Larry Jewell

Time once again for a marathon preview. One of the athletes in this year's St. George Marathon is a resident of Utah's Dixie, Jay Cooper. Now, Cooper began almost 10 years ago as a distance runner. But what took him from relatively short distances to the 26 miles plus yardage of a marathon, a good pair of shoes, and learning that the difference between being able to go out and log 2 to 5 miles and being able to get up into the endurance distances is basically a matter of your equipment. And it really is the shock absorption through the padding that's now available as far as inserts into shoes. And the technology of the shoes themselves have evolved to the point that even a person that's relatively husky can get out and literally pound their bones for hours at a time and really minimize the amount of harm that they're doing. So that's what enabled me, in my particular instance, to break that barrier. Who becomes a distance runner? It's not always the high school athletes that were track stars and long distance runners that just carry it over into their lives. Many of us were pizza eaters and 40 pounds overweight. And there comes a point in your life to where you're faced with the question that you have to answer, and that is, how long do you want to live here on this planet? And the answer for Jay Cooper. I felt like that was my situation. And at £230 and a consistent pizza overeater, you might say I decided that for health reasons, I would start into some kind of a regular program. Jay Cooper, one of the athletes in this year's St. George Marathon. Join KDXU Saturday morning for coverage of the St. George Marathon. Time once again for a marathon preview. One of the veteran runners in this year's St. George Marathon is Jay Cooper. But Cooper did not begin by trying to run a marathon. I actually started walking and I just. I found that after a few months of walking, I found that I just. I didn't consciously make an effort and decide that one day I will be a runner. I want to be like those people. I would like to be like those people. That's not the way that I got into this sport. I evolved completely on my own. I had no companionship. Most runners do not begin running distances trying to become a marathoner. There's a quote that we all make when we start running, when we're young, in the stages, and we first get excited about it, and it's pretty much universal. We will all say, I enjoy my running. I will always be able to keep it in perspective. And you will never see me out there with those fools running those marathons. That's crazy. But what about the competitive urge? And the other statement that goes hand in hand with that one would be, I will never run competitively. I do not desire to run that fast, to make that much work and put forth that much of an effort into something that I consider a pleasure. So what eventually happens to the runners who say that? And we all do it, we almost all do it. You just evolve to the point to where the physical ramifications that set in over the course of a long period of time win you over. And you find yourself competing at your own level, of course. And as that level improves, you find yourself increasing, getting better. And then of course, you look at a marathon. St. George veteran runner Jay Cooper, who will be involved in this year's St. George Marathon, join KDXU for coverage of the St. George Marathon Saturday morning. Time once again for a marathon preview. One of the athletes in this year's St. George Marathon is Jay Cooper, who claims that marathon running is overblown to the public. I believe that it's been glorified in the early stages of the sport. I believe it was overly glorified. By the marathoners. I believe that they were essentially patting themselves on the back, making more out of their accomplishments than actually were warranted. And that is, they were few enough in the beginning. Anybody that looks at running that far, that is, I mean, you have to wonder if we're sane. But as you really look around and as you really become involved in the sport, it's not that fantastic of a feat in itself. This is not an outsider. This is a man who will be running his fifth St. George Marathon. But what about the walls that are hit and the pains and the agonies? Well, there are for certain individuals, but there's a difference there between your bird bodied runner's physique, if you will. The kind of person that once he runs out of gas, once he uses up all the energy that he can store in his body, then he's going to hit the wall, run out of gas. But what about most runners? Most of us out there with a little spare tire around our midriff and with the having the middle aged spread set in, has enough in their metabolism to put themselves through the course of the marathon and never run out of gas. But so many runners talk about hitting the wall, but for the average guy out there on the street, he's just, it's, it's a matter he hits the wall because he's been told that he's going to hit the wall and when he gets to that 18 or 20 