Sisters man runs Boston Marathon

While growing up in Utah, 9-year-old Barrett Ford and his friend watched their older brothers run high school cross-country. They looked up to their brothers and thought they should follow in their footsteps. More recently, however, Ford's feet have taken him on his own unique path.

On April 16, Ford completed the famous Boston Marathon in a time of 3 hours, 55 minutes. It fulfilled a dream he's had since watching Boston's legendary runner, Bill Rodgers, in the '70s. Even better, Ford and his wife, Jodi, got to meet Rodgers, as well as former world-class runners Alberto Salazar and Dick Beardsley, who were celebrating the 30th anniversary of their famous Boston Marathon duel.

"My Boston Marathon experience was truly everything for which I could have hoped - other than the extreme heat during the race," Ford said.

Ford, 45, said the temperature was 80 degrees when the gun went off at the start, and 90 degrees when he finished.

Training in Central Oregon, Ford didn't have much chance to prepare for hot weather.

"I'd put in the appropriate training, but I usually have to squeeze it in early in the morning," he said. "I don't remember running without gloves yet this year."

Ford is a physical therapist who owns Step & Spine Physical Therapy in Sisters and Redmond.

He said he had to adjust to a slower pace during the race and "down the fluids like crazy." He is an "old-school purist" and prefers to keep fluids and nutrition to a minimum during a race.

"It used to be part of the challenge," he said. "We've definitely come a long way since then."

Because of the day's conditions and his lack of heat training, this marathon was his second-slowest time. But overall, he's happy with the results.

"I don't know how you can come away from an experience like that deflated," he said.

Jodi Ford said her husband is a competitive athlete, but she saw that he ran smart and strong through the record temperatures. A runner herself, Jodi said that it takes discipline and experience to run at a proper pace in extreme heat.

The couple ventured to Boston four days early and stayed a couple days after the race.

"I think the whole Boston experience was absolutely amazing," Jodi said. The couple enjoyed the celebrations of Patriot's Day and took in a Red Sox game at Fenway Park, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary.

Ford's first marathon experience was the Deseret News Marathon in Salt Lake City. He was 11 and running consistently, but no further than five or six miles. When his older brother signed up for the race, Ford said, "What the heck. If he can do it, I can, too.

"I had no clue what I was getting into," Ford said. "I had these bright yellow and orange Pro Wing shoes from Payless that somewhat resembled running shoes. By the time I finished the marathon, I had blisters on almost the entire surface of both my feet and I knew intimately what 'the wall' was. I'd never heard that term before."

His grandfather was so understanding that Ford had a week off from picking fruit in his grandfather's orchard.

Since then, Ford, who says he's not the fastest but enjoys long runs, has competed in about 20 marathons. Eighteen months ago, he qualified for the Boston event at Utah's St. George Marathon in a time of 3:10.

Next up for Ford could be a water competition.

"I really would love to learn how to swim efficiently," he said.

He may just cross another item off his bucket list and sign up for an Ironman triathlon.