In all, 242 athletes trained in Flagstaff for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympic Games. If these athletes had competed as “Flagstaffians,” the city would’ve placed 10th in the world – just below Italy – in the overall medal count.
– Pine: The Alumni Magazine of Northern Arizona University (Fall 2021)
Flagstaff, Arizona. August 6, 1973.
Dawned on me, take a look at your running diaries. So, I did.
Trip from Danbury, Connecticut was a marathon of its own, but that’s another story.
My recollection is this. When I got to Northern Arizona University, right soon after my first day, I was standing in a maze of rows among the men’s lockers and I hollered overhead, “Anybody want to go for a run?” and this voice answers back, “I do.” and off we went. His name was Ned Frederick.
E.C. Frederick. He was smarter than me, more focused than me, and faster than me, so he became my best friend. And he was a scientist and fun to talk to as we motored along in the fresh mountain air.
Fresh mountain air is how I got there. I was 26.
Worked at IBM’s corporate headquarters in Armonk, New York. Old Orchard Road, I believe. This is back when the founder’s boys ran the company.
I was a night watchman, in truth. And much of the time I was reading. All the executives had magazine subscriptions and there was, I could hardly believe this myself, an actual library.
Architectural Digest was a favorite.
One issue featured ‘The Last Best Places In America.’ Highlighted was the Kennedy’s hunt country in Virginia.
‘The Best Air Left In America’ could be found the environs of Flagstaff, Arizona, AD would have us believe.
Home of Northern Arizona University. Located at 7000 feet above sea-level. Up there.
I had to go back to college somewhere, might as well get some altitude training while I’m at it.
August, Nineteen Seventy-Three
August 12. A week after pulling into town, 80 degrees, 10:15 a.m., 159 lbs., I toed the starting line of the Second Annual Mormon Lake Half Marathon. Finished 8th of 29 in 1:35:47.
Won my first running trophy as the first novice (non-trophy winner previously) to finish in the Open division. Felt like quitting at five miles, again at the turn. Seriously contemplated walking at ten.
Week’s total 67.55 miles.
September 3, 1973. Labor Day remembered. And revisited.
https://www.jackdogwelch.com/?p=12675
Sunday, September 30. 1:30 p.m. Sunny 75 degrees. Ned and I developed at Lake Mary Meadows (7000 ft. altitude) 6.9 miles of cross-country with three not-too-tough hills, some rocky terrain and very deep dust over much of the course. I was actually the first one off the line and was the leader from maybe the first quarter mile – it felt great for a change to see no one ahead of me!
The winner was a runner for the Northern Arizona University track team in a time of 4O:42. I finished second (of fifteen) in 42:08.
October 11. Thursday, 4:30 p.m. NAU Intramural Cross-Country Race. Allegedly 2.5 miles. Finished 7th of 34 finishers in 18:32. Hell, I run faster than that in practice many times. I mean, I felt bad, but I do know my legs were moving.
A few days later, I made a note. Averaging 64 miles per week since leaving IBM. Mileage has increased 11% since arriving in Flagstaff ten weeks ago. Plus the 6500 feet increase in altitude is a fairly large increase of the amount of work.
And then I went to NAU’s new 220-yard indoor track. [Remember my first look at the all-weather outdoor track. Started doing interval workouts right away.]
October 21. Sunday. Phoenix (1500 ft. alt.) At 9:30 a.m., it’s already 85 degrees. KTAR-TV South Mountain Climb. Did not work as hard as I could uphill, though I did on the way back down. Finished 79th of over 180 finishers. 8.55 miles in 57:55 (6:48 pace). Actually thought I felt myself breathing easier because I am, ta-dah, altitude-trained.
Oct. 24. Training shoes have been retired. Just totally worn out. Wore a pair of Nike running shoes (Marathon racing model) which are virtually insufficient . The next day. Ran in Tiger Tahoes, which are too hard for training.