or 22 mile point, what he's feeling is he's tired. Jay Cooper continues this runner's heresy with this statement. I can literally take almost anybody hand picked and in 90 days, assuming that there's no heart problems, cardiovascular or respiratory problems, no severe or extreme problems in their in their muscle structure or in their bone structure, in their skeletal system and in 90 days time can take them through a marathon. Finish the marathon, finish it strong, feel good about the time that they ran, run a respectable time and play around the golf at the end. Jade Cooper, one of the runners in this year's marathon. Join KDXU for coverage of the St. George Marathon Saturday morning. Time once again for a marathon preview. Before any major race such as the St. George Marathon, thousands of hours of preparation take place. Non athletic preparation. Kent Perkins, St. George Leisure Services director, heads the organization and the preparation begins. Prepare for the next marathon immediately after the one that's coming, of course, but I would say the majority of our planning starts somewhere in June. May probably would be a better shot. And when do the entries go out? The entry forms usually go out in the mail about the first week of June. The preparation includes many details, including the course. Of course. In order for us to be able to do what we wanted to do this year, we had to re certify our course with the tac, which is the Athletic Congress. This certification has allowed the St. George Marathon to be a qualifying race for the Olympic trials. Now there are other details. Volunteer organizations to help. We are really numerous. We have well in excess of 400 volunteers every year and that's scout groups, mutual groups, service organizations, clubs, local individuals, just numerous businesses and security. We have a fine sheriff's department, police department, sheriff's jeep patrol, and we work very closely with those three entities and they in turn work with the highway patrol. So we have, I believe, excellent security on the course. Now, the St. George Marathon began with just a few dozen runners, has expanded to 1700 last year and 2,200 this year. Will the race grow in future years? It very well may, but only if we feel that we can provide a quality race every year so that if we increase the number of motel rooms or buses or transportation that's available, then we then in turn can increase the number of runners. St. George Leisure Services Director Kent Perkins join Katie Xu for continuing marathon coverage. Time once again for a marathon preview. St. George attorney Tim Anderson is one of the participants in this year's St. George Marathon. How did he begin running? Just in my last year in law school, I challenged or I guess was involved in a challenge with Rex Lee, who was dean of the law school at byu to a race which turned out to be a four mile race. And a lot of students were involved. And in getting ready for that race I finally decided that running might be interesting. So I stuck with it. Why the shift to the marathon the first year? Actually my brother in law, Roger Gornacek ran in the first marathon and he told me about it. He told me about how difficult it was and it sounded like just the right challenge for somebody who was like me who was overweight and out of shape and just out of three grueling years of law school. So I thought I'd give it a try, which I did back in 1978 and about felt like I died in the process. It was not fun. Anderson is now a veteran of seven marathons, five St. George Marathons. Is it as grueling now? You get used to the pain and it is fun. It's something to look forward to. And when it becomes a race, you spend a lot of time calculating distances and time in your mind and it becomes a challenge like anything else. But I think that the pain is always there. Your threshold to undertake the pain just is a little bit higher, I guess. See, the problem is that you always go faster each year. As you improve, you go faster and thus you're always pushing your pain threshold. What about goals for this year's race? My feet tend to blister up quite badly and I'm doing different things to try to control that. If I can control it, I might really be able to surprise myself for the good time. But otherwise it will hopefully be somewhere in the 250s. Attorney and athlete Tim Anderson, who will be participating in this year's marathon, join KDXU for St. George Marathon coverage. Time once again for a marathon preview. Not all distance runners in the area are in the St. George Marathon this year. One veteran of half marathon competition will be on the sidelines. Denley Falck. Why not? The marathon takes a lot more time and effort then than it does a half marathon and you really have to be committed to. But there is a significant amount of training that goes into the half marathon. What sort of mileage train? Between 40 and 50 a week as far as I'm concerned, because I like to run them hard and strong right at first and keep it going. So you have to really