Did you ever do the Rock House Triathlon or the St. Mary’s Relay? Maybe the Mayor Daly Marathon? If you did I bet you didn’t do in a Wabash Valley Pacemaker singlet. As you might have guessed you would have to have been running for a while to have these adventures. I recently sat down for a morning coffee Tony DuBois and his wife Linda as we talked about these events as well as a life time of family and running
Tony is a 71 year old retired Local 133 Carpenter who has spent most of his life in West Terre, in the “Rock House” to be specific. He has been running since high school cross country and track, including a stint at West Vigo. In 1968, he, his high school sweetheart (now wife), Linda and young son Danny, returned home because, as Tony put it ,” I just didn’t like California”.
Tony returned to running a few years later at age 29, as the “Frank Shorter” running boom was in full swing. For those who were not around at the time, the first running boom in America was ignited by Shorter’s victory in the Olympic Marathon in 1972; the first American to win since Johnny Hays in. 1908. We are currently a part of the second running boom.
Time for a little trivia lesson concerning the 1908 Olympics and its significance…
The Olympics were held in London. The original course was changed when the Queen decided she wanted to watch the much heralded Marathon. The course was changed to finish on the track in the White City Stadium and 100,000 people were on hand to watch the finish. Prior to this the distance for the marathon varied 24,25 or 26 miles (not sure how far Pheidippides ran). This particular one was to be 26 miles. However the distance did not accommodate the athletes finishing in front of the Queen. Illuminating the fact that politics can change rules, 384 yards were added to the distance and that distance is still the standard for the 26.2 miles that we use today. Back to the race! The Italian Darando Pietro entered the stadium first. Shortly afterward he collapsed, got up and collapsed again, eight times before the finish, each time he was helped up and eventually crossed the finish line some 80 yards ahead of Hays. Hays contested the victory and was named the winner. Oddly enough the English crowd was upset and wanted the Italian to win. This was before WW I and II , after which the English liked us.
Now, back to Tony… Having begun running for health reasons, the first few years of running were mostly around the neighborhood (still one of the area’s top places to train). Running attire consisted of high top basketball shoes and long johns for winter (I’m trying not to picture this). In time, running shoes became more available, first Pumas and then Adidas and New Balance. As Tony’s running spread out of the neighborhood he came in to contact with other runners and joined the recently formed Wabash Valley Pacemakers in 1979. The Pacemakers eventually morphed into the Wabash Valley Roadrunners.
Tony and other members of the Pacemakers raced frequently, about every other weekend, many races taking place in Bloomington, IN and Danville, IL, home of the Kennekuk Roadrunners, a fellow RRCA club, who still host several outstanding events. Some of those early runners were Bob Trench, Dick Lockhart, Bob Lemont and Tom Newlin. Bob can still be seen on the roads of Park County and Tom is still around, but on a bike. These were a competitive group not only racing but among themselves, their weekly 10 mile hovered around a 6 minute pace.
Along with the out of town races there were some good ones here as well, for a few years in the late 70’s and early 80’s we had the Marathon Marathon right here in TH.
The course started and finished Fairbanks Park heading south and west before turning around. In 1979 Tony ran a 2:58 on the course. Marathon times in this period were about 10 to 15 minutes slower than they are now, no Gu, not even Gatorade, just water and running. There are several other races that stand out in Tony’s memory .
Eastern Express hosted and sponsored the State AAU Championship in the early 80’s and Tony won the state age group in the 35-40 bracket . Tony, Bob Trench and a few other Wabash Valley Pacemakers ran the inaugural Mayor Daly Marathon on 1988. The following year the name was changed to the Chicago Marathon. The Paris Honeybee 10k also stands out as it was the first time little 12 year old Danny beat his dad with a 10k time of under 38 minutes. Little Danny is still a pretty decent runner. In spite of finishing well to the front, Danny always got the little trophies because he got the kid medal. (He has solved that now by going for overall.)
In 1988 Tony was injured in an accident while working at the Sewage Treatment Plant. The injury was so severe there was thought of amputating his leg. After a long recovery Tony began running again. A few seconds were gone but the heart was still there. There would be a little more biking and a little more swimming. Unfortunately there weren’t many Tri’s around. Tony and Danny both competed in the Terre Haute Triathlon, but the real answer was to just have one. Tony and Linda (none of this happens without Linda) decided to just organize one. The result was the Rock House Triathlon. It started at St. Mary’s Pool then the bike to the “Rock House” and finishing with a running loop and back to the “Rock House” and a party, all hosted by Tony and Linda. Awards were mostly handmade. Tony, Linda and a few others also organized the St. Mary’s Relay, a 3 member team relay event. The relay was on a 5 mile loop around St. Mary’s Village. Team consisted of an under 18, an at large runner and senior. It ended with refreshments at the school house. The relay was sponsored by a few local merchants who raised 100-150 dollars.
Family and running have always been central parts of the life of Tony DuBois. As he talks about the early days of timing very young Danny around his uncle’s driveway, to narrating the many long biking adventures of the father and son, you can see his eyes light up with a lifetime of memories and joy. One of those memories is running the Milwaukee Lakeside Marathon with his daughter Kim, her first and Tony’s last marathon. A couple of years ago Kim flew out from Oregon and her daughter from Washington, to join the rest of the family at the Indy Mini. Three of the five were training as members of Trained in Terre Haute. Couple of years ago Danny, his daughter Anna and sister Kim also teamed up for the Hood to Coast relay.
Looking back, Tony says the running has kept him alive and mentally helped to enjoy a well-balanced life. According to Tony, there is nothing quite like that “runner’s high” when you just want to keep on going. It does get addictive. His word to all of us are, “Sometimes it’s hard to get going but you will never be sorry you ran and don’t quit until you have to.” Last year Tony had a knee replacement and is not allowed to run anymore, but you can still see him Saturday morning walking at TNT. Old runners never die, we just slow down and remember when and smile. Say hi to Tony!
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