Early afternoon, running west near campus, I remember coming up a hill and seeing a spider about the size of Scottish Terrier. Only furrier. He was gone into the brush before I could get a better look. Son, you not in Connecticut no more, I said inside my head. I talked that way to myself because I was not a little winded. Alone in a new environment, giant spiders everywhere, I felt like a stressed-out Jeff Goldblum.
November 29th, I took up racewalking. Indoors, as the Flag weather already a snowy slog. one mile in 10:14. [Seems so fast now.]
December 9. Sunday. Glendale, 77-79 degrees. Too hot for this Lumberjack! The Arizona AAU Ten-Mile State Championship. Finished 25th (of 41) in 65:05. Splits: 1M 5:47. 5M 32:10. Claiming an hour PR as well as 10M.
Nineteen Seventy-Four
January 16th, 1974. Feel empty. Decided not to run race. Can’t even afford the gas money down to Tempe.
January 20. Sunday. [Must have found a ride.] 2:40 p.m. at Marcos de Niza High School in Tempe. 25Km State Championship. Approximately 65 degrees, overcast. Most of the race course 99.9% flat. Maybe 25 entrants. Finished 14th in a time of 1:43:49. Felt pretty good, however, slowed down considerably last half. (50:50 & 52:59). Lack of competition a cause in part – too few people to chase and/or to flee from. No fluids ingested – a little water might have helped decrease the slowdown. Some cramps, out and back, nothing too terrible but sure not helpful.
I remember I used to really speed up coming by the women’s dorms. Go any fast at all at 7000 feet above sea level, while sucking in your stomach, that’s good training.
February 9. Saturday, Tucson. 9 a.m. 62-64 degrees. Sunny. Finished 20th of 170 starters in a time of 3:04:53 at the Arizona Admissions Marathon. Much into strong headwind, worked quite hard throughout. Ned (Frederick) and Clyde (Dr. Holland) provided super logistical support, highlighted by their specially concocted solution (similar to ERG.) If it did not help physiologically, it certainly was helpful psychologically.
Flat course with fair supervision. Won a nice plaque. This is a PR by almost fifteen minutes. Lost a place or two due to a stop at 21M for defecatory purposes. I was 45th at 10M and 34th at 20M. Fun to count coup.
March 10. Sunday. Phoenix 0745. 45 degrees. 4th Annual Downtown YMCA Half-Marathon. Finished 23rd of approximately 90 starters in 1:21:13 (8th in the open division). Undoubtedly my greatest performance – frankly unbelievable! 5M 30:45; 10M 62:10 (PR!).
Course was flat, if not slightly downhill – first five miles on dirt roads of canal bank. Started out at what I thought was about 6:30 pace; a friend came ripping along, and I just tried to stay with him. We just kept pushing each other for the last 9M. (at 11M, a large blister blew up) Felt like death in last 100 yards.
1:21:13 is, of course, a half-marathon PR.
May 10. Friday (160!) 4 p.m. Two-mile track race. windy. Placed 6th in 12:11.9. Terrible – I’m really surprised I ran that slow.
The next part of the story can be picked up here. https://www.jackdogwelch.com/?p=21348
June 30. Sunday (165) 10 a.m. 3.0 miles easily. 6:15 p.m. Ran four-mile race at Flagstaff City Dump. Finished 5th of nine starters in 24:10. 6:02.5 pace. Very happy with time. [Seems like we put this event on ourselves just for a competition.]
July 27, 1974. Saturday (165 lbs.) 9 a.m. 81 degrees. Flagstaff! 1st Annual Pioneer Day 15 Kilometer (9.3M) Road Race. I finished 35th of about 100 starters. Time was for a pace of . First mile was 5:55 and 3M was 19:21. Really felt terrible from one mile on. Rather a poor performance but am sure it’s another step up… [Those spaces remain blank in my diary. And I have zero memory of the event. Rumor has it I was in the very early lead.]