be in shape, I feel like. And If I'm not in shape, I don't want to do it. For Falk, being in shape for a marathon would mean running 10 miles a day, six days a week, with at least one of those days going for a significantly longer distance. Falk was not a distance runner in hike. I had asthma as a child and didn't do too much running, and I decided to strengthen my lungs. And so I've been running about a year and a half, and I don't have any asthma anymore. I do it for the health of it, mainly. Has he noticed a significant difference in his life since he's been running? I'll say I have more strength, a lot less stress, and handle things easier. And I think that exercise is one of the most important things for your health. Will Denley Foulk ever run a marathon? Yes, I'm going to. When I get a little more time on my hands, I'm going to be committed. And next, within a couple of years, I'd like to run a marathon here in St. George. One of the participants of the future, Denley Falk, join KDXU for continuing St. George Marathon coverage. I'm Larry Jewell. Time once again for a marathon Preview. In every St. George Marathon there is the rookie runner. One of those rookies this year will be St. George businessman Darrell Larkin. What got Larkin into distance running? I don't even know. Just a few of us in the neighborhood started talking about running for exerc. One thing led to another. Darrell Arkin is also known as an avid golfer. Compare the two sports, distance running and golfing. Runs work and, well, I shouldn't say that. They both have a great deal of pleasure in them. For me, running is a surprisingly enjoyable activity for us. Has the golf game improved since the running began? No, I can't say that. In fact, it's probably gotten worse. But that's all right. It's almost over. After the marathon, will the running schedule continue? For distances, yes, but not the kind of miles that it takes to prepare for a marathon. Every rookie has thoughts about the marathon. Tales of horror, tales of joy that have come down from other runners. Darrell Larkin's thoughts prior to this first marathon. I think for any new first timer, the question enters your mind, can you even finish? And you won't know until you do it once. The longest we we run in our training schedule, which we get from various magazines, is 18 miles. So the biggest question is, can we finish? And if so, what kind of time? Darrell Larkin's twin brother Dale may also participate in the race. Although Dale Larkin has been suffering from some injuries in these last few weeks of training, if they do run, as far as we can tell, it will be the first set of twins ever in the St. George Marathon. Speaking of that twin aspect, do you find that you have similar injuries as your brother? Not similar, but similar timing, but not necessarily similar injuries. And Darrell Arkin feels he has an explanation for that. It's probably a function of running so many miles the last few weeks. You run so many miles that I think the body just starts to say, please give me a break. And he's had some muscle stresses where I've had some knee problems. Darrell Larkin participated in the 440 as a Trackman, as a senior in high school. The differences in training, you just got to train and spend the time at it. What's interesting, Larry, is the first time we tr, which is about three years ago, and we ran it for several months and then I got hurt and laid off for a couple of years. The first time I tried to run, I could not run a quarter mile. I could not run all the way around the track. And that told me a lot about being in shape. I thought I was, but obviously I wasn't. Marathon rookie Darrell Larkin join KDXU for continuing St. George Marathon coverage. I'm Larry Jewell. Time once again for a marathon preview. One of the rookies in last year's St. George Marathon is Lou Haynes, who will be back to run again this year. What drove the local St. George businessman to run in a marathon? Pressure from friends. When did he begin to train as a distance runner for exercise? I really only began running seriously in preparation for last year's marathon. And so when did you begin the training for the marathon? June. Was it enough time to prepare for a marathon? No, it really wasn't. I didn't do well last year. But he did finish, and he did finish in relatively good time, although he will not admit it. What about the gold this year? I hope to be able to cut my time by 45 minutes or so this year just because I'm in a lot better shape and I maintain somewhat my conditioning schedule during the winter. What was the reaction to running in your first marathon? It was hard. It was really. It was probably the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. Physically, I mean, it was just really difficult. Most runners will tell you after that first marathon, there is a special feeling about running. What was Lou Haynes reaction at the end of his first marathon? A feeling of accomplishment. It's something that very few people can or, you know, choose to do, but it was