Maniac questionnaire Name Jeff McKay Maniac # 1580 How many marathons / ultra marathons have you run? 9 marathons, no ultras yet. What was the first race you ever ran? (Any distance) I was in around 3rd grade and it was a cross country course. Don’t remember how far it was, maybe a mile. What was the first marathon you ever ran? What year did you run it? Did you have fun that day? Portland Marathon, October 1, 2006. That day was the whole range of emotions that a person could have and then some. It was a dream of mine that took me 34 years to finally do. How long have you been a runner and why did you start running? I ran a lot as a younger kid. Then had a family and running stopped for 20+ years. Started running again in April of 2006. Why did you decide to become a Maniac? Or what inspired you? When you go to a marathon there are 2 types of people who stand out. Those who are wearing Boston Marathon items and those who are wearing Marathon Maniac items. I wanted to attain both but did not think I could. This year I have reached both of those goals. Of all the races out there in this world, which one would you most like to run? Wow this is a loaded question because there are so many I still wish to some day run in. But if I have to pick just 1 it would be the Cape Wrath Marathon in Scotland. That is where my ancestors came from and it would be my way of connecting with my past. If you could run a marathon / ultra accompanied by anyone either living or deceased, who would you choose and why? My 2 sons. Both of my sons have served this country in the Army since before September 11, 2001 and we have not been together as a family since November 2001. Between them they have been overseas fighting for this country 8 different times; my oldest is on his way over for tour number 5 this summer. It would be nice if we could finally get together as a family again and I can’t think of a better way than by having them run their first marathons with me. What was you most memorable marathon and why? All 9 have been memorable in their own ways. Napa Valley Marathon, March 1, 2009. My coach Joe Henderson challenged me by saying he believed I could run 3:30 even though my PR at the time was 3:47 and my wife backed him by saying why do you doubt yourself. So I got my butt in gear and set up a training program to reach that goal. I was on track to break 3:30 until the Tuesday before Napa when I got sick. I traveled down there anyway, and even the morning of the marathon I was only feeling about 80%, and Joe asked if I was ok. I told him I was going to give it a go and see what happens. I ended up with a PR of 30 minutes, qualifying for Boston with a 3:17:56 in the rain while sick. If someone asked you to pick a race for him or her that they could run a PR at, which race would you suggest? Of the one’s that I have ran I would suggest the Eugene Marathon, with the exception of 1 hill just after mile 8 the course is very flat. Not only that but in 2010 the marathon will end on Hayward Field’s track. How cool will that experience be? What was the furthest you’ve ever traveled for a race? Napa Valley Marathon, somewhere around 500 miles Do any of your non-running friends or family members think that you’re crazy for running as much as you do? What are some of their comments to you? I’m sure that some do… hell I think that I am somewhere around mile 20. Some of the comments: Why would you run when God created cars? Are you going to run in the Olympics? If personal obligations or finances were not an issue, how many marathons would you run in one year? As many as my body could handle, maybe up to 15 or 20 in a year. From what race did you receive your favorite finishers medal? My first one from the Portland Marathon. It was the 35th anniversary of the race and it is printed on both sides with different stuff. Where do you keep your finisher medals? I have all my medals and bibs with them hanging in my office at work. Do you wear your race t-shirts? What do you do with the ones you don’t wear? I wear most of them. The ones that I don’t wear are in my drawer. If you could put on a marathon anywhere in the world, where would you have it? Where isn’t there a marathon now? Eugene (where I live) has one, Crater Lake has one… I like places that are scenic and not too much torture. Maniac Yellow, or Maniac Black? I will be wearing the Maniac Yellow even though my favorite color is black. What is your favorite pre race meal? Post race meal? Pre race – Spaghetti and baked pototoes. Post race – lots of fluids, and probably pizza What is your energy gel of choice? Sport drink of choice? Gel’s – Chocolate 9, and GU vanilla, espresso love, chocolate outrage. Sport Drink – Cytomax, right now I’m in to the Pomegranate Berry. The drinks can’t be too sweet or sticky and they have to sit well on my stomach that is why I pack my own when running. Which race would you never run again and why? I hate to say never, but out of the one’s I have done it would be Portland. I just don’t like the city, the rail road tracks to cross multiple time on Front Street and the St. John’s Bridge late in the race took it out of me. What was the most challenging race or combination of races you’ve ever done and why? Bellingham Bay 2007. Let’s see it was my PW (personal worst), the weather was heavy rain, wind with gust up to 65mph, low 40’s and I had an IT band issue cripple me at mile 15 that caused me to gimp the remaining 11 miles. And that does not include the many hills on that course that I was not ready for at all. Despite all of that I ended going back up there the next year and did it again over an hour faster than I did in 2007. What is a typical training week like for you? How many miles do you run? Any cross training? Sunday is off, Monday speed work, Tuesday tempo run, Wednesday 90 to 120 minutes, Thursday tempo run, Friday off, Saturday is my long run. I probably run between 35 and 40 miles a week. The only cross training I do is working on my core at home. Do you have a training partner? If so, who is it? I don’t have a partner, but I belong to a team (Joe Henderson’s marathon team) even though I don’t run with them. I do my long training runs on my own so that I can support the team with drink stations on the team training run days (Sunday). What kind of shoes do you train in? Do you race in a different shoe? At this time New Balance 1223’s for training, I race in Adidas Adizero. What are your short-term running goals? To break 3:15 in Victoria BC on October 11, 2009. What are your long-term running goals? To break 3:10 in Boston next April Assuming you have time, what do you do for fun other than run marathons? Camping and Hiking… but the more I run the harder time I’m having getting either of those in. Who is your favorite Super Hero? Superman, Wonder Woman, Main Maniac (with cat on head), non Maniac Beauty? When I was a kid it was the Hulk; but now that I’m older the people that I see during the races who are not what you would think of as runners that probably will take 5 or 6 hours and longer who just keep plugging away. Those people who are 60 or older that keep lacing up their shoes and hitting the road. Those are my true hero’s and hopefully one day I will be in their shoes inspiring others to keep pushing on. |