Bob Hodge’s Serial Running Novella
Ohme–Hochi 30K Road Race 1980
As a result of my third-place finish at the Boston Marathon in 1979, I received an invitation to run in this prestigious road race in Japan, held in mid-February. I had heard many good things about this event and had even met some of the organizers and main sponsors of the event as well as Japan Association of Athletics Federations (JAAF) officials at the Eliot Lounge in Boston.
Some representatives from Ohme, Japan, attended Boston each year in a reciprocal relationship. American athletes were chosen on the basis of their performance at Boston. This would be my second international race invitation, the first being the trip to Sydney (but just for the weekend!) to run the City to Surf Road Race. Two other top American runners, Tom Fleming and Randy Thomas, would be accompanying me, along with a representative from the Boston Athletic Association (BAA). I looked forward to this event right from the time I learned of my invitation. The 30K in February would be a good opportunity to test my fitness, with my ultimate goal being the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Buffalo at the end of May.
Unfortunately, I had developed a bone bruise on my heel. I had switched shoe company sponsors a few months earlier, going from New Balance to Reebok, who were then trying to establish in North America after a long history of shoe-making in England. The New Balance was a very straight-lasted shoe, and Reebok was the opposite with their banana last. It took some time to adjust. Mainly, I had gone with them because they offered me substantially more money, which I could not afford to turn down in any case. And, as I mentioned before, I was a bit insulted by the New Balance offer. I felt I was performing as well or better than athletes who were making more money with them.
In February I would drive to Miami to run for a few days with Tom “TF” Fleming, who would be making the trip to Ohme with me. TF was based in a house there with some other runners, all of whom were passing the winter months in a more hospitable climate. The South Miami running community was supportive, and the house had been arranged with help from the organizers of the Orange Bowl Marathon.
I had known TF for a few years through his connection to the Boston Marathon and his involvement with New Balance when I was still with them. Tom shockingly passed away in April of 2017, and a flood of memories returned from this time in my life. I will take a few paragraphs to reminisce about him before continuing with my narrative.
TF Flyer, Tom Fleming: I best remember our time in that vacationing professor’s house in South Miami in the winter of 1980. Tom and his wife Diane were pure New Jersey. Every single morning TF would run 15 miles and drag me with him through Coconut Grove with the parrots squawking overhead in the crushing heat and humidity of a Miami winter morning. I would wake up to TF’s knocking on the door and then his voice, “Bobby, time for your medicine.”
By the time we got to the end of the first block, TF was two or three steps ahead of me and there he generally stayed; other days I only tried to keep him in sight. TF only stopped on a run to poop; I always hoped he would need to so I could catch a breather. Of course, if I stopped for any reason, TF was gone. Sometimes though, just at the end of our run, we would stop at a bridge crossing to look for manatees that would congregate there.
The house had avocado trees, which I thought were quite exotic, and I tried avocados for the first time in my life and loved them. We would finish our runs, and I would sit on the stoop for an hour staring into space with Pepsi and water and what-not along with avocados. TF would immediately be off to the next thing, making plans with Diane for the day. We had visits from other runners, including Bill Rodgers, Kirk Pfeffer, and Guenter Mihelke. We watched the Winter Olympics in the evenings, including the USA Hockey Team “miracle” victory.
We were dreaming our own Olympic dream—that is why we had come to Miami—but now the boycott loomed. One day on our morning run I bonked and just started walking. TF never looked back. My mind was in a storm. “What am I doing here, getting run off my feet every freakin’ day with no Olympics”? When I got back I started packing up my Mustang and getting ready to drive home.
TF just shook his head at me. “Carter ain’t gonna stop this thing if the USOC has any balls. If they don’t, we just run Boston instead. I would rather win Boston than anything!” On the weekend, TF and Diane went to a race somewhere and I traveled to Jacksonville and won the River Run 15K. The hard effort was bearing fruit.
During our time in Florida, TF and I traveled to the Ohme 30K in Japan, which was an awesome trip. In 1986, we traveled to New Zealand together: Tom and then-wife Barbara and their month-old child Margo. So many memories of TF, who I last saw in Eugene, Oregon, at the 2016 Olympic Trials. See you down the road, buddy.
The first rumblings of an Olympic Boycott had begun, and I was more or less in denial. Did running in a Trials race make any sense if there would be no USA participation? In the context of a potential parallel competition, Bill Rodgers said in the Boston Globe at the time, “I have no intention of competing in the Trials or in any pseudo, bogus competition…I’d rather run Boston. It’s more prestigious than whatever they put together as a one-shot competition.”