August 13. Tuesday (162 1/2) 1430-1600 70 degrees. Ran up the side of one of the San Francisco Peaks from approximately 8000 ft. to 11000 feet above sea level. Very poor surface and, of course, quite steep. Totally exhausted upon completion – rough on legs. Effort alone worth ten miles!
August 18 Sunday (165) 10 a.m. 80 degrees. Third Annual Mormon Lake Half-Marathon. Ran the first 10.5 miles easily, then blasted (well, my version of blasting) the remainder. Didn’t feel great and, in fact, ran almost two minutes slower than last year. I was just cruising around. Was surprised as hell when I was awarded a large watermelon for placing 4th in the open division.
Leave for a couple days at Runner’s Mecca in Utah, a high-altitude camp for runner at Bryce Canyon.
The diary goes blank for four days. Imagine there’s a notebook of tasty contemporaneous anecdotes lost somewhere, along with my memories. Do remember riding across a dusty desert with Dr. Ned in the dusty bed of a dusty red pick-up truck, passenger cab full of your indigenous peoples, not all drunk, we hoped, headed home across a dusty reservation.
September 7. Saturday. (164) 11 a.m. Ran in the NAU Invitational Cross-Country Race. Finished 44th in a time of . [space blank.] 5th in the open division, ergo only four non-college runners beat me and two of them are former All-Americans. Legs felt okay during race, but really tired. 3M = 19:20. (race was 4.8 miles.)
September 25. Wednesday (163) 4:30 p.m. NAU Intramural Cross-Country Race. 3M. Finished in 18 flat. Unofficially, Sisu Striders placed eight in the first 18 of a total of 45 runners. Back to back titles. I was 14th, the only member of the championship team to score in both years. [Apparently I was proud of that. Forgive me. I used to be the slow fat kid.]
Next day. “got” a terrible cold last night immediately after the race. DID NOT RUN. FIRST DNR in over six months.
Day after that. (167! aarggh!) 6 p.m. 6.0 mi. easily. Felt pretty good.
Day after that. (166.5) 0915 52 degrees. 3.0M easily. 6 p.m. 9.6 miles hilly and medium pace. Day = 12.6M.
{I like how I was too sick to run and then two days later, I am back to two-a-days and 12.6 miles.,
October 19. Saturday. (163) 4:45 p.m. Second Annual Lake Mary Meadows Cross-Country Run (5.2 miles) Finished 2nd in time of 31:54.5 (6:08 pace). Winner was member of NAU cross-country team in 29:19. One very tough hill right after the start, which I just jogged up. First mile was 6:23. So, last 4.2M was about 6:05 pace. Considering my recent illness, this was a very pleasing performance.
December 8. Sunday (160.5) 2:15 p.m. 64 degrees & very windy. Glendale (Ariz.) Community College. Arizona Road Racers Annual Ten-Mile Championship. Finished 17th or 18th in 63:27. (6:20.7 pace) wind the worst in first 5M. Ran entire 9.7 miles alone. Worked quite hard. [Think this is the race where many fans thought I was winning, as the lead pack was so far ahead of the rest of us. I was the fastest slow racer.] Friend Richard Sliney (NAU alum) finished first in 49:59.
(162.5 lbs.) Must be very careful now that vacation has started. Also, Grandma has sent many goodies.
December 23. Monday. (161.5 lbs.) 4:20 p.m. 13 degrees! Snowing with approximately four inches on the ground. Ran 10.0 really tough miles. Not fast, of course, but worked hard nonetheless. Icicles on my moustache, icicles hanging off my sideburns and the hair on the back of my neck. Had to stop once to open one eye, when the lashes had frozen together. I love a run like this, he said – in retrospect. Tomorrow I turn 28.
Nineteen Seventy-Five
New notebook for 1975. I wrote myself a brief preface to that year’s running diary. Title: 1975.
