News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
For veteran Sisters marathoner Spurge Cochran, his ninth race held a special significance. He was one of the 37,000 runners who took part in the 100th running of the Boston Marathon April 15.
"It's an honor to run in America's oldest marathon and to run in the centennial of the event is really an athletic honor," Cochran said.
The race drew 1.5 million spectators who lined the race route to shout encouragement for the sea of runners. Cochran, who ran in the middle of the pack, said the crowd cheered louder for the runners in the pack than they did for the elite runners who led the race.
Cochran said it took him nine minutes just to get to the starting line when the race kicked off, so though his official time was three hours and 47 minutes, his actual net time was 3:30.
The 42-year-old Sisters contractor took up running marathons 19 months ago after dedicating himself to a demanding training schedule of 40-50 miles per week. He ran his first marathon at age 40.
"I just found it was a good stress reliever for me," Cochran reflected. "I've got a knack for running long distances; I guess my body's made for it."
Cochran urged anyone who is interested in marathoning to give it a shot. "It's within anybody's reach," he said.
He encourrages marathoners to get involved in the multitude of charity events surrounding the sport, where people pledge money for charities based on runner's efforts.
"That'll keep you real motivated," he said.
Cochran now plans to scale back his training for a little while, then focus on training for his next aspiration as a runner: ultra-marathons.
He plans to compete in the Leadville 100, a grueling 100-mile endurance test in the Colorado Rockies.
"I definitely have my sights set on that, but it'll take me a couple of years to get there," he said.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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