“For a runner to trace his ROOTS is to Jack a pilgrimage.”
Headline of the Sports section of The COMMUNITY PRESS, Salem Oregon. (May 24, 1978.)
Written by Rich Addicks Sports Writer. – JDW
Me telling Chuck Smead how I’m gonna kick his ass. Chuck Smead dumbfounded at the thought.
In a non-genealogical way, Jack Welch will be tracing his roots. At least that’s what he’ll tell you. But really it’s more genealogical than non.
For Jack, running is a way of life. Physically, running is an everyday ritual. Mentally, Jack is publisher of Running, The Magazine For Thinking Runners.
With such an enthusiasm for the sport, it seems only natural that running is in his blood. So when Jack partakes in the reincarnation of the first marathon in Athens, Greece, he will not only be tracing but also experiencing his roots.
“I don’t like to get too philosophical,” said Jack, “but this could be related to some kind of pilgrimage. A sort of non-genealogical return to your roots.”
The roots of the marathon go back to 486 B.C. when a runner named Pheidippides was sent to Athens to deliver the good news that the Greeks had defeated the Persians in battle. Upon telling the news, Pheidippides dropped dead.
Jack has no plan of dropping dead at the finish, if he finishes.
Although Pheidippides ran slightly more than twenty-two (22) miles, the marathon today has grown to twenty-six miles and three-hundred-and-eighty-five yards. 26.2M.
“I’m not sure if I can run twenty-six (26) miles,” said Jack, who has recently been plagued with a knee injury. “So far, I’ve seen nine (9) doctors.
“If I can keep running, and keep my leg in a straight manner, I should be able to make it. There are eight (8) miles of hills in the middle of the race. I just hope I don’t break down.”
In preparing for the race, Jack has not been happy with his workouts. “For the year, I’ve averaged fifty-six (56) miles a week and recently seventy (70) miles a week. But that’s not what I want to run.
“Last week in training I ran fifteen (15) miles fast enough, I could’ve walked the last eleven (11),” said Jack, roaming his small apartment, stretching and talking.
“If I up my training, I will injure myself or wear myself out. Fatigue is just another injury. But because I’m such a good runner mentally, that allows me to perform.”
Although Jack is enthusiastic about the May 28 run, which will take him over much the same path as Pheidippides and into the stadium of Athens “filled with drunken Greeks,” he has other business in Greece.
“Really, I’m too slow to go as a runner,” said the 31-year-old publisher. “Someone told the organizers that the two best running magazines in the world were Runner’s World and mine.
“They called Runner’s World, and as usual, didn’t get any help. So they called me and got plenty. To show their gratification, I get a free trip.”
Aside from being one of the speakers at the “Marathon Festival Week,” Jack also helped organizers round up a field of outstanding running experts.
Until six years ago, running was something Jack did at basketball practice. One day in practice, he sprained his ankle and could only run forward.
“One day I was running – this was indoors around a basketball court – I saw this little old man running. I tried to catch him, and finally did five (5) miles later. I found the difference between being in pretty good shape and being in good shape.
“Then the YMCA was offering free T-shirts to anyone who completed one hundred miles. 100M. I wanted a T-shirt. I didn’t know by the time you run one hundred (100) miles, you become addicted. Since then, I’ve been running every day, except when injured or sick.”
On the doorstep of Jack’s apartment sit running shoes. Inside is a picture of Steve Prefontaine, and on the fireplace mantel is a picture of Jack at the end of a race with “search your soul, then run like blazes” underneath.
“I often ask myself why I run. Some days I don’t because my knees hurt so much. But the pain in my knees gives me another barrier to overcome. So when I’m through, the accomplishment is much greater.
“Running is better than sex.
“There’s more to running than running.
“Running is a lifestyle.
“It’s how you perceive your environment and your relationship to it.”
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