Goals for this year are somewhat uncertain, for my circumstances are themselves uncertain. An overload this spring semester, a move to an as yet undetermined locale and the commencement of legal studies make plans seemingly less than worthwhile, i.e., approaching any thought of accuracy. Additionally, the more I “study” Zen, the more I realize my philosophy regarding running may change. While I admit to a desire to break certain barriers, e.g., sub-60 minute 10M and sub-2:50 marathon, I think all that I shall desire is only to improve, to enjoy myself, and to remain healthy.
January 19. Sunday (163) 2:30 p.m. 80 degrees! Tempe. Annual 25 Kilometer Road Race. Hadn’t planned on racing this, but got caught up in the competitive atmosphere, despite only 19 starters. Finished 8th overall, 4th in open division, in 1:42:26. Happy with result, considering I trained through race, plus the heat and a lot of wind.
February 1. Saturday (164.5) 10:30 a.m. 60 degrees. Glendale, AZ. First Annual Glendale Thunderbird Half-Marathon. (Actual distance 13.9 mi.) Final time 1:27 flat. A great deal of poor and slow surface, developed three very large, painful & bloody blisters at the 9M mark and had to fight hard not to quit for a couple of miles. Finished 9th in open division and 25th overall. 100 finishers.
February 7. Friday. (164/pulse 47) Noon. Indoors. 4M in 25:22. Testing my new marathon racing shoes (Sao Paulo by EB Sports International Lydiards.) Pace 6:20.5. Happy with time, the way I felt and the shoes – didn’t even warm up. 4:30 p.m. 43 degrees. Ran for 37 minutes. Figure distance just under five miles.
February 15. Saturday. 1975 Tucson Marathon 9:00 a.m. 49 degrees. I finished 21st of 101 finishers of 164 starters. With a PR of 2:51:26. An eight-minute improvement! Conditions were ideal, save for some wind. Went through the first mile in 5:53 and 5M in 32:25. Actually raced this, rather than pacing it for survival. Distress increasing continually from twenty miles, almost quit, but didn’t since I knew I was running a PR. Ran six PRs, it turns out. 15M – Marathon.
March 29. Saturday. (162.5) 67 degrees. 4:30 p.m. Phoenix. 10K race at Encanto Park. Placed 6th in 36:55. A 5:57.2 pace. PRs for both 6M (35:39.2) and 10 kilometers. Felt quite good, hoped to run faster, but I shall….
April 3rd, I ran with Chuck Smead and others on a hilly course. Next day I did the same. Was setting training course records, you can just bet. https://www.jackdogwelch.com/?p=31481
April 5. Saturday (163) Sisu Strider Road Race 5.6-Mile Bow & Arrow Loop. I finished 9th of 20 in 34:07 (6:05.5 pace). Chuck won in 28:06!!! Rolling to flat course, with more than half of race into strong headwind. I am rather pleased with my time, given no rest and adverse wind. Half hour after race, ran ran 3.1M very easily, 7:50 pace.
April 18. Friday (164) San Diego, California. 6 p.m. 5K “race” near the zoo. A weak field and I finished 4th. Time would’ve been quicker but I had to slow a few times to ask directions from runners coming up behind me. 19:27 for what turned out to be a fartlek session.
April 19. 8 a.m. 1975 Western AAU Regional 15-Kilometer Championship. Placed 22nd of approximately 125 finishers. Splits: 1M 5:45 5K 18:23 10K 37:08/18:45 15K 55:41/18:33. Personal record at 5:59.2 pace. My furthest journey on foot at sub-six. Course was flat, with temps about 55 degrees. Good competition caused fast time.
April 26. Saturday (165) Couldn’t afford to get to Boston. G.I. Bill only covers so much. Ran all 18.1M of the “20-Mile March of Dimes Walkathon” in 2:06:52. Nobody said we couldn’t run it. 36 degrees and windy. Just a fraction over 7 min. per mi. Never tried to push it really – just soloed along.
May 10. Saturday (161.5) 5 p.m. 69 degrees. 9.7 miles medium with Richard Selby (Great Britain), a 13:16 3-miler.