just extremely difficult. I've run some long runs this year and have not had near the difficulty that I had last year. I had some health problems last year, too. That kind of hindered my training that I haven't had this year, fortunately. Lou Haines, one of the participants at this year's marathon. Join KDXU for coverage of the St. George Marathon. I'm Larry Jewell. Time once again for a marathon preview. One of the rookie runners in last year's St. George Marathon is physical education teacher Dave Slack. His reaction after running his first marathon. At first, I didn't ever have the thought that I might even be able to break three hours. But after I finished that marathon in 255, I was really quite pleased with what happened. My second marathon that I ran was last year or this last July in the Deseret News Pioneer Marathon, and I did quite well on that. I was really hurting the first eight or nine miles, but after that, I really started to fly down the hill after Little Mountain and felt quite good about it. But I've really gained a lot of confidence in marathon running. I guess it's just been through a lot of training, and it's taken quite a while to build myself up to have the stamina to finish one. Was the reaction after the first marathon that it was more difficult than you thought? No. At first I was really afraid of it because I'd heard a lot of stories from other people, you know, that it was quite grueling and especially when you get up to about 20 miles when you hit the wall, that it's quite hard on the body. And the first marathon, it really was. But the second marathon that I ran, it didn't seem that bad on me. Compare the two marathons, the Pioneer Marathon and the St. George Marathon. Contrary to what other people have said, I felt like it was easier, but yet I think that the St. George Marathon was really probably easier, but it just happened to be the very first marathon that I ran. And so I wasn't. I didn't really know what to expect. But now I know what to expect. I'm sure that once I run this one again, that I'm probably going to say that it was easier than the Salt Lake Marathon. Physical education teacher Dave Slack, one of the participants in this year's St. George Marathon, join KDXU for continuing marathon coverage. I'm Larry Jewell. Time once again for a marathon preview. One of the participants at this year's St. George Marathon is physical Education teacher Dave Slack, who sees significant benefits in running a marathon. I think if you can increase your endurance and stamina to, you know, to do that type of exercise, it's really super on your heart and it's good on your, the muscles, your legs and your arms and things. And I think it also has a lot to do with your self discipline, being able to go out and accomplish something like that. It's not something that you can just say, hey, in two weeks I'm going to run a marathon and go out and run few miles. You need to put in a lot of training. So I think as far as the self discipline, it's really satisfying to be able to do it too. But there is a danger in trying to build up to a marathon too fast. And it's hard on those old knees if you don't take it a little tiny bit at a time. Now I do my training just a little bit differently. I try to give my body a little bit of time to relax the day following a big workout. So I'll go a heavy workout one day and then lighten it up the following day and then heavy the third day and so forth. And then I also, I ride my bike to school and do other forms of exercise in between. So I think that helps me out a little bit too. Physical education instructor Dave Slack, one of the participants in this year's St. George Marathon. Stay with KDXU for continuing marathon coverage. Welcome to Cambridge. I'm Larry Jewell. Time once again for a marathon preview. One of the runners in this year's St. George Marathon will be dermatologist Dr. Dean Duke. Duke ran his first marathon last year, but feels that his stocky build is a disadvantage. Primarily, I've got pretty short legs and weigh 160 pounds, and I think that that kind of muscle structure has endurance, but it doesn't have speed. And I don't have trouble finishing the marathon, but I have trouble making a good time. So I think the muscle type and structure has something to do with how well you can run. Most of the class runners are quite thin and have different kind of muscle structures than I have now. For Dr. Duke, beginning distance running came fairly close to last year's marathon. Six weeks before the marathon in 1982, I decided that with several of my friends in Bloomington that we would train for it and see if we could run it. Our main goal at that time was, can we make it? And I trained for about five or six weeks. I started running about three to four miles a day and worked up to six miles two or three times a week, and then ran a few eight miler distances and then one half. I ran the half marathon three weeks before the marathon. And at that time I thought, oh, I don't think I could make it. But I did. It must have been