February 13th—Arrived in Ft. Lauderdale on Friday evening; stayed at Almer Davis’s house. Ran a low-key 5-mile race on Saturday, and Billy Threadgold from Boston was there. We ran together and tied for first. Spent the rest of the day relaxing and drinking beer. Went down and met TF on Saturday evening and ran 18-miler on Sunday with Tom; felt good. Weather is very hot and humid.
TF and I traveled to New York City together and spent a night at an airport hotel. We were planning to run, but it was one of those places where you could not safely go any distance without being in the road with speeding traffic. We wound up running over 100 laps around a parking garage to get in our 10-miler.
When we arrived in Tokyo (Tom, Randy Thomas, Rod from the BAA, and I), we were met by representatives from the JAAF and some media. Over and over we were asked, “How is your condition?” I thought of the First Edition song Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) and sang a verse to Randy and TF every time they asked.
Flew to NYC on Sunday; took it easy at hotel Sunday evening. Talked to Frannie on Monday morning, then flew to Tokyo, arrived and were met by a contingent of media and JAAF officials and taken out by Mr. Yo Furakawa; the Japanese are great! Woke up at 7 this morning; had coffee in the Garden Room of the hotel. Went for 10-miler with Tom at 8 around the Imperial Palace.
February 14th—Spent the day yesterday at the Hochi Newspaper. Then press conference and pictures at the Palace. We had lunch at the offices and watched a Boston Marathon film. Went for a 10-mile run in the evening and had dinner downstairs in the coffee shop. Hit the hay around 9:30. Got up at 7:00 this morning, had breakfast, and went out for 10-mile run. Afterwards went sightseeing to the Olympic Stadium and out in the suburbs, a more traditional Japanese area, where we visited temples and did some shopping. We had lunch in a small restaurant and then went to the Ginza District, where we did some more shopping. So much to see and do.
February 15th—Went out for second 10-mile run yesterday afternoon; tired and foot sore: heel tendon, icing foot. Went out to barbecue dinner in the garden; great meal of steak, lamb, chicken, and vegetables. We then went out to the Sable, a very famous place with all of the American runners. We had many beers and sang songs, with Mr. Furakawa playing the piano. Slept late this morning and had room service breakfast of French toast with honey and coffee with TF. Afterwards, went out and did some shopping, and I am now relaxing in my room, writing postcards and napping. The Tiger Shoe rep came by and gave us rain suits and fitted us for racing shoes.
The treatment we received as athletes in Japan was completely overwhelming. The representatives from Tiger Shoes were trying to win us over, even though they knew we were all involved in deals with their competitors. We took all the free stuff they gave us, however, including racing flats that were made to our feet. All these years later I still have the shoes, barely ever worn and never in a race.
We were taken to The Palace Hotel just a few blocks from the Imperial Palace, which had a three-mile walkway around it where it seemed every runner in Tokyo would run. Of course, TF would have to chase down any runner who had the audacity to pass us while we were covering our daily miles around the palace.
Each day preceding the race was planned out for us: museums, palaces, the Olympic Stadium, and so on. We were also hosted at a JAAF official’s home where we watched a recording of the Japanese television coverage of the 1979 Boston Marathon. It was all fun but also tiring along with the fairly heavy mileage, racing the locals around the palace with TF. The day before the race we took the Bullet Train to Ome, and I was impressed with the efficiency and comforts in comparison with our fair city Boston.
February 17th—It has been a long and wonderful day except for the race in which I bombed. Randy set a new course record in winning. Had a fine dinner tonight at a wealthy older Japanese man’s house – excellent. Felt very sluggish in the race after the first 12K. Tomorrow we are going up to the mountains for more sightseeing, and we are back in Tokyo, staying at the New Otani.
I was anxious for the race, and my trepidation proved correct when I quickly fell back from Randy and the lead group. I ran a lackadaisical effort and finished 11th. Randy, who had been training in New Zealand, ran perhaps his finest race ever, winning in a then-world-best road time for 30K. TF finished just behind me and struggled as well.
I was disappointed with my race but learning and growing as a person and realizing that one should never get too high after a good race or too low after a bad one. Keeping an even keel was easier said than done. The next day I was up early and went out for a run on my own. It was lightly snowing and was very quiet and beautiful after having spent the majority of our time in the country in a bustling crowded city. I felt very at peace in this place.
February 20th—It is almost 9 in the morning; we spent last night at the Sable after pizza at Shakey’s. On Monday morning we drove out to Hakone, which is near a National Park in the mountains; very beautiful with views of Fuji. We stayed at a Japanese-style hotel on a lake; a most magnificent setting. We had dinner Japanese-style and many beers and sake. The next morning, we awoke to about four inches of snow and counting. I went out for a 40-minute run in the snow; it was beautiful. Afterwards I had a warm bath and shower and then breakfast. We spent the morning and early afternoon travelling by taxi and train to Tokyo and checked into the New Otani around 3. We went out for a 10-mile run around the Palace and then went to the Sable. We are scheduled to leave on Friday.
