Close your eyes and imagine what you dreamed of as a 12-year-old boy... hitting a walk-off World Series home run? Throwing a game-winning touchdown in the Super Bowl? Winning an Olympic Gold Medal? Mike Spinnler dreamed of winning the JFK 50 Mile Ultra.

Inspired by his older brother, Bill, he ran his first JFK 50 at age 12! "Hey Dad, can you please sign this permission slip??" Finishing in 14:19, he was mind-boggled that someone could complete the race 8 hours faster (Elton Horst, 6:15) and proceeded to tell his dad, "one day I'm going to WIN the JFK!"

And win it he did, in an epic duel in 1982 with Paul Jost and Bill Lawder, running 5:53:05, setting the course record that would stand for 12 years. Mike came back and defended his title in 1983, joining the great Max White as the only repeat champions.

In this episode:

-We cover the history of the JFK 50, Mike's quest to win, meeting mentors—Buzz Sawyer and Coach Greg Shank—who profoundly influenced him. Training and racing with Terry Baker

-Mike brings us out on the course for 1982 Boston Marathon AKA "The Duel In the Sun," where he ran 2:28 and shared amazing tales about that legendary weekend where Salazar famously held off Beardsley

-The joy he felt coaching Susan Graham-Grey, a blind mom-of-3 to an Olympic Trials Marathon qualifier

-Lessons learned as a race director, coach, and sharing and paying it forward for the next generation as he was taught

Mike has lived a huge life, making enormous contributions as an elite athlete, race director of JFK (since 1993), and coach in his beloved community. This episode is about GRATITUDE and paying it forward to the next generation of runners, as Mike was taught by his mentors William "Buzz" Sawyer and coach Greg Shank.

Mike is a gifted storyteller with a remarkable memory and such a passion for life. I hope you all enjoy this conversation as much as we did!

If you enjoy the episode, it would mean the world to me if you would rate the podcast or write a review and share feedback wherever you get your podcast groove on.

Connect With Mike:

Instagram: @jfk50mile

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mike.spinnler

Website: https://www.jfk50mile.org

Connect With Ron:

Personal Instagram: @ronrunsnyc

Podcast Instagram: @runchats_with_ronrunsnyc

Facebook: https://fb.me/runchats

Website: https://ronrunsnyc.com

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© 2021 Ron Romano