Maniac questionnaire

June 26, 2006

Name Boonsom Hartman

Maniac # 237

State you live in Illinois (Oak Forest)

How many marathons / ultra marathons have you run? 119 marathons / 13 ultras

What was the first race you ever ran? (Any distance) Fool’s Run 4 miler in Park Forest, IL in 1992. I got 3^rd place in my age group.

What was the first marathon you ever ran? What year did you run it? Did you have fun that day? Chicago Marathon - Oct. 25, 1992. I had a great time – it was awesome! My husband had a dozen long stem red roses for me at the finish. I was hooked and just wanted to run another one.

How long have you been a runner and why did you start running? I’ve been running for 14 years. My running started during a time in my life when I was dealing with serious medical issues with my daughter (brain tumor). Running has always been a great way for me to relax and relieve stress.

Why did you decide to become a Maniac? Or what inspired you? I became aware that the group existed at the Yakima River Canyon Marathon in 2005. I’ve been a Maniac for Marathoning for several years before that.

Of all the races out there in this world, which one would you most like to run? I would some day like to run a marathon in my native country of Thailand.

If you could run a marathon / ultra accompanied by anyone either living or deceased, who would you choose and why? I train a lot with my girlfriend Margaret Brady and enjoy running with her – we ran Big Sur together years ago. It would be fun to run another one with her.

What was you most memorable marathon and why? Honolulu in 2003 because it was the marathon I ran to complete my 50 States and D.C. I was so happy to accomplish my goal but after a couple of weeks I was sad that the journey was over, so I set new goals that fit in well with earning Maniac Stars (eg. Back-to-back marathons two weekends in a row, etc.).

If someone asked you to pick a race for him or her that they could run a PR at, which race would you suggest? Two of my three fastest times occurred at Milwaukee – it’s fairly flat with a big downhill for the last few miles finishing at Milwaukee’s lakefront.

What was the furthest you’ve ever traveled for a race? Hawaii and Alaska.

Do any of your non-running friends or family members thing that you’re crazy for running as much as you do? What are some of their comments to you? My family is very supportive of me, especially my husband who travels with me for most of my races and often runs or bikes part of the course to support me. Most of my friends are also runners so I only get “crazy” comments from strangers when I tell them what I do.

If personal obligations or finances were not an issue, how many marathons would you run in one year? If my body could take it, I would love to travel and run every weekend. I’ve run as many as twenty in a year, but got injured after about a year and a half at that pace. Probably 12-15 per year is a good number for me.

From what race did you receive your favorite finishers medal? Wow, tough question, my first from Chicago has special meaning, as does my Honolulu one. My favorite medal from a design/appearance standpoint is probably the inaugural Walt Disney Marathon medal of Mickey (I’m a big fan of Mickey and like to wear MM stuff – some friends even call me Mickey, but more people are familiar with my other nickname, “Lipstick Lady”).

Where do you keep your finisher medals? My husband made me an oak display rack for my 50 and DC medals; the rest are hanging from tie racks until he can make another rack or display case.

Do you wear your race t-shirts? What do you do with the ones you don’t wear? I wear the ones I really like and give the rest to husband, friends, etc.

If you could put on a marathon anywhere in the world, where would you have it? In my native country of Thailand.

Maniac Yellow, or Maniac Black? Yellow, I like to be bright!

What is your favorite pre race meal? Post race meal? Pad Thai noodles if I can find a good Thai restaurant when I travel. Immediately after the race I like to drink a Coke and have some greasy potato chips. I enjoy having a nice steak with wine as my post race dinner.

What is your energy gel of choice? Sport drink of choice? During races I like Clif Shot Mocha Mocha and Gatorade. For training runs I’ll substitute GU, Powergel, whatever.

Which race would you never run again and why? “Ohio-Michigan” because it was like eight or nine short out-and-backs across the state line. They don’t have this race anymore, so I guess I’m not the only one who didn’t like it.

What was the most challenging race or combination of races you’ve ever done and why? The most challenging individual race I’ve done is the HUFF (Huntington Ultra Frigid Fifty) because of the extreme cold and deep snow conditions. The toughest combo was doing 4 marathons in a nine day period.

What is a typical training week like for you? How many miles do you run? Any cross training? I train about five days per week with most of my runs between four and eight miles. My Saturday run is longer, 10 – 18 miles. Total miles per week is about 35 miles.

Do you have a training partner? If so, who is it? During the week I train alone, but on weekends I run with friends and/or club members.

What kind of shoes do you train in? Do you race in a different shoe? Same shoe model for all my running - New Balance. I use one pair exclusively for running about 8 marathons before retiring them to trainers or walkers. I have multiple pairs of trainers.

What are your short-term running goals? To complete 17 marathons this year.

What are your long-term running goals? To complete my second 50 and DC circuit.

Assuming you have time, what do you do for fun other than run marathons? I enjoy traveling with my husband, sightseeing, hiking in the mountains, kayaking, enjoying mother nature.

Who is your favorite Super Hero? Superman, Wonder Woman, Main Maniac (with cat on head)

- Main Maniac (with cat on head) - Never really had a favorite until I saw that cat.