February 20th—Got up and went for 72-minute run from the hotel Shimbayu Tokyo Inn; not the best place to run from. Very busy streets. Eventually, we found the Olympic Stadium and ran loops around the outside of it. Had dinner last night with TF, Randy, and Maki from Moonstar Corp. Had sukiyaki vegetables and beer. Had a final lunch today with the people from the Hochi Newspaper at a Chinese restaurant. Went shopping after lunch and came back and had a nap then went out to dinner at an Indian restaurant.
Ever since I have arrived in Japan I have been dragging because there is so much to do, and I have fallen from my normal routine of doing things. Tomorrow we are off back to the States. This trip has been an awesome experience. I hope I will be better prepared if I get to race here again in the future.
After the race we traveled to Hakone, a resort in the shadow of Mt. Fuji. It was wonderful where we stayed: a Japanese-style hotel. It was funny watching TF try to stick his size-13 feet into the little slippers they provided as we entered the hotel. We retired to our rooms, briefly grabbed our robes, and went to the hot-spring-fed baths for a soak. Afterwards we donned our “happy coats” and sat down cross legged at a table to feast on traditional Japanese food. I shied away from the shellfish, leery of an allergic reaction. I enjoyed the sukiyaki and, of course, sake in little wooden cups.
February 22nd—Got up at 8 this morning and went for an hour and twenty minute run with Randy and TF. Legs are beginning to come around. It was an uneventful day; had breakfast and lunch with Randy and Mr. Maki and then went to the airport. Our flight left at 5, and we are expected to land in San Francisco around 9 on Friday morning. It will be good to get back to Florida and back into normal groove of things. I did so poorly in the race that I am anxious to train hard again, but life is a yo-yo.
February 25th—Got in 12 miles Friday morning in Tokyo around a park near the Olympic Stadium. We caught our flight at 5 and got into SF at around 9 on same day Friday. Went out for 6-mile run at the airport and then had a sandwich and caught our flight to Miami.
We arrived at 11 at night; a very boring tired flight. Got a good night’s sleep of around 11 hours and went for 10 miles on Saturday night. Felt sluggish; very hot and humid 80s. Ran 14 Sunday morning and 10 in the afternoon. Went out for 14 this morning and bonked; had to drag myself in.
Our tour continued part way to the top of Mt. Fuji where many make the pilgrimage. Our hosts had provided us with very liberal per diem monies to buy gifts and mementos. I bought a set of woodcuts by Hokusai (100 Views of Mt. Fuji), and also a jewelry box and Hakata doll for my then-girlfriend Frannie.
On the trip home, TF and I talked about our future in running and wondered how things would turn out. We were optimistic that the USA would send a team to the Olympics and that professional running was right around the corner. We were planning a trip up to Boca Raton the next week where Billy Rodgers had decamped. There would yet be many more wake-up calls from TF: “Time for your medicine, Hodgie.”
February 28th—Training much improved over the last few days. This should be my highest week so far in FLA, possibly my highest week ever. Billy and Ellen were down for the last few days, and yesterday we went to the Everglades and walked around and went for an airboat ride. I did a track workout at a local high school track yesterday, five repeat miles in 4:54 with Bill and TF.
I hope that the weather will remain nice, but it will probably be getting quite a bit warmer. I am planning on three more weeks here and then about a 5-day drive back north. This weekend I head over to Clearwater and pack up my stuff from there. Frannie is coming down on Sunday morning, and I will drive back here to Miami on Sunday afternoon.
Bill and Ellen Rodgers came to visit from Boca Raton for a few days, and it was the first time I witnessed Billy eating his pizza with mayonnaise. Bill had become known for his legendary diet as well as his athletic prowess. I had always assumed he ate cold pizza with mayo, but this was actually hot pizza and mayo. Yuck!
March 9th—Training going very well. Frannie came down last week, and we spent most of the week training up in Boca West at Bill and Ellen’s place. I took Frannie to the airport last night. It was great she came down; I really like her a lot and all. This weekend I plan on running a 15K race in Jacksonville and Brad will be there, visiting his brother and running the race as well. The last few weeks have gone by very fast, and soon I head back home.
When we were visiting Bill in Boca, we set out one afternoon to a local school to do a track workout. Bill had been told the location of the track, but we were running all around some athletic fields, around and around, and still no track. At some point, as we were about to give up, we noticed some white lines on the grass and followed them around what appeared to be a quarter-mile track.
So, we did a mile to test it out and continued to do four more – my first ever workout on a grass track.