Maniac questionnaire
2/1/07
Name: Ryan Prentiss
Maniac #433
State you live in: Massachusetts
How many marathons / ultra marathons have you run? 2/2
What was the first race you ever ran? (Any distance) When I was a wee lad I ran a kids road race with my dad.
What was the first marathon you ever ran? What year did you
run it? Did you have fun that day? Being a local
Bostonian I was lucky to make the 110th Boston Marathon my first
marathon in 2006. Fortunately my BQ
time was waived because I had the honor to run for Dana-Farber Cancer Research. What an amazing day! It was 26.2 miles of sheer
enjoyment, I'm pretty sure I had a smile all the way to heartbreak hill and
then it gets a little fuzzy! Around mile 24 I remember passing someone in a
gorilla suit and people were offering me beer! It’s an unbelievable feeling
when you make that turn from Commonwealth Avenue onto Boylston Street and the famous
yellow & blue Boston Marathon finish line banner is just a few feet away!!
As the great Bill Rogers said “The marathon can humble you” and it
did!!
How long have you been a runner and why did you start running? When I was younger I can remember accompany my father on some of his runs. Then when I was in college it became a serious pastime (good stress relief), after a hiatus and being diagnosed with Addison’s disease in April 2005 I got back on the roads to run a half-marathon, since then haven’t looked back.
Why did you decide to become a Maniac? Or what inspired you? Pure inspiration from Olga Varlamova MM#101, Robert Hester MM#97, Sarah Duncan MM#355 and Michelle Barnes MM#402
Of all the races out there in this world, which one would you most like to run? Constantly searching
If you could run a marathon / ultra accompanied by anyone either living or deceased, who would you choose and why? Sri Chinmoy there are some many things about life and running we can learn from him.
What was you most memorable marathon and why? The Boston Marathon, the tradition, the competition, the course, and lets not forget the crowd they make you feel like a superstar.
If someone asked you to pick a race for him or her that they
could run a PR at, which race would you suggest? I wouldn’t want the responsibility I say forget
a PR leave your watch at home and enjoy yourself, then if you set a PR that’s
just icing on the cake.
What was the furthest you’ve ever traveled for a race? All local races to date, I have a few destination races planned for the future
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? What? You mean everyone doesn't do this? Seriously if it’s out there I’ve heard it, something someone once said that stuck in my head was “just driving that far I get foot cramps”
If personal obligations or finances were not an issue, how many marathons would you run in one year? Well being a husband to a very supportive wife and dad to two children 2 & 3 years old who manage to keep us on our toes, I haven’t had much time to think about this, I guess maybe I would be running marathons relentlessly, I could see myself attempting the Grand Slam of Ultra running
From what race did you receive your favorite finishers medal? Boston Marathon there’s something special about your 1st marathon finishers medal; I especially enjoy the dark blue unicorn symbol it serves as a reminder of where it all began
Where do you keep your finisher medals? I keep my 110th
Boston Marathon number and medal in a shadow box in our living room but everything
else gets tossed into the basement
Do you wear your race t-shirts? What do you do with the ones you don’t wear? With pride
If you could put on a marathon anywhere in the world, where would you have it? I’d stay local and have it on the Massachusetts Midstate trail.
Maniac Yellow, or Maniac Black? Classic
Yellow
What is your favorite pre race meal? Post race meal? Guinness for strength then some baked ziti & loads of garlic bread. Post race meal: Any fast food restaurant especially McDonalds need to get those calories back.
What is your energy gel of choice? Sport drink of choice? Cliff Shot Bloks and Hammer sustained energy drink mix
Which race would you never run again and why? This hasn’t occurred, knock on wood
What was the most challenging race or combination of races you’ve ever done and why? Stone Cat 50 mile trail race, running 50 miles in one bite was a huge challenge; it’s a long day out there. With the support of my family along with dedication & perseverance I reached the finish line
What is a typical training week like for you? How many miles do you run? Any cross training? It depends what I’m training for, I have my base building months, monster months, racing months and bad months too. Always changing like a roller coaster. Yes, if a treadmill counts as cross training
Do you have a training partner? If so, who is it? I lot of people say
running is not a team sport it’s an individual sport but I believe in sharing
this passion with other people (like all you Maniacs) short miles are nice to
put in alone w/o a training partner but on long runs I enjoy training with a
group. I find the camaraderie and
emotional support make the miles fun.
Running clubs - Parkway Running Club and Team Sherpa.
What kind of shoes do you train in? Do you race in a different shoe? I’m a neutral runner and like a nice lightweight cushioned shoe. I use Brooks Burn for road, cross road/trial Brooks Adrenaline ASR, and for trails Brooks Cascadia 2
What are your short-term running goals? Have fun and enjoy myself, meet and greet more runners, I especially hope to run into some of you Maniacs. Run the Vermont 100 in July 2007 and do B2B marathons in October for more stars!
What are your long-term running goals? Compete in Western States 100, run the Tahoe Rim Trail and maybe just maybe complete the Grand Slam of ultrarunnig
Assuming you have time, what do you do for fun other than run marathons? Live, love and laugh with family and friends.
Who is your favorite Super Hero? Superman, Wonder Woman, Main Maniac (with cat on head) Sergio Aragones Groo the Wanderer