May 24. Saturday (165). Prescott (alt. 5200 ft.) Second Annual Mile-High “Marathon” actual distance is 12.3 miles. Finished 15th “officially” of approximately 100 starters. Very grueling race. 75 degrees and very hilly. Walked up one steep hill twice. Time was 76:00. (6:13 pace)
May 30. Friday. (160/44) 9:50 a.m. 55 degrees. 4.7 miles in 35:45 (7:36 pace). /// 4:15 p.m. 68 degrees. 6.3 miles. 4.8 with Ned at 7:31 pace & 1.5M at 7:15 alone. Day = 11.0M.
In case you haven’t noticed, I got my watch fixed. Also: First thing thing I heard this morning was that Steve Prefontaine was killed in an auto crash. Pre was 24 & held seven American records from 2k through 10K.
June 7. Saturday (160.5) 9 a.m. 72 degrees. 5000 ft. altitude. First Annual Jerome Mining Daze Five-Miler. More hippies have moved to town and they changed the course slightly. I finished 4th of 28 starters on a very hilly course in 31:30. (6:18 pace) /// 5:30 p.m. 66 degrees. 5.6 miles cross-country easily. Day = 11M.
June 11. Wednesday. (163.5) Took Pat and dogs to Phoenix to fly to New York. Did not get to sleep until 4 a.m. Skipped morning workout. /// 5:10 p.m. Jogged 1.25M to track. Began running. At 3M, decided to run a 5M “time-trial.” 4M at 7:05 pace and last mile in 6:22 for a 34:42 5M.
June 22. Sunday. 5 p.m. 72 degrees. 6M race at Lower Lake Mary Lodge, south of Flagstaff. Finished 6th of 21 in 37:10. I was the first runner to finish who had not competed for a college. Felt absolutely terrible before, during and after the race. Almost quit at 4M. Have probably overworked the last month.
July 6. Sunday. (160.5) 9 a.m. 72 degrees. 5.75M. Felt pretty good. /// 4:30 p.m. 78 degrees. 11.4 miles of cross-country. Day = 17.15 miles. Week = 102.1. This is my first time over 100 miles per week and at 7000 ft. above sea level!
July 10. Thursday. (160) 8 a.m. 71 degrees. 9.45M easily at under 7:40 pace. Last run in Flag as an NAU student. Now a grad. An alum.
Next day I was in Tucumcari, New Mexico, after 500 miles of driving and five hours sleep. Ran 5M at 7:30 pace. Next day, DNR, headed east.
Flagstaff. Summer 1975. House sold, wife gone, I was sleeping in a buddy’s store. One of my fondest memories is being awakened on The Alpineer’s floor at 7:30 a.m. to go running through some nearby neighborhoods, the smell of breakfast bacon wafting through the early air.
Takes me until about 10 a.m. now before I can move freely.
That may have been me at my best. I squeezed the day hard, every day. Top nearly of the class, a hundred miles in a week, monogamously celibate, a non-drinking drug-free vegetarian. Off to law school. Not sure it sounds like fun when you say it like that.
Before you ask, the wife was at Grandma’s waiting for me. Drove from Flagstaff, Arizona to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, in a VW bug in around twenty-four hours. Solo. Anxious to see her. Grandma, too, of course.
Many years later.
From: Scott Baxter [former co-owner of Flagstaff’s legendary climbing store]
Jack, I have many great memories of our running times together. One of my fondest is looking across the football field from mid-pack and seeing you in the lead on that first lap inside Lumberjack stadium during one of those Pioneer Days 15Ks! —Scott
I located Scott a few years back and I got this note.
Have no memory of that 15K and I’ve lost Scott again.
Apologize for the competitional focus of these recollections. It’s better this way. I was self-coached by something of a maniac. There were stair workouts, observatory runs, tofu loaf for Thanksgiving, there were two-mile repeats, lost in the woods, European goats on the loose and Native American buddies, the devotion of young wives and so much darn fun.
Must have been all that fresh air.
Because we were sure high on something.