difficult to run the marathon with such a short training period. Yes, it was. I didn't try for a good time, and as a matter of fact, I didn't run it in very good time. I ran it in just over four hours. But my main goal was to finish it. And I thought that if I trained enough to know that I wasn't hurt and that I had the heart and lungs to run for three or four hours, that I could finish. And that was my main goal after the half marathon. Was the marathon that difficult? I ran the half last year and hurt. I thought, oh, that's, that's too fast, it's too far. But I slowed down and took it easy for the marathon. And I think the slower speed and the longer distance kind of evened out. I was less sore, but it was a lot more mentally tiring. The last six miles is, I think, a mental accomplishment as well as a physical achievement accomplishment. But the mental part was the part that seemed to be hard for me. What about the training for this year's marathon? Well, I hate to admit it, but not very much longer. But I've stayed in better shape over the past year. I've run four half marathons in the past year, including the Big Mac and the color country marathon earlier this year, as well as one in Cedar City this summer. But I started about four weeks ago. I have run more miles this year. I've run several 20 mile distances and several 15 and the half marathon two weeks ago. And I feel like I'm in much better shape than I was last year. My main goal this year is to run it for time because I now know I can finish. Dr. Dean Duke, one of the participants in this year's St. George Marathon. Stay with KDXU for continuing marathon coverage. I'm Larry Jewell. Time once again for a marathon preview. Dr. Dean Duke is one of the runners in this year's St. George Marathon. His specialty is dermatology. And there are some specific problems that develop among distance runners. Yes, there are some that are actually written about in the textbooks, and I won't belabor. But of course, blisters. There are small little black spots that occur on the heels of runners called ecchymoses. They're small bruises that occur from the trauma of hitting the pavement. There's also rashes that occur typical of the feet, such as ringworm infection or athlete's foot. And also the groin, typical athlete's jock itch. But there's also condition in the groin from rubbing against either the clothing or the thighs together. When you run 26 miles, that almost is like a chafing blister. A lot of the runners will use silicone or Vaseline to protect against that. The thing that I have the worst trouble with is the breast tissue rubs on the shirt and the nipples get very sore. Dermatologist Dr. Dean Duke, runner of the St. George Marathon. Stay with KTXU for continuing coverage of the marathon. I'm Larry Jewell. Time once again for a marathon preview. Although he will not be running in the St. George Marathon this year, Dr. Spencer Gunn has participated in the event. His reaction as a chiropractor to the St. George Marathon, it was probably the hardest thing I'd ever done physically. What about from that standpoint as a chiropractor? Looking at the marathon, there's a lot of stress that you put on your body when you're running. And when you're training for something that much as you train, training is more or less a controlled stress situation. And you have to be able to listen to your body and what it's telling you. And if you're not used to that, then sometimes you can overdo it or you don't know when you should push through certain types of pains and things that way. So it was interesting to me because I've always been on the one side of the fence where I can advise people on what to do, and you ought to be able to run through this pain or do that. But then when it came right down to it, I found it's not always as easy to be objective when you're the one that's hurting. Does he treat runners differently now that he has participated in a marathon? I do, and I'd run before, but never run a marathon or anything that distance. And I'd worked on enough athletes and things that I felt like I needed to be more objective that way. And so that was one of the reasons that I wanted to run that distance. And so I feel like it helped me gain a better perspective. Dr. Spencer Gunn, local chiropractor and distance runner, join us for continuing St. George Marathon coverage right here on KDXU. I'm Larry Jewell. Time once again for a marathon preview. Dr. Spencer Gunn is a chiropractor in the St. George area. Who deals with athletic problems, especially of runners. There are some warning signals for runners to look for during training for a marath. What they should do basically, is if they can't stretch something out and it continues to hurt for more than a couple of days, then they probably ought to have it checked out or rest for several days before they try and run through the pain. What about during the marathon? Are there warning signals? If it's something where it seems to loosen up and they can run through where it seems to be easing up as they go