Happily, Pat finished his first marathon and did quite well at that, crossing the line in 3:31. Despite how he felt about the regimented training, it did not sour him on doing other marathons. In fact, he has completed five more to date. However, his subsequent marathon training was a lot less rigid. He did not find himself wishing for the race to be over this time, until he was actually doing it! Still, he feels if he does another he should be better prepared. "The last one turned more into a death march!"

Originally from Saratoga Springs, Pat has been in the Syracuse area since 1991 when he began working for Niagara Mohawk, where he is in Financial Risk Management. He has been married three years to Mickey, an active runner herself and dedicated Charger volunteer. They reside in Baldwinsville and often train together at their favorite spots which include Beaver Lake and Onondaga Lake Park. With running as a common interest, they often try to fit races into their vacation plans. They have participated in events in many areas of the country including Seattle, San Diego and Falmouth.

Besides running, Pat likes playing racquetball and biking. It is more difficult for him to train for cycling as finding the time is not always easy. Still, he enjoys it and even tries to do a duathlon or two each year as an alternative to road racing. Finding the bike and run combinations challenging, he often does the Southwick Beach duathlon each summer. This past August, he and Mickey went to Brockville Ontario where he entered the duathlon and she participated in the triathlon. He ended up placing 3rd in his age group.

Pat describes his most unusual award as being a purple cocktail dress. He earned it at the Resolution Run held on January 1st outside the Spaghetti Warehouse. He finds the laid back event a good time and looks forward to it every year. "I keep going back trying to get a matching pair of shoes!" Other area favorites include the Mountain Goat and the Corporate Challenge, with the Utica Boilermaker topping his list.

Running races between 5K and half marathon distances, Pat has set pr’s at the Myeloma 5K in Seattle (19:48), Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis 10K (43:19), Boilermaker 15K (1:05:42), Cherry Blossom 10 Miler (1:10:35) and the Hartford Half Marathon (1:33:31.) He runs about 35 miles a week and his average training week consists of one day of speed work, two tempo runs and a longer run on the weekend.

Like all of us, Pat has running goals. First and foremost, he wants to continue running for the rest of his life. Secondly, he would like to set at least one pr each year. If he does, fantastic, if not, that is okay too, he’ll just keep on trying. He once thought that running was like any other sport, the idea being to win. The irony he says is that at the time he did not realize one of the best things about running. States Pat, "Running is an individual sport where winning isn’t the goal for the vast majority of the people. For most, the goals are personal accomplishments that are met not with competition with others, but with yourself."

September, 2002