to the side, without me knowing it, Browning sprints away as fast as he can. When I am done and see how far away he is I have to sprint all the way to catch up to him. Meanwhile as I catch up, he is giving me his famous laugh.
Browning liked to run next to you and tap you on the back of your opposite shoulder. As a reflex you turn in that direction, and Browning would laugh and say, “You’re very easy to fool!”
I remember running a race at Cooper River and it is a real windy day. We are running on the track side of the loop and at that time we ran in the street. During the real windy section, Browning is running right behind me. I notice that as I move to the right, he moves to the right, as I move to the left, he moves to the left. I finally decide to give him a real test and start zigzagging back and forth. He follows my every move. After the race he says, “Ken, you make quite a windbreaker!”

Larry James, Olympic Gold and Silver medal winner 1968, fellow Villanova Hall of Famer, and Stockton College AD who put on a running camp with Browning for years:
I put on a five-mile race at Stockton (Pomona, NJ) and asked Browning for some help as I had no idea what I was doing. He came down and helped me set everything up. About 10 minutes before the race was to start Browning asked me about the prizes. I mentioned that I had gift certificates to the Smithville Inn for age-group prizes. He said, “Then I’m going to run!” He proceeded to get changed to run the race and I started to panic. Sure enough he ran the race. At the finish, runners were coming in from five different directions and I was going crazy! Browning won his age group and the gift certificate. He always kept that “world-class runner guilt if he wasn’t training” thing even when he got older. He told me he had a three-mile course in his house he would run if the weather got bad. He could have been pulling my leg but I believed him!

Vince Phillips ran Browning’s races for decades and is also one of the deans of Burlington County (NJ) cross-country coaches. Vince gave some insight into how Browning designed one of his many courses:
I came down one Sunday with my younger son, Patrick, to run a “TAC certified” 5K in Fasola Park in Deptford, NJ. Pat and I were the first ones to arrive in the parking lot. Browning showed up about two minutes later. I started to get out of my car but Browning came running over and said, “Do you have one of those trip gauges that you can zero?” I said “yes,” Browning jumped in the back seat behind Pat and said, “Turn around here and zero it, then drive out the entrance.” I complied. As we exit the park, Browning tells me to turn right, continue straight, and let him know when the trip gauge gets to 1.5 miles. Again, I dutifully follow the Master’s directions. When we get to 1.5 miles, Browning sees a fire hydrant a few yards up the road and declares, “That’s the turnaround.” So much for TAC certified! I really miss him.

Don Bragg, Olympic gold-medalist pole-vaulter (1960) from Villanova:
Browning was the epitome of a long-distance runner. He kept to himself, and was very calming and easygoing and most of all dedicated to what he believed. That dedication brought him to the pinnacle of his career. My friendship with Browning led me to mentoring his son, Barry, whose life I continue to be a part of. Barry carries on his father’s legacy as pastor of a church in South Jersey. Barry’s mannerisms of kindness, giving, and caring were the traits of his father. It was definitely my pleasure to have known and been a friend to Browning.

Browning’s sense of humor is recalled by all of those he touched. A number of runners who ran for Browning in the 1970s recalled when one of his teams started to repeat a ribald pirate-like chant that had been passed on from upper classman during a track warm-up. “Hey! Knock it off!” said Browning. The team quickly fell silent, sorry for having embarrassed their beloved coach. “What do you think you’re doing? That’s not appropriate.” Again, silence. “Besides, I’ve heard better chants than that--like the Norfolk chant. (Norfolk, we don’t drink or smoke, Norfolk!) With that lesson learned, laughter, and the tension diffused. When one of his runners would mention he was going out to dinner that night Browning would ask where and what time so he “could press my nose outside against the window while you are eating.” Browning mentioned that he had struggled through French class while a senior at Woodbury High. He recalled his French teacher mentioning she had passed him with a clean conscience knowing that he would “never, ever have to speak French again.” Within a year Browning sent her a postcard from France where he was stationed during World War II. He loved to recall stories about his Coach Jumbo Elliott who was as curmudgeonly as Browning was pleasant. His favorite story involved one of Browning’s Villanova teammates telling the legendary Elliott he was a lousy coach.” He said, “Jumbo, I didn’t say you were the worst coach in the world, I just said I’ve seen better!” Browning would laugh at the recollection and it was a good lesson in humility for any coach who would take himself too seriously.

Barbara Ross, Browning’s daughter:
He didn’t talk much about his accomplishments at home. To us he was just a great dad. He always had time for us and all of our activities. He was very encouraging. I really miss his sage advice.

Many of the runners who ran for Browning recall his advice for injuries-- "rub peanut butter on it" and how the freshmen runners always had a faint whiff of peanut butter. Recalls one runner who ran for Browning: "We thought this was his way of discouraging runners from complaining about every little ache and pain and doing it with a sense of humor. I was surprised to read an article in the newspaper 20 years after high school about an Australian study that claimed peanut butter was a great tonic to facilitate recovery if spread on sore muscles. I couldnt believe my eyes. I read the article again and cut it out and gave it to him. Browning read the article, smiled and put it in his pocket: "See, I told you so!" he said.

To read more about Browning Ross and to see videos of him running and putting on his races: http://home.comcast.net/~coachheath/BrowningRoss.html

Excerpted from an article in August 2008 Runners Gazette: www.runnersgazette.com/features/rembrowning.htm

Jonas Cattell 10 mile Race coverage from the 1970's

The Jonas Cattell 10 mile run from Haddonfield NJ to National Park NJ is held each October to commemorate Jonas Cattell's revolutionary war run of the same route (see previous post).
The point to point race is now South Jersey's oldest continuous race, and has featured a who's who of the best runners from Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia over the years.

Attached are newspaper reports on some of the races from the 1970's. (Click on to read). We are still looking for coverage of the first Jonas Cattell race in 1969 to post.