longer and as their body loosens up and if they can kind of relax a little bit, forget about it and get their mind on something else. Generally what I'll have them do on something like that is change their breathing pattern or try to change their stride a little bit or try and think about certain ways of changing their gait in that to see if it'll take care of the problem. In other words, you can change things a little bit mechanically and that will take care of generally little problems. If that doesn't solve it, then you need to stop and try and figure out in more detail what's going on. What about spinal problems among distance runners? Do you find a lot? You see more problems that start down in the feet that can develop up into the spine where if they're having problems in their feet, for example, if they over pronate or they aren't absorbing all the shock that they should, then it's transmitted improperly up the body and you'll start getting pounding, more of a pounding in the back. In other words, you take more stress and more trauma in there than you should that your body can physiologically handle and then it can develop problems and it can start to wear on. Most people who run enough are in good enough shape that it actually prevents problems. St. George chiropractor Dr. Spencer Gunn, who has run the St. George Marathon, stay with KDXU. For continuing coverage of the marathon. I'm Larry Jewell. Time once again for a marathon pre One of the Veterans of the St. George Marathon, Robert Horlocher, will not be running this year because of commitments with a Dixie College women's volleyball team on the road. But Horlocher has had plenty of experience with the St. George Marathon. Is it tough to run a marathon? The older you get, the tougher it gets. It's always been tough, but it's always been fun. Now, Robert Horlocher this spring had a chance and took advantage of that chance to run in the Boston Marathon, Probably America's premier 26 mile plus yardage race. Compare the St. George Marathon with the classic Boston Marathon. I'd take the St. George Marathon any day. Of course, I think one gets used to the Boston course. Well, then it's a little different, you know, they'd do better. But St. George has a good course and, and that last downhill six miles downhill makes quite a difference as opposed to having it midway through the course like they have in Boston climbing hills. So I'd rather run this one any day. What about the atmosphere surrounding the two races? All those people back there that turn out and they line the entire course. It's quite a thrill, you know, to be a part of that. They pick you up and move you along just with their enthusiasm. But here it's getting more and more. I'll tell you, when you come down third south off of Bluff street here, there are more and more spectators along there and a little spray of water and a few cheers from people and that helps you get into the finish line here. So even though we're not as big, we're getting there. Dixie College coach Robert Horlocher, a St. George Marathon veteran, stay with KDXU for continuing marathon coverage. I'm Larry Jewell. Time once again for a marathon preview. Dixie College coach Robert Horlocher is a veteran of almost 14 years of distance running that includes seven marathons. Is it really that difficult to run a marathon? Most of it's mental, as far as I'm concerned. It's harder for me to run a marathon now than it was when I started, I believe. But when you, when you really prepare and get your body ready to go, then regardless, it's, it's easy, you know, I, I believe the person who runs, the quicker time, enjoys it more. The slower your time, the more painful it is. And so depending on that, it's a conditioning thing. Now that he is beyond the age of 50 and still running, is there a significant difference in training for a marathon? I feel the effects of that. I really do. I think it takes more for me to get ready now than I did five, 10 years ago. And those young people have just got a snap. There was one fellow that hadn't trained at all last year and was out on a party the night before and ran. He felt he was almost dead when he got to the finish line here last year, but he could do it, and I don't think that I could do it that way either. If there is a runner out there who is beyond 50 trying for the first marathon, is there damage that can be done to that older runner? I think if the preparation is there. I don't think so. In fact, if there's anything that will pick a person up and make life more interesting, it'll be a marathon. In older years, later years. What about a runner's high? Is there such a thing? Oh, you bet. No question about it. Talk to me the week after I run a marathon and I'll. And you should be able to notice that you get going and everything is great, you feel good, you know you've accomplished something. It's just a tremendous feeling. Dixie College coach Robert Horlocher, a veteran of the St. George Marathon, stay with KDXU for continuing marathon coverage. I'm Larry Jewellery.